On Monday — which marked the 12th anniversary of the Yezidi genocide — Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani urged the Iraqi federal government to implement the Sinjar Agreement to enable displaced Yezidis to return to their homes with dignity.

On August 3, 2014, ISIS militants overran the predominantly Yezidi area of Sinjar and abducted thousands of women and children after executing thousands of men. Thousands still remain missing.

In a speech at a special ceremony held in Erbil, KRG Prime Minister Barzani highlighted the sacrifices of the Kurdistan Peshmerga, who, under the leadership of President Masoud Barzani, liberated Sinjar and surrounding areas from ISIS. 

“We also thank the Iraqi government for its cooperation in locating the mass graves and for working with the KRG to return the remains of the victims to their homeland,” he said.

“We ask the federal government to help restore normal life to Sinjar once again, so that its people can return home with dignity, and so that security, stability, and local administration are restored to the people of Sinjar. This remains our request to the federal government, and the KRG will continue its efforts to rebuild both Sinjar and its surrounding areas,” he also added.

In October 2020, Baghdad and Erbil signed the Sinjar Agreement with the support of the UN in order to facilitate the return of displaced Yezidis. However, the agreement has not yet been implemented and militias continue to operate in Sinjar.

Prime Minister Barzani also outlined the KRG’s efforts to rescue abducted Yezidis and support survivors.

So far, more than 3,500 Yezidi abductees have been rescued, while over 2,700 remain missing.

“We hope that anyone who can assist us will do so, so that together we can locate and rescue those who remain missing,” Prime Minister Barzani said.

“I would also like to thank the Coalition for the assistance and support it provided in defeating the ISIS terrorists and for helping us better serve our Yezidi brothers and sisters — those who were displaced from their homes and came to Kurdistan, as well as those who later sought refuge outside the Kurdistan Region and reached other countries in Europe and elsewhere.

“All of those countries opened their doors to our brothers and sisters. Yet no place can truly replace one’s home. Nevertheless, I would like to express my gratitude to all the countries that supported us, to all the nongovernmental organizations that assisted us, and especially to the people of Kurdistan, who opened their homes and their hearts to those displaced families,” he also said.

“Once again, I say that we must work together to ensure that such crimes are never repeated — not against our Yezidi brothers and sisters, not against our Christian brothers and sisters, and not against our Muslim brothers and sisters,” Prime Minister Barzani concluded. 

“Terrorism recognizes neither religion nor nationality; it is an enemy of humanity itself. Therefore, the support and cooperation of everyone are essential, and together we must work to ensure that terrorism never re-emerges in Iraq. One of the most effective ways to prevent its return is through justice, equality, and respect for the rights of all religions and national communities.”