Iraq conducts first national census in nearly 40 years

Population number stokes tensions successful Iraqi Kurdistan, with fears that reduced numbers volition lessen Kurdish clout successful sectarian system.

Iraq is conducting a nationwide census, its archetypal effort to stitchery demographic information since 1987 erstwhile Saddam Hussein was inactive successful power.

The Ministry of Interior announced a two-day curfew for the extended operation, which volition spot 120,000 researchers gathering information from households successful each 18 of the country’s governorates connected Wednesday and Thursday.

Ministry of Planning spokesperson Abdul-Zahra al-Hindawi said that the census, carried retired with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), would uncover “the world of Iraq successful its smallest details”, enabling authorities to pinpoint gaps successful health, acquisition and lodging provision.

Iraq has spent overmuch of the past fewer decades devastated by struggle and sanctions, the 2003 United States-led invasion that toppled Hussein followed by sectarian struggles and the emergence of the ISIL (ISIS) group.

The enactment of counting the colonisation could beryllium contentious, with the census expected to person profound implications for Iraq’s assets distribution, fund allocations and improvement planning.

In particular, it has reignited tensions betwixt Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan, the second fearing immoderate documented diminution successful the Kurdish colonisation volition trim the group’s governmental power and economical entitlements successful the country’s sectarian power-sharing system.

A squad from the Planning Ministry carries retired the nationalist census successful Kirkuk [Ako Rasheed/Reuters]

The number successful territories specified arsenic Kirkuk, Diyala and Mosul – wherever power is disputed betwixt the cardinal authorities successful Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdish determination authorities successful the northbound – has drawn aggravated scrutiny.

Ali Arian Saleh, the enforcement manager of the census astatine the Planning Ministry, said researchers from each taste groups – Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Christians – would behaviour the census successful disputed areas to “ensure fairness”.

Saleh said the Kurdish region’s stock of the nationalist fund – presently 12 percent – is based connected an estimated colonisation of six million. He estimated Iraq’s full colonisation to beryllium 44.5 million.

The census, which volition stitchery accusation from households connected issues similar health, acquisition and employment, includes religion but does not differentiate betwixt sects, specified arsenic Sunni and Shia Muslims. Unlike erstwhile counts, it excludes ethnicity.

Demographics are apt to person shifted with the exile of hundreds of thousands of Christians, and besides of tens of thousands of Yazidi families who were displaced from Sinjar by atrocities committed by ISIL.

The past nationwide census successful Iraq was held successful 1987. Another 1 held successful 1997 excluded the 3 bluish provinces that marque up the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies