Iran appoints first Baluch governor in restive Sistan-Baluchistan province

Iran’s government on Wednesday announced the appointment of Mansour Bijar as the first governor from the Baluch minority in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan. Bijar, 50, is a member of the Baluch community, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim in a country that is mostly Shia.

This appointment is made after a recent incident in Sistan-Baluchistan which killed 10 police officers, an attack which was later claimed by the militant group Jaish al-Adl. The province has seen numerous cross-border attacks as well as confrontations between security forces and armed groups as it is located along the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Jaish al-Adl, established in 2012 by Baluch separatists, is classified as a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States. This appointment of Bijar comes after Iran’s earlier decision to appoint the first Sunni governor for the Kurdistan province since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In August, President Masoud Pezeshkian selected Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh, a politician from the Sunni minority, as vice president for rural development; however, his appointment was blocked by lawmakers who later agreed to his resignation.

Additionally, the government recently appointed Mohammad Reza Mavalizadeh as the first Arab governor of Khuzestan province, which has a significant Arab population. Sunnis make up about 10 percent of Iran’s population, while Shia Islam is the state religion.