Angolan firm accused in Nineveh land grab

Shafaq News – Nineveh

On Sunday, the Director of the Qayyarah subdistrict municipality in Nineveh, Yasser al-Badrani, accused the Angolan oil company Sonangol of seizing large areas of municipal land, including the local landfill site and closing it without clear justification.

Al-Badrani told Shafaq News that the company had taken control of approximately 720 dunams (about 180 acres) of land, and claimed these areas are oil fields, “but it has not initiated any work there, which suggests the real aim is simply to seize the land.”

He described the company’s actions as an overreach that requires immediate intervention by the relevant authorities.

Earlier this year, the Iraqi Drilling Company signed a contract with Sonangol to drill 10 development wells and three optional appraisal wells in the Qayyarah oil field. The project is part of the North Oil Company’s fields and is being implemented in cooperation with the Arab Well Logging and Oil Services Company, using a turnkey delivery model.