On the 42nd anniversary of the Barzani Anfal campaign, both the President and Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) renewed their calls on the Iraqi federal government to compensate the families of victims of the former Ba'ath regime.

In an official message, Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, emphasized the need to uphold the rights of the victims of Anfal and other crimes committed under Saddam Hussein’s rule. 

“It is the duty of the Iraqi government to take all necessary steps to achieve justice and compensate the families of the victims,” he said.

President Barzani also urged that the pain and bitterness of the past serve as a warning for future generations, stating that true peace can only be achieved when all communities in Iraq live together in mutual acceptance and respect.

Meanwhile, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani issued a separate message, calling on Baghdad to fulfill its legal and constitutional responsibilities toward the victims of the Anfal genocide, chemical attacks, and all other atrocities committed during the former regime.

“The federal government must no longer ignore their rights,” he said.

Prime Minister Barzani also highlighted the enduring struggles and sacrifices of the Kurdish people, stressing that they have defended their national identity and legitimate rights against attempts at oppression and erasure. 

“The Kurdish people will never surrender to those who seek to revive the chauvinist policies and crimes of the past,” he added.

About the Barzani Anfal

The Barzani Anfal campaign, launched in 1983 by Iraq’s Ba’ath regime, targeted thousands of Kurdish men from the Barzani tribe, many of whom were forcibly disappeared and executed. The campaign later expanded into a broader genocidal effort known as the Anfal operations, which devastated rural Kurdish regions through mass killings, village destruction, and chemical warfare.