Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani chairing a meeting with officials and directors of service departments in Nineveh province on March 4, 2024. Photo: PM Sudani's office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Monday approved a package of key projects in the Yazidi heartland of Shingal.
Sudani, who arrived in Shingal on Monday, approved the projects during a meeting he chaired with officials and directors of Nineveh province’s service departments.
According to a statement from his media office, the Iraqi premier approved the building of two hospitals, a water management project, as well as services and infrastructure projects in the district, ordering relevant institutions to promptly start working on their implementation.
“Prime Minister Al-Sudani approved all the projects, mandating their prompt referral and commencement, ensuring strict compliance with the designated timelines and quality standards,” read the statement.
On August 3, 2014, Islamic State (ISIS) militants seized the Shingal district of northern Iraq, committing genocide against the Yazidi minority. Thousands fled their homes as the militants systematically killed men and older women, and enslaved younger women and children. More than 5,000 Yazidis were killed in the genocide.
Shingal was liberated from the group in late 2015, but lack of reconstruction, political disputes, and ongoing insecurity have prevented most families from returning to their homes.
Sudani also “emphasized the need to expedite compensation for the people of Sinjar [Shingal] and to reopen government department branches service offices in the districts of Sinjar and Tal Afar and their related sub-districts.”
On Saturday Khalaf Shingali, Sudani’s advisor for Yazidi affairs told Rudaw that the Iraqi government was assessing 14,000 applications for compensation filed by Yazidis who fled Shingal during the ISIS reign of terror.
According to Shingali, Sudani also decided to establish a university in Shingal. A piece of land has been allocated to build the campus, including residential accommodation for staff and students.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment