Protesters halt Gazprom Neft in Halabja
Amidst complaints over unpaid land compensation, protesters have disrupted the Russian oil giant's development of a KRG exploration block.
An employee works at the Tawke oil field, which is administered by the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. (MUHANNAD FALA'AH/Getty Images)
SULAIMANIYA - Russia’s Gazprom Neft has halted operations in one of its exploration blocks because of ongoing protests by residents – the latest oil company in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region to face severe disruptions due to local complaints over compensation and land use.
In the Halabja block – in the southeastern corner of Kurdistan, near the Iranian border – local farmers started to gather in the small town of Belula on Sept. 25 to protest Gazprom Neft's activities. They say the oil development is damaging crops with allegedly little compensation to farmers, spoiling the land, and giving little local benefit in terms of jobs and services.
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