Ninawa Provincial Council lifts building ban on titled lands around Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq — The Ninawa Provincial Council unanimously approved resolutions requiring municipalities to grant construction permits to citizens holding official land titles in areas surrounding Mosul. Council member Mohammed Ahris said municipalities must issue building permits to titled landowners without delay and that legal and administrative action will be taken against officials who obstruct the process. Under the resolutions, municipal departments are required to begin land-leveling work immediately and submit a detailed timetable to the council within 30 days. The Mosul Municipality was also ordered to remove a security berm built by ISIS during the same period. The council ruled that blocking construction on the grounds of "demographic change" is unconstitutional and asked the Ninawa police chief to establish a joint complaints commission with the municipalities to refer violations to the judiciary. The decision further called for the withdrawal of security forces found to negatively affect social cohesion in the area and prohibited the seizure of citizens' property without a court order. According to the council, around 30,000 Mosul families have been unable to build homes on their officially titled land for more than 20 years due to construction bans enforced by armed groups.