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Iraq Undertakes Historic Census After 40-Year Gap
Iraq is holding its first nationwide census in nearly four decades this week, a long-awaited count in a nation that has been blighted by sectarian and ethnic divisions.
The census is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and will provide sorely needed up-to-date demographic data for the country which has an estimated population of around 44 million.
It will be the first census to cover all 18 governorates since 1987, when dictator Saddam Hussein was in power, following repeated delays caused by years of war and political tensions between factions.
“More generally across the country, parliamentary representation will change,” said Hamzeh Hadad, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
With one member of parliament allocated by the constitution per 100,000 Iraqis, “having an official census will mean the numbers will have to be adjusted” based on the new demographic breakdown, he said.
A count conducted in 1997 excluded the three northern provinces that make up the autonomous Kurdistan region.
The upcoming census has reignited tensions between Baghdad and Kurdistan over disputed territories in the north.
The census includes religion but does not differentiate between sects, such as Sunni and Shiite Muslims, and, unlike previous counts, it excludes ethnicity.
“There are some crucial details in this census that might be missing to appease all sides to finally allow it to take place,” Hadad added.
Iraq has been keen to conduct the census for budgetary reasons.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said the census was important for “development and planning steps in all sectors that contribute to the advancement and progress of Iraq”, where electricity is scarce and infrastructure largely in disrepair.
– Two-day curfew –
During the census a two-day curfew will operate, with families having to stay at home so 120,000 researchers can collect data directly from households.
A questionnaire seen by AFP records the number of people per household, health status, education level, employment status, number of cars and even an inventory of household appliances, so standards of living can be assessed.
Iraq has spent much of the past few decades devastated by conflict and sanctions, including a sectarian struggle after the US-led invasion 2003 toppled Saddam and the emergence of the Islamic State group in 2014.
Demographics are likely to have shifted with the exile of hundreds of thousands of Christians, and also of tens of thousands of Yazidi families who were displaced from Sinjar by atrocities committed by IS extremists.
Iraq has regained some semblance of stability in recent years, despite sporadic violence and political turmoil.
To organise the count, authorities partnered with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in an effort to generate “accurate demographic information, facilitating effective policymaking and promoting inclusive growth”.
After years of uncertainty, the census will reveal “the reality of Iraq in its smallest details”, said planning ministry spokesman Abdel-Zahra al-Hindawi.
“We will be able to diagnose all the problems that paralyse development in the areas of health, education, housing,” he added.
– Demographic shift –
Previous censuses were cancelled mainly because of tensions over disputed territories between the Kurdish, Arab, and Turkoman communities in the northern governorates of Kirkuk and Nineveh.
There is still “a lot of sensitivity over disputed territories”, said the ECFR’s Hadad.
“It’s not just the Arabisation policy under Saddam Hussein. But the reversal of it and Kurdification of disputed territories post-2003. So it’s not one-sided.”
Fahmi Burhane, a Kurdistan region official focused on the disputed territories, voiced long-standing fears among Kurds about a demographic shift in Kirkuk and other areas claimed by both Baghdad and Arbil.
“If we look at past censuses, the number of Kurds has gradually decreased in the Kurdish regions outside autonomous Kurdistan,” he said, referring to the movement of Arabs into areas such as Kirkuk under Saddam.
“Arab neighbourhoods have been built in recent years, which absolutely do not correspond to normal population growth,” he said.
In the census, Baghdad has agreed to register only the descendants of families who were present in the disputed territories during the 1957 count, in order to prevent subsequent waves of migration from disrupting the demographic balance. Newcomers will be counted in their province of origin.
Burhane said the Iraqi government has been able to “alleviate certain concerns” over the poll.
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has declared that the era of armed and bank robberies in Lagos State is a thing of the past, attributing the success to the collaborative efforts between the police and the state government.
Egbetokun made this statement on Thursday during the 18th Annual Town Hall Meeting on Security organized by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). He noted that since 2007, only one bank robbery had been successfully executed in the state, which occurred in 2014.
“There was a time when armed robbery and bank robbery were common in Lagos. However, I can confidently say that since 2007, only one bank robbery succeeded, and that was as far back as 2014. The days of armed robbery and bank robbery are gone,” he said.
The IGP commended the Lagos State Government for its consistent support, emphasizing the critical role it has played in maintaining security in the bustling economic hub of the nation. He highlighted the challenges posed by the state’s continuous internal migration, with thousands of people moving into Lagos daily, creating additional security demands.
“What we are doing here today is the usual assistance the state government has been giving to the police. Without this, we would have been overwhelmed with insecurity in Lagos State,” Egbetokun added.
At the event, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu further demonstrated his administration’s commitment to security by donating over 250 brand-new patrol vehicles, along with hardware, communication gadgets, and protective gear to the police.
In his address, Sanwo-Olu outlined the government’s efforts to scale up the use of technology and data for improved security and traffic monitoring. He revealed plans to deploy drone technology for surveillance of waterways and densely populated areas.
“The EGIS component of our mapping and digitalization has almost been completed. Lagos is now properly mapped, and drone technology will be deployed to enhance monitoring, crowd management, and traffic assessment. This will ensure real-time responses to incidents,” the governor explained.
Chad announced Thursday that it was ending military cooperation with former colonial power France, just hours after a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
“The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international opinion of its decision to end the accord in the field of defence signed with the French Republic,” foreign minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement on Facebook.
Chad is a key link in France’s military presence in Africa, constituting Paris’s last foothold in the Sahel after the forced withdrawal of its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
“This is not a break with France like Niger or elsewhere,” Koulamallah, whose country still hosts around a thousand French troops, told AFP.
At a press briefing after a meeting between President Mahamat Idriss Deby and Barrot, Koulamallah called France “an essential partner” but added it “must now also consider that Chad has grown up, matured and is a sovereign state that is very jealous of its sovereignty”.
Barrot, who arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday evening, could not immediately be reached for comment.
– ‘Historic turning point’-
Chad is the last Sahel country to host French troops.
It has been led by Deby since 2021, when his father Idriss Deby Itno was killed by rebels after 30 years in power.
The elder Deby frequently relied on French military support to fend off rebel offensives, including in 2008 and 2019.
It borders the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya and Niger, all of which host Russian paramilitary forces from the Wagner group.
Deby has sought closer ties with Moscow in recent months, but talks to strengthen economic cooperation with Russia have yet to bear concrete results.
Koulamallah called the decision to end military cooperation a “historic turning point”, adding it was made after “in-depth analysis”.
“Chad, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, undertakes to respect the terms laid down for its termination, including the notice period”, he said in the statement, which did not give a date for the withdrawal of French troops.
The announcement comes just days after Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye indicated in an interview with AFP that France should close its military bases in that country.
“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country,” Faye told AFP on Thursday.
The House of Representatives has confirmed the appointment of Olufemi Oluyede as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
While the constitution does not make provision for confirmation of appointments by the House of Representatives, the lawmaker adopted a report of its ad–hoc committee on the confirmation/screening of the Acting Chief of Army Staff and Thursday, confirmed the appointment of Lieutenant General Oluyede as the Chief of Army Staff.
Chairman of the committee Babajimi Benson in presenting the report, said Lt. Gen. Oluyede had satisfied all requirements.
