The article provides a grounded, locality-specific conflict analysis of Batnāyya, a predominantly Chaldean Christian town in Ninewa, Iraq, marked by socio-political isolation and entrenched intercommunal tensions. Unlike nearby localities, Batnāyya has not undergone significant demographic change following Daesh’s occupation, but its contested territorial status between the federal Iraqi and Kurdistan regional governments has led to persistent insecurity and fragmentation. Residents face the daily presence of rival armed groups—Hashd Babylon and Peshmerga—while lacking genuine political representation due to the co-optation of Iraq’s minority quota system by dominant armed actors.

Central to the town’s contemporary conflict is a longstanding grievance over land expropriation under Baʿthist Arabization policies, which continues to shape intergroup relations. Chaldean residents—disillusioned by the failure of legal restitution—have responded through private land purchases and a deliberate push to exclude Arab families, effectively pursuing self-segregation as a protective measure. While this strategy may offer a short-term sense of security, it risks entrenching isolation and mistrust.

Conflict resolution is largely confined to informal and church-led mediation mechanisms, which provide social cohesion within the Chaldean community but are structurally inadequate to redress the deeper power asymmetries underpinning the conflict. The formal legal system is widely distrusted, and state institutions are seen as corrupt, biased, and ineffective.

Despite these challenges, Batnāyya residents articulate a clear political vision: peace must be anchored in legal equality, secular governance, and a depoliticized religious sphere. They call for greater support from Western governments to strengthen secular institutions and uphold minority rights. However, their pursuit of peace through segregation reflects a broader dilemma—between safeguarding identity and fostering inclusive, democratic coexistence. This analysis underscores the urgent need for nuanced, locality-specific engagement by aid actors that addresses structural inequalities without reinforcing communal divides.