ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq and Kurdistan Region leaders on Wednesday congratulated Yazidis on their New Year, calling to mind what the religious minority suffered during the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) and wishing a safe return for those still missing. Yazidis celebrate their New Year, Charshama Sare Sale (Wednesday New Year), on the first Wednesday of April using the Julian and Seleucid calendars. The occasion is marked by a ceremony held in Lalish Temple in the mountains of Duhok where followers of the religion gather and light candles. On Tuesday, Iraq’s Council of Ministers declared that the first Wednesday of April each year will be an official holiday for Yazidis. President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday extended his congratulations to Yazidi people all around the world, and said he is committed to rescuing all missing Yazidis. “On this day, we pay tribute to the Yazidi victims of terrorism. We stand with them and we assure everyone that as long as there is a missing Yazidi, we will continue to rescue them and uncover their fate,” said the president in a statement. Yazidis were victims of a genocide perpetrated by Islamic State (ISIS) militants who attacked the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in 2014, killing men and boys and kidnapping women and children. Over 2,000 Yazidis remain missing, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Office for Rescuing Kidnapped Yazidis, which was established by Barzani. The Shingal area remains unstable due to insecurity and lack of basic services. Around 200,000 Yazidis who fled Shingal in 2014 still live in the Kurdistan Region, many of whom linger in IDP camps and live well below the poverty line, unable to return home. Baghdad and Erbil signed an agreement in 2020 to return security to Shingal, but it has yet to be fully implemented. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani congratulated the Yazidis, saying their roots in Iraqi soil go back hundreds of years. “We share your joy and remember your great sacrifices which pushed you to hold on to your Iraqi identity and loyalty to our generous homeland,” Sudani tweeted. Kurdistan Region’s PM Masrour Barzani and Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid also extended their congratulations on the Yazidi New Year, wishing a safe return for the thousands of Yazidis displaced across the country and calling for the implementation of the Shingal agreement.
