A decade of dedication: Nechirvan Barzani's ongoing support for Yazidi community after genocide
Shafaq News/ A decade after the devastating ISIS attack on the Yazidicommunity, President Nechirvan Barzani continues to lead extensive efforts tosupport and rescue Yazidis affected by the genocide. From establishing adedicated rescue office to providing crucial aid for displaced persons andpushing for international recognition of the atrocities, Barzani's commitmentto the Yazidi cause remains resolute.
Seven Years On, 43% of Yazidis Returned to Sinjar
In August 2014, ISIS launched a large-scale attack on the heartland ofthe Yazidi community at the foot of Sinjar Mountain, determined to erase thetiny, insular religious group they considered heretics. During the week-longassault, ISIS killed thousands of Yazidis and abducted 6,417, more than half ofthem women and girls. Most of the captured adult men were likely eventuallykilled and buried in mass graves, and the majority of the 550,000-strongcommunity was displaced from their ancestral home in northern Iraq.
Rearing up from the flatland is the Sinjar Mountains, a long, narrowrange considered sacred by the Yazidis. Legend says Noah's ark settled on themountain after the flood. Yazidis fled to the heights to escape ISIS, as theyhave done in past bouts of persecution. This strategically located remotecorner of northwest Iraq near the Syrian border has been the Yazidis' home forcenturies. Villages are scattered across a semi-arid plain.
It has been seven years since ISIS was defeated in Iraq. However, as ofApril 2024, only 43% of the more than 300,000 people displaced from Sinjar hadreturned, according to the International Migration Organization.
Barzani's Office Rescues Over 3,500 Yazidis
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani has been at the forefrontof efforts to rescue Yazidis captured by Islamic State (ISIS) militants,officials said.
Barzani established an office in October 2014 dedicated to rescuingYazidis kidnapped by ISIS. The office has since freed over 3,500 people,including more than 1,200 women and over 2,000 children.
"The genocide committed by ISIS terrorists against our Yazidibrothers and sisters was not just a backward attempt to strike at one of theoldest religions in the region and humanity, but also a futile and miserableattempt to strike at the supreme concepts and values of the Kurdish people,represented by tolerance, solidarity, coexistence, humanity, and love of life,which are prominent and witnessed characteristics of the Yazidicommunity," President Barzani said at a ceremony in Sinjar in February 2021.
Hussein Koro, head of the Kurdistan Region's Office for KidnappedAffairs, told Shafaq News that Barzani remains committed to freeing allremaining Yazidi women and children held captive by ISIS.
"These efforts come withinthe framework of the presidency's commitment to protecting and liberatingvictims of the crimes of assault and kidnapping committed by ISIS against theYazidi community in Sinjar and other areas," Koro said.
Rescues 86% of Yazidis; 2,601 Still in Captivity
Since October 2014, the office of the president of Kurdistan, under thedirection of President Barzani, has led efforts to rescue Yazidi abducteestaken by ISIS from Sinjar on August 3, 2014.
Khairy Bozani, the official overseeing the Yazidi abductee file, toldShafaq News Agency that 86% out of 3,567 rescued abductees have been freed.
According to Bozani, 135,860 Yazidis remain in displacement camps inKurdistan, with 189,337 scattered across the region. Over 5,000 Yazidis havebeen confirmed dead, and ISIS's assault left 2,745 orphans. "Theterrorists also destroyed 68 religious sites and left behind 83 mass graves,with many individual graves still being discovered."
Bozani noted that "more than 120,000 Yazidis have emigrated, and6,417 were abducted, including 3,548 females and 2,869 males. To date, 3,576Yazidis have been rescued, comprising 1,208 women, 339 men, 1,070 girls, and959 boys."
"President Barzani's commitment to the Yazidi cause is reflected inthe material and moral support provided to the rescue efforts, ensuring themission's continuity and success," he said. "The initiative continueswith a focus on comprehensive support for survivors, including psychological,social, and economic assistance."
Statistics from the presidential office also show that 242 Yazidiabductees have been found in mass graves and returned to their families, with35 females and 207 males among them.
A presidential source said that President Barzani is determined to freethe remaining 2,601 abductees, including 1,235 females and 1,366 males.
On April 16, Barzani reiterated his commitment to Yazidi rights andongoing rescue efforts during the Yazidi New Year celebration.
"This comprehensive rescue mission aligns with efforts to support allsurvivors and reintegrate them into their communities," Bozani said."During the 2019 genocide commemoration in Duhok, President Barzaniacknowledged the historical atrocities against Yazidis and vowed that such actswould never sever the bond between Kurdistan and its Yazidi citizens."
Barzani's Response: Rescue, Support, and Reconstruction Efforts
In response to this humanitarian disaster, Nechirvan Barzani implementeda series of decisions and measures to support the Yazidis and alleviate theirsuffering:
1. Establishment of the Yazidi Abductee Rescue Office: This office wasestablished in October 2014 under direct orders from President Barzani. Theoffice took on the mission of rescuing Yazidis abducted by ISIS. To date, theoffice has rescued 3,576 individuals, including 1,208 women and 1,070 children.
2. Support for displaced persons: Barzani provided material and moralsupport to displaced Yazidis living in Kurdistan Region camps. There areapproximately 135,860 displaced persons in the camps, in addition to 189,337displaced persons in other areas of the region.
3. Recognition of the Genocide: Barzani has worked on the internationalstage to have the Yazidi suffering recognized as genocide. This recognition iscrucial for achieving justice for the victims and ensuring that perpetratorsare brought to international courts.
4. Reconstruction and rehabilitation: Barzani has been involved inefforts to reconstruct Sinjar and the affected areas, as well as providingpsychological and social support to survivors to help them rebuild their lives.
5. Attention to religious sites: Following ISIS's destruction of 68religious sites, Barzani has made efforts to rebuild these sites, emphasizingthe protection of Yazidi cultural and religious heritage.
