Halabja to become Iraq’s 19th governorate after decades of advocacy and legal groundwork

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Parliament on Monday voted to officially recognize Halabja as the country’s 19th governorate, ending a decades-long campaign rooted in legal, constitutional, and moral claims. The move separates Halabja from Sulaymaniyah’s jurisdiction and grants it full administrative status under federal law.

The vote took place during the sixth session of Parliament’s first legislative term of the fourth year, chaired by First Deputy Speaker Mohsen Al-Mandalawi and attended by 178 lawmakers. The measure was introduced by the committees on regional affairs and legal matters and passed alongside several federal appointments. The new governorate will include the districts of Halabja and Khurmal and the subdistricts of Byara, Tawella, and Bamo.

Halabja Mayor Nukhsha Nasih, who also serves as acting governor, welcomed the decision. “We thank the three Iraqi presidents, the Kurdistan Region authorities, and all Kurdish and Iraqi parliamentary factions. Everyone’s fingerprints were visible in this achievement,” she told 964media. Nasih said the new status would allow local officials to push for long-overdue services and development. “We will continue to fight for the demands and rights of Halabja’s people.”

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also praised the decision, calling it “the least that can be done for the suffering and sacrifices of Halabja and its resilient people.”

“We warmly congratulate the people of Halabja and all of Kurdistan,” Barzani said in a statement. “The Kurdistan Region started the process of provincial recognition years ago, and today Iraq has formally acknowledged it.”

The legal path to recognition spans more than two decades. The Kurdistan Parliament first passed Legislative Decision No. 11 in 1999 to elevate Halabja from district to governorate. In 2013, the Kurdistan Council of Ministers formally asked the Iraqi federal government to adopt the decision under Article 141 of the Constitution. That request led to multiple approvals and exchanges of administrative maps between Erbil and Baghdad.

The Kurdistan Regional Government ratified the change in 2014 through Regional Decree No. 19 and passed Law No. 1 of 2015 to manage Halabja’s administration. Between 2015 and 2017, Iraq’s federal budget included allocations for Halabja Governorate, and several ministries established governorate-level offices in the city, including passport, traffic, trade, and civil status directorates.

Still, final recognition required a federal act of Parliament. The Iraqi Cabinet approved a draft law to establish Halabja Governorate in March 2023. It underwent first and second readings in April and May, but a planned vote in September 2024 was delayed for the fourth time before finally reaching a vote on Monday.

Located about 75 kilometers southeast of Sulaymaniyah, Halabja is widely known for the 1988 chemical weapons attack by Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime, which killed 5,000 civilians and injured more than 10,000. Often referred to as “Martyr Halabja,” the city remains a symbol of Kurdish suffering and resilience.

President Barzani called the recognition a beginning, not an end. “We hope this leads to better services, development, and quality of life for Halabja,” he said. “It is now the duty of all of us to serve the governorate without hesitation.”