France to resettle 100 Yezidi survivors of ISIS genocide

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – France will welcome 100 Yezidi survivors and their families, the office of President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday. 

The decision came after a meeting with Nobel Peace Prize recipient and Yezidi survivor and activist Nadia Murad. 

During her meeting with Macron, she made three requests of the French president, according to a statement from Macron’s office. 

One was for the government of France to put into place a program similar to those in Australia, Canada, and Germany to welcome Yezidi survivors of ISIS genocide. 

In response to Murad’s request, France will welcome 20 Yezidis by the end of the year and the remainder in 2019, AFP reported. 

Murad also asked France to raise the issue of the reconstruction of Shingal during the inaugural Paris Peace Forum, taking place November 11-13. 

The event is expected to attract heads of state, government representatives, civil society actors, and international NGOs. The event is pitched on “a simple idea: international cooperation is key to tackling global challenges and ensuring durable peace.”

The forum hopes to “support collective action” by gathering together global players to “develop solutions for today’s transborder challenges.”

Murad is hoping that reconstruction of Shingal – still largely in ruins – will be on the agenda so that Yezidis living in camps can finally return to their homes. 

Macron said he would support the initiative to launch a reconstruction fund for Shingal to build hospitals and schools, according to AFP. 

Murad also invited Macron to visit Shingal. 

Macron shared her address on Twitter with the message, “A bright voice that has lived through hell and comes to enlighten us with the strength of her commitment for her sister victims. Her fight is ours.”