BAGHDAD: Violence and sluggish reconstruction have prevented the return to Iraq’s northwestern town of Sinjar of its predominantly Yazidi population after the abuses of militant rule, the Norwegian Refugee Council said Wednesday.
Five years after the defeat of the Daesh group, which committed massacres against the Yazidis and used their women as sex slaves, the town’s Yazidi, Muslim Kurdish and Arab residents are no closer to returning home, especially after a surge in violence earlier this month.
The aid group said that “nearly two-thirds of Sinjar’s population — over 193,000 Yazidis, Arabs, and Kurds — remain displaced.”
The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking minority who were persecuted by Daesh for their non-Muslim faith after its capture of the town in 2014.
“Widespread destruction of civilian houses, new clashes, and social tensions” are preventing returns, NRC said in a report.
Out of 1,500 people surveyed by the aid group to determine how decisions to return home are made, about 64 percent “said their homes were heavily damaged.”
“A staggering 99 percent of those who applied for government compensation had not received any funding for damaged property,” it said.
“Families from Sinjar remain in displacement, with thousands still living in camps,” NRC’s country director for Iraq, James Munn, said.
“We need durable solutions put in place so Iraqi families can once again start living their lives and plan for a safer future.”
The aid group called on the Iraqi government and the authorities in the autonomous Kurdistan region to “prioritize the rehabilitation of infrastructure and the restoration of services to allow for safe housing, land, and property, alongside public infrastructure.”
Some “80 percent of public infrastructure and 70 percent of civilian homes in Sinjar were destroyed” during the conflict years ago, the NRC said.
In early May, fighting broke out between Iraqi troops and Yazidi fighters affiliated with Turkey’s banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), killing at least one Iraqi soldier.
The Iraqi army was seeking to apply an agreement between Baghdad and the Kurdistan region for the withdrawal of Yazidi and PKK fighters from Sinjar.
More than 10,000 people fled the latest fighting, adding to the population of displaced.
‘Conflict, destruction’ prevent return to Iraq’s Yazidi heartland: NGO
https://arab.news/jg54m
‘Conflict, destruction’ prevent return to Iraq’s Yazidi heartland: NGO
- ‘Nearly two-thirds of Sinjar’s population — over 193,000 Yazidis, Arabs, and Kurds — remain displaced’
- The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking minority who were persecuted by Daesh for their non-Muslim faith
Qatar, Jordan and Egypt condemn Israeli ceasefire violations in Gaza
- Israel pounded Gaza on Saturday with some of its most intense airstrikes since the October ceasefire was brokered
LONDON: Qatar, Jordan and Egypt on Saturday strongly condemned Israel’s repeated violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, warning that the attacks risk dangerous escalation and undermine regional and international efforts to restore stability.
Israel pounded Gaza on Saturday with some of its most intense airstrikes since the October ceasefire was brokered, killing more than 30 people including three girls from one family, in attacks on houses, tents and a police station, Palestinian health officials said.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the breaches, which have resulted in fatalities and injuries, threaten the political pathway aimed at de-escalation and jeopardize efforts to create a safer environment for Palestinians in Gaza, the Qatar News Agency reported.
Doha urged Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire agreement, calling for maximum restraint from all parties to ensure the success of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
The ministry also stressed the importance of creating conditions conducive to early recovery and reconstruction in the enclave.
Jordan echoed the condemnation, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates describing the latest incidents as a blatant breach of the ceasefire and a dangerous escalation.
Ministry spokesperson Fouad Majali called for strict adherence to the agreement and its provisions, including the immediate, adequate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as moving forward with the second phase of the deal, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Majali urged the international community to fulfil its legal and moral responsibilities to ensure Israel’s compliance, while warning against actions that could derail de-escalation efforts. He also reiterated Jordan’s call for a clear political horizon leading to an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Egypt, meanwhile, condemned what it described as recurrent Israeli breaches that have led to the deaths of at least 25 Palestinians.
Cairo warned that such actions risk turning the situation into a tinderbox and threaten ongoing efforts to stabilize Gaza at both the security and humanitarian levels.
In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry appealed to all parties to exercise maximum restraint, safeguard the ceasefire, and avoid measures that could undermine the political process. It stressed the need to maintain momentum toward early recovery and reconstruction, emphasizing that continued violations directly threaten prospects for lasting stability in the enclave.
