The Basiyah district and Badiyat al-Samawah in the Muthanna Governorate are still a source of disagreement with the Dhi Qar Governorate, which confirms that the district is its land, while tribes in the neighboring governorate see that these lands are pastures available to everyone, and that Al-Muthanna wants to convert them into private ownership for some people, which may deprive their livestock and the livestock of the rest of the governorates of grazing on those lands, which are an important resource for them.
Local officials in the Muthanna government denied the validity of these allegations, stressing that the pasture lands remain untouched, but that the governorate has the right to organize them and benefit from their lands in the economic and investment field.
One of the sheikhs of the Al-Budur clan in Dhi Qar, Khaled Al-Sharshab, said during an interview with Al Aalem Al Jadeed, “The Basiya district, located in the northwestern side of Al-Muthanna Governorate, possesses vast land for grazing, which is visited by hundreds of livestock herders from all Iraqi governorates, starting from Basra and passing through the other central governorates all the way to Nineveh, it is a gift for everyone.”
He added, “Therefore, the shepherds demand that they remain natural pastures, but what we received was that there is a movement to own them to some people as agricultural lands or otherwise, and this matter cannot be accepted, so we organized a peaceful demonstration inside Busayya and through it we conveyed a message containing the demands.”
Al-Shershab continues, “The demonstrators do not have any desire to escalate, and any next step is within the peaceful framework, but we have fears in the future, during the coming winter, that the shepherds will be expelled when they arrive in Busayya to graze, and then the matter may develop, and this is what scares us, as we are the people of one country and it is for the benefit of all.”
Some estimates indicate that the area of natural pastures in Al-Muthanna Governorate constitutes about 30 percent of the total area of the governorate. These pastures are mainly concentrated in the northern and western regions of the governorate, as they are characterized by their desert and semi-desert terrain. The area of Busayyah district, where the demonstration took place, is more than 24,500 square kilometer, equivalent to about 8 percent of the total area of Muthanna Governorate.
For his part, the head of the Muthanna Governorate Council, Ahmed Mohsen Al-Dariul, explained during an interview with “Al Aalem Al Jadeed” that, “I went to the Busya district against the backdrop of the demonstrations, accompanied by a security force, and held a press conference to clarify the circumstances of what happened.”
He continues, “We reject what these tribes have done, and this is an unacceptable security breach. The Dhi Qar government must offer an official apology because the matter constitutes interference in Al-Muthanna’s internal affairs and constitutes a security disturbance. The wealth of Al-Muthanna cannot be infringed upon, and the Samawa Desert is a pasture land for everyone, except that investment, agricultural and economic projects are Muthanna’s privacy and cannot be overlooked.”
The roots of these disputes go back to the nature of the lands in Muthanna, as it is considered one of the most important grazing areas in Iraq, and many clans in various governorates depend on it.
Representatives of the Dhi Qar tribes argue that they have historical rights to graze their livestock on those lands, and that converting them to private property would constitute a violation of these rights.
In turn, the Commander of Al-Muthanna Police, Major General Abdul Redha Kateh, confirmed during an interview with “Al Aalem Al Jadeed” that “a company was moved to the Basiyah district, and a police station was established within the quarries area against the backdrop of the demonstrations. We are trying to cover the entire area, especially since there are investments and we must secure them and we will not allow interference from any governorate.”
Kateh confirms, “Things are under control and the security forces in the region have been strengthened to prevent any attempts that might destabilize the security situation in the Busayya district, as well as to prevent a recurrence of what happened.”
Statistics from the Investment Authority in Muthanna until the year 2023 indicate that the projects that were referred as investment opportunities in the southern desert of Muthanna amounted to 96 projects in the agricultural and industrial sectors, and that the expansion of these investment projects may constitute harm to natural pastures.
For his part, the head of the Dhi Qar Governorate Council, Abdul Baqi Al-Omari, pointed out during an interview with Al Aalem Al Jadeed that “the extent of social relations between the governorates of Dhi Qar and Muthanna is greater than any differences, and we went with a number of members of the governorate council to Muthanna to confirm this matter.”
He explains that “any dispute was resolved through the law, and it was also agreed to calm matters down and allow the exploitation of pasture lands for everyone, while reconsidering the number of investment projects, which is considered one of the points of disagreement.”
It is noteworthy that successive local governments in Dhi Qar were demanding that the Busayya district in Muthanna be annexed to the governorate, and this district, which is rich in minerals and natural resources, was often the subject of disagreement between the two governorates.
