PM Barzani announces new Lalish road, presses for Shingal agreement

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Saturday reaffirmed his government's commitment to protecting the rights of Yazidis as he laid the symbolic foundation stone for a new road to the village of Lalish, the location of a Yazidi temple.

Barzani said that thousands of people visit the area annually and the completion of the $20 million Shekhan-Lalish highway will ease travel for Yazidis and other visitors going to the mountain village of Lalish and its holy temple.

He noted the area's agricultural, tourism, and archaeological value, but added that “most significant of all, it is a beautiful example of the culture of coexistence in Kurdistan.”

Lack of reconstruction and ongoing insecurity has prevented many Yazidis from returning to their home regions. Thousands who fled the Islamic State (ISIS) when it attacked the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in 2014 are still living in camps or temporary accommodation.

Barzani reaffirmed the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) commitment to protecting Yazidi rights and providing services for the community.

“The only way to normalize the situation in the area is by implementing the Shingal agreement,” he said.

Baghdad and Erbil signed an agreement in 2020 to normalize the situation in Shingal, especially in terms of security, but the deal has yet to be fully implemented.

The camps where many Yazidis are living may soon be closed as the Iraqi government has prioritized returning displaced families to their homes.

In early September, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani symbolically laid the cornerstone for a housing complex in the war-torn Shingal district, carried out in collaboration with international organizations. The project had been stalled since 2021.

The Shekhan-Lalish highway was one of two major projects Barzani inaugurated on Saturday. He also opened the Slevana wheat factory in Zakho. The $200 million facility is part of the government's efforts to support local farmers through collaboration with private companies to modernize the agricultural sector.