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Iraq
UNAMI chief Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (left) and Nadia's Initiative Executive Director Abid Shamdeen (right) in Baghdad on August 19, 2021. Photo: handout/UNAMI
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The executive director of a Yazidi advocacy organization met with the United Nations chief in Iraq after deadly Turkish airstrikes on the Shingal area this week to call for a greater role for Yazidis in administering and securing the troubled northern Iraq region.
Nadia's Initiative Executive Director Abid Shamdeen met UN Special Representative for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert in Baghdad on Thursday. “We informed the UN of the fear that Turkey instilled in the hearts of the Yazidi returnees to Shingal. A long-term solution involves security stability and the participation of Yazidis in power and the Shingal administration,” he told Rudaw on Friday.
Turkish airstrikes in the Shingal area last week killed 10 people. A commander of the Shingal Resistance Units (YBS) and one of his fighters were killed on Monday. The next day, four health workers and four YBS fighters were killed in airstrikes on a medical clinic.
The UN mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said Hennis-Plasschaert and Shamdeen “discussed the lack of security that deeply affects the Sinjari [Shingal] population.”
Hundreds of thousands of Yazidis fled their homes in the Shingal region when the Islamic State group (ISIS) attacked in 2014. Insecurity and lack of reconstruction in Shingal are preventing most of them from returning home. Instead they are living in camps in the Kurdistan Region where life is hard and they face the constant threat of fires that tear through the tents.
“Yazidis are faced with two choices: they can either stay in fire-threatened camps or return to their hometowns, areas the political parties are using to resolve their issues,” said Shamdeen.
A multitude of armed groups have staked claims in Shingal after the defeat of ISIS and reconstruction efforts in war-damaged towns and villages have been slow. Last year, the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced the Shingal Agreement, which outlines a plan to secure and administer the region.
Under the deal, armed groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Iraq’s Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) must withdraw and a new force will be established, recruiting from the local population. The agreement also includes measures to aid the return of displaced families. The agreement was announced last October, but has yet to be fully implemented.
Shamdeen said there should be increased efforts to return Yazidis to their homes. "The UN has promised to work for this purpose, which is in line with the Shingal Agreement," he said.
Nadia's Initiative is a non-profit organization founded in 2016 by Nobel Peace laureate and Yazidi genocide survivor Nadia Murad. It advocates for the Yazidi community and victims of sexual violence.
Additional reporting by Aso Fishagi
Nadia's Initiative Executive Director Abid Shamdeen met UN Special Representative for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert in Baghdad on Thursday. “We informed the UN of the fear that Turkey instilled in the hearts of the Yazidi returnees to Shingal. A long-term solution involves security stability and the participation of Yazidis in power and the Shingal administration,” he told Rudaw on Friday.
Turkish airstrikes in the Shingal area last week killed 10 people. A commander of the Shingal Resistance Units (YBS) and one of his fighters were killed on Monday. The next day, four health workers and four YBS fighters were killed in airstrikes on a medical clinic.
The UN mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said Hennis-Plasschaert and Shamdeen “discussed the lack of security that deeply affects the Sinjari [Shingal] population.”
Hundreds of thousands of Yazidis fled their homes in the Shingal region when the Islamic State group (ISIS) attacked in 2014. Insecurity and lack of reconstruction in Shingal are preventing most of them from returning home. Instead they are living in camps in the Kurdistan Region where life is hard and they face the constant threat of fires that tear through the tents.
“Yazidis are faced with two choices: they can either stay in fire-threatened camps or return to their hometowns, areas the political parties are using to resolve their issues,” said Shamdeen.
A multitude of armed groups have staked claims in Shingal after the defeat of ISIS and reconstruction efforts in war-damaged towns and villages have been slow. Last year, the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced the Shingal Agreement, which outlines a plan to secure and administer the region.
Under the deal, armed groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Iraq’s Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) must withdraw and a new force will be established, recruiting from the local population. The agreement also includes measures to aid the return of displaced families. The agreement was announced last October, but has yet to be fully implemented.
Shamdeen said there should be increased efforts to return Yazidis to their homes. "The UN has promised to work for this purpose, which is in line with the Shingal Agreement," he said.
Nadia's Initiative is a non-profit organization founded in 2016 by Nobel Peace laureate and Yazidi genocide survivor Nadia Murad. It advocates for the Yazidi community and victims of sexual violence.
Additional reporting by Aso Fishagi
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