A group of Iraqi academics and activists have formed the “Iqlimouna Gathering” to promote the establishment of an autonomous region in the southern governorate of Basra.
The group is planning to take judicial action against the Iraqi government, one week after a similar move in the governorate of Nineveh.
“This time, we plan on benefiting from past experiences and fill the gap that led to the failure of establishing a region in Basra in the past,” head of Iqlimouna Gathering Karim al-Shawak told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He said the new group has filed two cases against the Iraqi premiership for obstructing their efforts to establish the region, a demand protected by the Constitution.
Founders of Iqlimoua Gathering say the group aims to work in line with the constitutional and legal frameworks to improve the governorate’s economic and social conditions.
In addition, the new group seeks to preserve Basra’s culture and steer it clear of sectarian tension. “We want to prepare future leaders who are honest, alert and can be a good model for governance,” the academics say.
Last July, mass protests kicked off in the city of Basra and spread across several southern and central governorates, including the capital Baghdad.
Participants burned down multiple government and party offices over the next few months, mainly Basra's governorate building and the Iranian Consulate.
Founders of Iqlimouna Gathering say their demands are not similar to the officials of Kurdistan Region, which they consider as “semi-separatist.”
“We don’t want a separation from Iraq,” they say.
However, the group’s opponents claim its proposal will be rejected by the majority of residents who live in areas included in the suggested region.
The opponents recall the failed endeavor of former minister Wael Abdul Latif in 2008, when he tried to turn Basra into an independent region after he collected more than 32,000 signatures from citizens.
Activist Qadim Al-Sahalani rejected the plan to establish a region in Basra.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that most Basra residents are against this endeavor. He hinted that only a limited number of the governorate's 4 million residents would support the idea.
