The oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which is 250 km north of Baghdad, has become a center of ethnic violence.  The violence between the Kurds and the Arabs has recently escalated because of the December referendum, which determines whether the Kirkuk becomes part of the Iraqi Kurdistan region or remain part of Iraq.  The referendum has given the Kurds incentive to drive out the Arabs from Kirkuk who migrated to the city during Saddam Hussein’s “Arabisation” policy of the early 1980’s, because the Kurds do not significantly outnumber the Arabs.  (IRIN)  Arabisation was created to displace those from the city who were not loyal to Saddam Hussein, and replace them with his loyal subjects.  Hussein’s desire was to disperse those who were not loyal to him, since it lessens a unified revolt against his authority.  Hussein’s policy created resentment amongst the Kurds towards the southern Iraqis forced to inhabit the Kurdish city of Kirkuk, which was displayed during the Kurds return to Kirkuk with the American invasion in 2003.  Following the invasion,  some Kurds attacked Arabs, because the Arabs inhabited what was the Kurds’ former property.
The Kurds’ resentment from being removed from their land has motivated them to use any means necessary ensure that Kirkuk becomes part of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.  Thus the IRIN has reported that the Kurds have used military intimidation to continually force the Arabs out of the city.  According to the spokesman of the Kirkuk’s Arabs Association, “The number of [Arab] families fleeing the city has increased by 20 percent on previous years.  Their flight will seriously affect the upcoming referendum in which the Kurds will have a majority not because of their numbers but because, with guns in their hands, they will have forced all Arabs to flee the city. It is absolutely unfair,” he said.  (IRIN)

For more information, please see:

Newsweek-  What They Are Missing- 24 September 2007 Edition

IRIN-   IRAQ: Ethnic violence forces more Arabs to flee Kirkuk- 16 September 2007

Kurdish Aspect-  Working Against the Clock- 15 September 2007