Basra council rejects proposal to make Zubair a separate governorate

BASRA — The Basra Governorate Council voted Wednesday to reject a proposal to elevate the district of Zubair to the status of a separate governorate, citing concerns over social cohesion and administrative fragmentation.

“There is no justification for upgrading Zubair,” Council Chairman Khalaf Al-Badran said during a press conference. “The move would negatively affect social peace and could open the door for other districts to demand the same.”

The decision followed a formal vote during the council’s session to oppose what members described as efforts to divide Basra. “The council voted during today’s session to reject the proposal to divide Basra and to reject the upgrade of Zubair to a governorate,” said Mahmoud Al-Ameri, a council member and head of the financial and administrative committee, in a written statement.

“This decision reflects our commitment to preserving the administrative and geographic unity of Basra and avoiding any harm to the city’s social and economic fabric,” Al-Ameri said. He added that solutions to development and service challenges should come through comprehensive planning and balanced support, not through steps that could lead to further division. “The council supports the development of all districts and subdistricts, provided it happens within a unified vision that serves Basra’s stability.”

Separately, Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani sent a letter Wednesday to the office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, formally rejecting the proposal. In the letter, Al-Eidani outlined five reasons for opposition, including Zubair’s historic ties to Basra city.

“Zubair represents the old center of Basra, and its landmarks, such as the Al-Khatwa Mosque — once known as the Basra Mosque — are historically linked to the city,” he wrote.

Al-Eidani warned that the proposed upgrade would harm social peace in Basra and Iraq more broadly, due to geographic and population overlap between Zubair and other parts of the city. “There are no clear boundaries separating the district from surrounding parts of Basra,” he wrote.

He added that the move could encourage other districts in Basra and elsewhere to submit similar demands, threatening the unity of Iraq’s governorates. Al-Eidani also noted that Basra had not withheld services from Zubair, stating that the district had received allocations exceeding the ratios set by law.

“Administratively, Zubair is already surrounded by other districts of Basra, including Safwan, which was recently upgraded, and Um Qasr,” he wrote. “This makes it difficult for Zubair to function independently.”

On March 26, 2025, nearly 80 members of Iraq’s parliament signed a petition supporting the proposal, referencing the example of Halabja in the Kurdistan Region. Similar demands from local officials and activists in Zubair have been made for more than a decade, with some threatening to take the case to the Federal Supreme Court if ignored.