Funding shortfalls halt Anfal genocide memorial construction
Shafaq News/ A memorial to the victims of the Anfal genocidehas been delayed due to funding issues, a US report revealed.
According to Voice of America radio, “The German CooperationOrganization pledged $1 million for the $2 million project, but the KurdistanRegional Government (KRG) has yet to provide its share.”
A project officer with the German Cooperation Organization, ZiadFaiq, explained, “We've raised $1 million so far, and the KRG has agreed tocover the remaining costs. $17,000 has been spent on the memorial's design,”adding that a German donor contributed $35,000 for the memorial, which wasdeposited with the organization.
“Once completed, the memorial will be handed over to the KRG,”he announced.
“However, due to the KRG’s failure to allocate the necessarybudget for the memorial's completion, the donor withdrew the funds,” Faiq indicated.
The memorial was created by German and Mexican designers,who visited Chamchamal several times to ensure the design aligns with the scaleof the Anfal tragedy. Their design draws on the survivors' suffering and tragicstories, he stated.
The KRG has allocated 13 dunums of land in the Rizgari areanear Kirkuk for the memorial, though this land remains reserved and not yetdefinitively assigned, the American report pointed out.
Ahmed Majid, an Anfal activist, said, “Four designerssubmitted their proposals for the Anfal memorial to the Kirkuk administration.We continue to work hard to ensure the project's completion, so it reflects themagnitude of the Anfal tragedy.”
It further stressed that activists and officials are pushingfor the memorial to reflect the scale of the Anfal tragedy, where more than 500victims were buried in the area, but disagreements and delays persist.
Despite the existence of a memorial symbol in Rizgari, manysurvivors and victims' families believe it fails to adequately represent theenormity of the Anfal genocide.
