Some members of Tikrit’s Sunni population feel they still unjustly bear the legacy of dictator’s brutal reign

Perched on a cliff above the Tigris River, Saddam Hussein’s half-destroyed palaces loom over his home town of Tikrit, the deserted grounds bearing the traces of invaders come and gone. American soldiers etched the date of their 2003 arrival into the sand-coloured walls. A decade later, Islamic State dug mass graves in the hilly soil and blew up part of the complex.

Far less obvious than the relics of Saddam’s bygone regime are the enduring rifts left in this community, the centre of power during Saddam’s rule, 20 years after the dictator’s fall. The prospect of reconciliation over his crimes has been complicated by the repeated waves of violence that have struck the country since, layering grievance upon grievance, reopening old wounds and perpetuating strife.