Yezidi IDPs on Mount Shingal suffering under heavy snow

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Heavy snowfall has endangered the lives of hundreds of Yezidi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on Mount Shingal, said a local official, urging the government and organizations to reach out to them.

“Nearly 50 centimeters of snow has fallen on Mount Shingal, endangering the lives of the refugees there,” said Mahma Khalil, Shingal’s mayor.

Khalil explained that nearly 9,000 families have been suffering the bad winter weather in Shingal and its surroundings. They need fuel, food, clothes and electricity, he said.

He called on the government and international organizations to assist the suffering families. 

He noted that the Baghdad’s migration minister had provided each family with a barrel of oil, but it is not enough to fight the cold weather of winter, Khalil said. 

He went on to explain that “at least 3,000 families live under tents and 5,040 families in the complexes suffering lack of electricity.”

Shingal, which is a predominantly Yezidi town, was captured by ISIS in August 2014 and liberated by Kurdish forces in November 2015. Its population was entirely displaced with many of them killed and taken captive by the militant group who carried out genocide against the minority population.