Kurdistan accuses Baghdad of systematic discrimination
A senior official in the Kurdish government (KRG) accused the federal government in Baghdad on Thursday of systematically stripping the Region's citizens of their basic rights over the past three years, describing the ongoing salary crisis as only one aspect of broader political and economic injustices.
In a statement, the official said it was 'regrettable' that public sector salaries in Kurdistan had become a tool of political pressure. He characterized Baghdad's approach as a deliberate strategy of impoverishment and a flagrant violation of the Iraqi constitution, aimed at undermining the dignity of Kurdish citizens and deepening national divisions.
The official cited figures to illustrate the shortfall in financial transfers. In 2023, the federal government sent only 4.698T IQD (about $3.5B) to the Region—representing just 28.5% of what was owed. In 2024, that figure rose to 10.026T IQD (about $7.6B), covering 47.9% of entitlements. So far in 2025, only 3.829T IQD (about $3B) have been received, which accounts for just 18.3% of the Region's 20.910T IQD (about $15.9B) entitlement. According to the KRG, no less than one trillion dinars should be transferred each month.
However, the salary issue is only one part of what the official described as a larger pattern of federal discrimination. Since 2014, the KRG has been barred from hiring new public employees, while Baghdad added more than a million to the federal payroll in a single year. Despite multiple agreements to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan Region, Baghdad has continued to obstruct shipments, while allowing illegal oil flows to proceed elsewhere in the country. The Region's border crossings and internal revenues have also been targeted, with trade movements restricted and local economies undermined.
Kurdistan-produced goods, both agricultural and industrial, are being blocked from export, and subject to customs tariffs the KRG deems illegal. The official added that the Region is being denied access to medical supplies and equipment, even though more than 40% of patients in its hospitals come from outside Kurdistan.
Furthermore, Baghdad has reportedly excluded the Region from international loans and humanitarian assistance. Even visits by UN agencies and NGOs have been restricted. Salaries and support for the Kurdish Peshmerga forces—recognized as part of Iraq's national defense—have been cut. Aid for refugees and displaced persons within Kurdistan has also been blocked, as has access to assistance from global organizations.
The official also noted discrimination in agricultural support policies, pointing to Baghdad's restrictions on wheat purchases from Kurdish farmers, even as it subsidizes growers elsewhere and imports wheat from abroad at significant cost.
He concluded by calling for a 'brave national stance' to correct what he described as a dangerous imbalance. 'All Iraqis must respect the constitution and recognize the Kurdistan Region's rights as a federal entity,' he said. 'Kurdistanis must not be treated as second-class citizens. Weakening the Region does not strengthen Iraq—it weakens the entire country.'
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