As soon as Mosul was liberated in July 2017, the Ninewa
council moved against Governor Nufal Hamadi al-Akub. It took four months, but
Akub was eventually removed from office. Similar situations have played out in
other provinces that were once occupied by the Islamic State where politicians
have decided to settle their scores after liberation. The problem is that these
local officials should be restoring governance and rebuilding Ninewa, but
instead are vying for power.
Four days after Mosul was freed a faction of the Ninewa
council announced it wanted to force Governor Akub out. On July 14, the Nahda
bloc said
that it wanted to dismiss Akub on corruption charges. There were also Ninewa
parliamentarians who wanted
the governor out. Former Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi was named
as a possible successor a few days later. Some of the councilman making the
move were also aligned
with former Governor Atheel Nujafi who wanted to return to power.
On November 1, Akub had it out with his opponents. First,
the council voted
him out. Akub claimed the session was illegal because it was not held in Mosul.
He then had a tribal
Hashd come to the council building in Mosul and ordered them to arrest any
politician that voted him out. The Ninewa council tried to move on without him,
but no successor has been picked yet. One councilman told the media that has
left the province in disarray.
The problem with this political squabbling is that it is
coming at the expense of running Ninewa, which was just freed from the hands of
the Islamic State. Half of Mosul for example is destroyed and there is no
plan to rebuild it. There is also no unified security network in the
governorate. In Mosul alone, there are around 30
different forces, mostly tribal Hashd that are beholden to politicians. Anbar
went through a similar experience where the council there spent months getting
rid of the governor instead of rebuilding. Rather than dealing with more
pressing issues, the political class is trying to settle scores and get rid of its
enemies.
SOURCES
Baghdad Post,
“Former defense minister tapped for Nineveh governorship,” 7/19/17
Bas News, “Nineveh
Governor Sacked over Corruption,” 11/1/17
Iraq News Network,
“Source: Political moves to oust the governor of Ninewa,” 7/31/17
Al Maalomah, “A
deputy from Ninewa reveals the nomination for new governor,” 11/13/17
- “Governor of Ninewa: All those who accuse me of corruption were lying
to me during my administration,” 8/3/17
- “A member of the
Ninewa Council speaks about chaos in the province and calls for a speedy naming
of governor,” 11/11/17
- “The Ninewa
Council expects to oust the governor during his first session of questioning in
parliament,” 10/3/17
Al Mada, “Daesh
members appear in Mosul 5 months after liberation,” 11/14/17
Shafaaq News, “The
governor of Ninewa resorted to military option to respond to his dismissal,”
11/2/17
Sotaliraq, “Member
of the Ninewa Council: Akub faction of the National Renaissance Coalition,”
7/14/17
UN Human Settlements
Program, “Planning Prospects for the Reconstruction and Recovery of Mosul
Discussed with Key Partners,” 10/23/17
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