ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Monday urged the Iraqi federal government to restore security and stability in Shingal (Sinjar), implement the normalization agreement, and support efforts to upgrade the district into a province as Yazidis marked the 12th anniversary of the Islamic State (ISIS) genocide against their community.
Monday marks 12 years since ISIS militants launched their assault on Shingal, killing an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 Yazidi men and elderly women, abducting 6,417 women and children, and forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes in what has been widely recognized internationally as genocide.
Kurdish leaders renew calls for Yazidi return, justice
Marking the anniversary, President Nechirvan Barzani said Baghdad must “restore security and stability in Shingal, implement the Normalization Agreement of Shingal with the Kurdistan Regional Government, strive for Shingal's designation as a province, and facilitate the withdrawal of illegal armed groups, enabling displaced persons to return safely to their homes.”
“The genocide against the Yazidis, marked by the abduction of women and girls and the destruction of their homes and temples, remains an open wound in the heart and conscience of the people of Kurdistan,” read a statement from him.
“Unfortunately, after twelve years, our Yazidi citizens continue to bear the consequences of political disputes and the presence of unlawful armed groups,” he added.
The 2020 Shingal Agreement between Baghdad and Erbil was designed to restore stability to the area by rearranging security arrangements, appointing a new administration, and facilitating reconstruction. However, Yazidi officials and residents have repeatedly said implementation has stalled.
President Barzani also highlighted ongoing efforts to locate Yazidis still missing after being abducted by ISIS.
“We assure our Yazidi citizens that as long as even one abducted individual remains missing, our office's dedicated team will continue its efforts to rescue them and uncover their fate,” he said, referring to office affiliated with the presidency, dedicated to rescuing the victims of the genocide.
He also praised the Peshmerga forces who fought ISIS in Shingal.
“We pay tribute ... to all the heroic Peshmerga who, under the leadership of President Masoud Barzani, confronted and defeated ISIS, sacrificing their lives to liberate Shingal and safeguard the glory of our nation,” he said.
President Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said the ISIS attack on Shingal was part of a long history of persecution against the Kurdish people.
“The crime that ISIS terrorists committed 12 years ago against our Yazidi sisters and brothers is a pain that will forever remain in the memory of the people of Kurdistan,” President Barzani said in a statement.
“Because of their Kurdish identity, their authenticity, and their religious beliefs, the Yazidis were subjected to a wave of hatred and the inhumane behavior of ISIS terrorists, resulting in genocide,” he added.
President Masoud Barzani said Yazidis must remain united and vowed support for their demands.
“Certainly, the imposed and abnormal situation that currently exists in Shingal will not last forever; our Yazidi sisters and brothers must return with dignity to the land of their ancestors, and they must be compensated for their losses and suffering,” the KDP leader said.
Speaking at a ceremony in Erbil marking the anniversary, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the genocide against Yazidis was among the greatest crimes committed by ISIS and called for perpetrators to face justice.
The prime minister said 3,500 Yazidis have so far been rescued from ISIS captivity.
He thanked the US-led global coalition against ISIS for supporting the Yazidi community and said the KRG would continue assisting survivors.
“We have done everything within our power for the Yazidis, and we will continue to provide further assistance in any way possible,” Masrour Barzani said.
He called on Baghdad to fully implement the Shingal agreement.
“Our hope is to return the Yazidis to their homeland with dignity, and we will make every effort to prevent the return of terrorism,” he said.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leaders also called for unity and greater attention to Shingal.
PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani described the ISIS attack on Shingal as “an unforgettable wound” and urged political parties to overcome disputes to support Yazidis.
“The occupation of Shingal and the massacre of our Yazidi sisters and brothers is an unforgettable wound,” Talabani said in a statement.
“Every year on this day, we stand in solidarity with our people, remembering all the loved ones who fell victim and honoring their memory,” he added.
Talabani said reconstruction efforts and compensation for victims have not matched the scale of the suffering.
“The steps taken toward the reconstruction of Shingal and its surrounding areas, and the compensation of those affected, do not match the depth of the Yazidis' profound wounds,” he said.
He called for joint efforts to rebuild the area.
KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, who is also a senior member of the PUK, also called for collective action to protect Yazidi rights.
“We emphasize the necessity of joint and collective action by all Kurdish parties, at both the Iraqi and international levels, to fulfill the legitimate demands of the Yazidi community and safeguard their rights,” he said.
Officials, diplomats remember Yazidi genocide
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Iraqi forces, including the Peshmerga, played a role in defending Iraq’s security and stability during the war against ISIS.
Speaking at the anniversary event in Erbil, Hussein said the country’s forces had confronted the extremist group during one of Iraq’s darkest periods.
Yazidi leader Mir Hazim Tahsin Beg called on Baghdad and Erbil to work together to normalize conditions in Shingal.
He urged authorities to cooperate to restore stability and allow displaced Yazidis to return home.
The US Consulate in Erbil said Washington remains committed to supporting religious freedom and protecting vulnerable communities.
“The U.S. remains committed to working with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and our international partners to safeguard the fundamental right of religious freedom and help build a future where all Iraqis can live in safety and dignity,” the consulate said.
Peter Hawkins, representing the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), said Yazidis suffered “an unimaginable horror” when ISIS attacked Shingal.
“Their very existence, their culture and their livelihoods have been threatened,” Hawkins said at the event.
Germany’s Consul General in Erbil, Albrecht von Wittke, said at the same event that Berlin recognizes the suffering of the Yazidi community and remains committed to supporting survivors and efforts to bring ISIS members to justice.
“The German parliament in January 2023 has unanimously recognized the crimes committed against the Yazidis as genocide,” von Wittke said. “Remembrance carries responsibility. Commemorating these inhumane and terrible acts must go hand in hand with continued action.”
The German diplomat also called for conditions that allow Yazidis to return to Sinjar safely and with dignity.
“The future of the Yazidi community must be shaped by dignity, security, and choice,” he said, adding that families wishing to return to Shingal should be able to do so “voluntarily, safely, and with access to housing, education, healthcare, and livelihoods.”
He warned that displacement camps cannot become a permanent reality.
“Living in displacement cannot become a permanent reality. Camps were created as temporary places of protection, not as places where generations spend their lives,” von Wittke said.
Thousands remain displaced, missing
According to Hussein Qaidi, head of the Office for Rescuing Kidnapped Yazidis at the Kurdistan Region Presidency, more than 135,000 Yazidis remain displaced in camps across the Kurdistan Region, while another 189,000 live in cities outside their ancestral homeland.
Qaidi said 3,595 abductees have since been rescued, while thousands remain missing.
More than a dozen countries, as well as the United Nations and the European Union, have recognized ISIS crimes against the Yazidis as genocide.
