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A child rides a bicycle in front of a wall on which the Iraqi flag can be seen on October 17, 2017 in Dibs, west of Kirkuk. AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP

In Kirkuk, in a disputed territory between the federal Iraq and the Kurdistan autonomous region, and very rich in oil, the jihadists take advantage of the instability to regain strength. This city, symbol of the coexistence of the different ethnic groups, sees resurgence of community tensions.

With our special envoy to Kirkuk, Noé Pignède

On buildings in Kirkuk, Iraq, Kurdish and Iraqi flags and those of Iranian-backed Shiite militias are facing each other. From one street to another, rival armed factions stand guard and the tension is palpable. " There is no problem between the communities here, it's wrong ," says Abu Assad, who runs a small café in the city center. My father is Arab and my mother is Kurdish. This guy is Turkmen and we are friends. But politicians do propaganda. They embrace young people and shed the blood of the people to serve their interests .

These interests are primarily financial. Kirkukians sit on one of the largest oil fields in Iraq. " Everyone wants to take control of the area because there is oil, but we do not want them," said sixty-year-old Hassan, who shares tea with his friends that day. We want to take charge of our future, ensure our security and that the city is finally led by its inhabitants .

The threat of IS still present

Beside him, Hatam is sorry for the return of the attacks in the region. Two weeks ago, a series of explosions killed six people a few blocks from here. " I do not know who are behind these attacks, Arabs, Kurds or Turkmen ," he says. But one thing is certain, terrorists are manipulated by political parties and foreign powers. Before, the city was controlled by peshmerga [Kurdish fighters] . Now it is the Iraqi army, but insecurity remains. I hope that one day, we will finally be able to live in peace ".

In Iraq, a year and a half after the victory over the Islamic State (IS) organization , the jihadist cells remain very present and continue to spread terror. In recent months in the north of the country, huge fires of fields, but also several attacks, have been claimed by Daech, Arabic acronym of the IS.

►Re-listening: Kirkuk, little Iraq