September 2017’s referendum on Kurdistan’s independence provoked a fierce response from Baghdad which has decimated the region’s already-struggling economy and damaged the standing of its two dominant political parties.
December saw a wave of protests rock the region, primarily focused in the eastern Sulaimaniyah and Halabja provinces. Protesters denounced corruption, non-payment of public sector wages and inadequate political institutions. (CONTINUED - 1077 WORDS)
