Much has been made about Baghdad suppressing protests which occurred for several years straight demanding jobs and political reforms but the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is no better. Recently protests demanding employment led to a government crackdown and violence. Instead of admitting to the causes however the regional government blamed an international conspiracy.
In late November two days of protests led to an armed clash with Kurdish security forces. On November 27 out of work truck drivers in the town of Lajan in Irbil province demanded jobs at a nearby refinery. Two days later security forces were called out and fired into a crowd killing one. That led residents to get their own weapons and a gun battle ensued. Hundreds of people fled the fighting. The KRG’s Interior Ministry claimed that the demonstrators provoked the incident by shooting first.
The protests resulted from a drop in the local oil trade due to the resumption of Kurdish exports to Turkey. In September the KRG restarted selling petroleum for the central government after a two year shut down. That meant oil that was being sold in domestic markets was now being exported leaving tons of tanker truck drivers unemployed.
Instead of acknowledging the causes the KRG and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) that controls Irbil turned to conspiracies. The KDP blamed outside forces for the incident. The KRG said foreign powers were plotting against the region claiming that the drone strike upon the Khor Mor gas refinery in Sulaymaniya no November 26 was the start of the plan.
Kurdistan has seen protests for years just like the rest of Iraq. The main cause has been the lack of employment and non-payment of public salaries. The KRG has a state centered economy with the government being the largest employer while the private sector is weak. Added to that the Kurds attempt to build an independent economy based upon oil led Baghdad to retaliate by cutting off budget payments which the KRG was dependent upon. Public employees were not paid consistently which in turn led to demonstrations. Many times these were met with force just like what happened in Lajan. The regional government blaming outsiders shows that it is no closer to admitting to its faults and responding to public demands than in the past.
SOURCES
Al Alam, "The Postponed Kurdish Explosion: Who Ignited the Lajan Conflict?" 12/2/25
Tahir, Nawaz, Hussein, Mohammed, “Kurdistan refinery protests spark deadly violence,” Iraq Oil Report, 12/2/25
Bas News, “KRG Uncovers Plan Behind Lajan Unrest, Khor Mor Attacks,” 12/4/25
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