ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany allocated €15 million (around $17.5 million) in 2024 to support reconstruction projects in the Yazidi heartland of Shingal (Sinjar), and remains committed to facilitating the return and reintegration of displaced Yazidis, the German development ministry told Rudaw on Sunday.
In an email response, a spokesperson for the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) stated that since 2014, Berlin has invested more than €2 billion (around $2.34 billion) in Iraq’s reconstruction efforts.
They further emphasized Germany’s significant role in supporting the return of nearly five million internally displaced persons (IDPs) following the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq in 2014.
Currently, the ministry spokesperson stated that Germany has additionally spent some €15 million (around $17.5 million) in the implementation of 11 active projects in Shingal, including initiatives focused on psychosocial support, reconstruction, and agricultural development.
“Reconstruction projects for the Yazidi community will continue,” the spokesperson affirmed.
In June 2014, ISIS seized large parts of northern and western Iraq. Two months later, in August, it launched a brutal assault on Shingal, killing an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 Yazidi men and older women, while abducting between 6,000 and 7,000 women and girls for sexual slavery and human trafficking. Around 400,000 Yazidis were forced to flee their homes, with most seeking refuge in the Kurdistan Region.
The United Nations has officially recognized the atrocities committed against the Yazidis as genocide.
Although Iraq officially declared victory over ISIS in 2017, approximately 21,000 Yazidi families remain displaced, primarily in camps in the Region’s northern Duhok province. Their return continues to be hindered by ongoing security concerns and the presence of various armed groups in the Shingal area.
Separately, the German foreign ministry told Rudaw on Thursday that Between 2014 and 2022, Germany provided €800 million ($933 million) in humanitarian aid and an additional €2.6 billion ($3 billion) for stabilization efforts, particularly in the wake of the ISIS conflict.
With the current situation in Iraq deemed “improved,” Berlin sees no further need for emergency humanitarian support. However, Germany remains a “close partner” to both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and will continue cooperation in strategic sectors such as economic development and energy, the ministry then-said.
Looking ahead, the German Foreign Ministry stated that it will continue to support Iraq and the Kurdistan Region “in the field of development and the promotion of civil projects. We want to accelerate economic development and ensure energy security.”
Climate change has also emerged as a priority, with Germany working alongside Iraqi authorities to help the country adapt to its growing environmental challenges. “We are supporting Iraq to adapt to the consequences of climate change,” the ministry noted.
Key German institutions, including the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the German Development Bank (KfW), as well as civil society and church organizations, will continue their work in Iraq as part of this strategic transition.
Berlin’s approach now centers on shifting from emergency humanitarian assistance to long-term development, with the goal of “giving more responsibility to Iraqi parties,” the ministry concluded.
Kehy Mahmood contributed to this report.
