Some Iraqi Province Defy Govt Orders over Water Management

People cross the Diyala River, a tributary of the Tigris, where decreasing water levels this year have raised alarm among residents, near Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. (AP)
People cross the Diyala River, a tributary of the Tigris, where decreasing water levels this year have raised alarm among residents, near Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. (AP)
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Some Iraqi Province Defy Govt Orders over Water Management

People cross the Diyala River, a tributary of the Tigris, where decreasing water levels this year have raised alarm among residents, near Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. (AP)
People cross the Diyala River, a tributary of the Tigris, where decreasing water levels this year have raised alarm among residents, near Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. (AP)

Governor of Iraq’s Babylon province appeared in a video last month as he ordered the opening of a water gate on the Euphrates River to meet the demand of local farmers.

The move was a blatant act of defiance against the federal government that is responsible for the management of water resources throughout the country.

The Ministry of Water Resources threatened at the time to take “legal measures” against government Ali Allawi al-Dulaimi and demanded that local governments “refrain from meddling” in its affairs.

The worsening water crisis and violations over water shares in Babylon forced Minister of Water Resources Mahdi al-Hamdani to carry out a field visit in the province on Saturday.

In a statement, his ministry said the visit aimed at inspecting the water situation in the area.

The ministry is exerting great efforts to ensure that provinces that are located far away from rivers receive water, it added.

Violations over water shares are becoming a daily occurrence nearly throughout Iraq, with claims that provinces are not receiving enough water. The government has not taken enough measures to deter such practices, which has only encouraged violations.

On Saturday, the General Commission for Groundwater announced that some of its workers were attacked in the Al-Muthanna province.

In a statement, it said the employees were physically assaulted and prevented from completing their work shift. They were forcibly removed from their offices as the local authority in Al-Muthanna did nothing to contain the situation.

Moreover, it revealed that groundwater in the province was being extracted by locals, without official approval from the Water Resources Ministry. This has resulted in a drop in groundwater levels in some regions and the drying up of some lakes.

Drought and water shortages are becoming an increasingly growing problem in Iraq due to lack of rainfall and water violations committed by its neighbors, namely Iran and Turkey.

Rainfall has dropped below average levels for three years in Iraq.

Compounding the problem is the poor management of this complicated file by official authorities.

Battered by decades of conflict that has sapped its infrastructure, Iraq is struggling with droughts, repeated sandstorms, desertification and a drop in some river levels.

The United Nations ranks Iraq as one of the top five countries most vulnerable to climate change.

Since mid-April, it has been battered by 10 sandstorms -- a product of intense drought, soil degradation, high temperatures and low rainfall linked to climate change.

President Barham Salih has warned that tackling climate change "must become a national priority for Iraq as it is an existential threat to the future of our generations to come".

Salih said desertification affects 39 percent of Iraq, where water supplies are also dwindling drastically and crop yields are declining.

But efforts to address such issues appear to have been shelved, as Iraq grapples with political deadlock that has left it without a new government after polls last October.

The World Bank has warned that unless solutions are found, Iraq could lose 20 percent of its water resources by 2050 due to climate change.



Three Algerians Charged in Kidnapping of Opposition Figure in France

Amir Boukhors (social media)
Amir Boukhors (social media)
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Three Algerians Charged in Kidnapping of Opposition Figure in France

Amir Boukhors (social media)
Amir Boukhors (social media)

Three men, including an employee at the Algerian consulate in France, were indicted in Paris on suspicion of involvement in the April 2024 kidnapping of Amir Boukhors, an opponent of the Algerian regime, judicial sources told AFP on Saturday.

The three men were charged Friday in Paris with kidnapping and unlawful detention in relation to a terrorist organization, as well as participation in a criminal terrorist conspiracy, according to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT).

Later, a French judge ruled that all three be placed in pre-trial detention.

One of the suspects works for an Algerian consulate in France. While he holds a service passport rather than a diplomatic one, the issue of diplomatic immunity is expected to be addressed during the proceedings, a source close to the case told AFP.

Boukhors, a well-known critic of the Algerian regime, had previously survived two serious attacks — one in 2022 and another on the evening of April 29, 2024, according to his lawyer, Eric Plouvier.

The kidnapping, which initially fell under the jurisdiction of the Créteil prosecutor’s office, was later taken over by PNAT in February 2025.

“This shift to an anti-terror investigation shows that a foreign power, Algeria, did not hesitate to carry out violent acts on French soil — acts of intimidation and terror that threaten lives,” Plouvier said, calling the case a “state affair.”

Neither of the suspects’ attorneys responded to AFP requests for comment.

Boukhors’ name also surfaced in a separate probe by the Paris prosecutor’s office.

In that case, a French Economy Ministry employee was indicted in December for allegedly providing confidential information about Algerian dissidents — including Boukhors — to an Algerian national working at the Algerian consulate in Créteil.

According to sources, some of the individuals targeted in that investigation later became victims of violence, death threats, or abduction attempts.

The latest developments between the two countries coincided with the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said last Friday he is “confident” on the release of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, sentenced to five years in prison in Algeria.

Sansal’s case is under “special attention” by Algerian authorities, Macron commented during a visit to the Paris Book Festival, adding that the evolution of the case makes him confident that the writer would soon be released.

“I am confident because I know that there is particular attention. I am simply waiting for the results,” Macron said.

He added, “Our strongest wish is for the Algerian authorities to make the decision that will allow him to regain his freedom, receive treatment, and return to writing.”

Observers believe that the decision to charge the three Algerian men in France would disrupt the fresh efforts to revive bilateral relations between Paris and Algiers, particularly following the March 31 phone call between Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who voiced their willingness to repair relations and after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said last week that ties with Algeria were back to normal.