ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 90 Yazidi families have returned to Shingal (Sinjar), their homeland in northern Iraq, the country’s migration ministry announced on Monday.
The Spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement Ali Jahangir told Rudaw that 92 Yazidi families had returned to Shingal on Sunday, from Chamishko camp in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province.
In June 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) seized control of large swathes of territory in Iraq’s north and west. A little over a month later, in August, the group launched a wide-scale attack against the Yazidi community in Iraq's northern Shingal.
During the August 2014 assault, ISIS killed and abducted around 9,900 Yazidis. Recognizing the systematic targeting of the Yazidis as genocidal, the United Nations also reported that up to 200,000 Yazidis were displaced from Shingal, many of whom settled in camps across Dohuk.
Jahangir told Rudaw on Monday that “at the beginning of 2024, there were 31,000 displaced [Shingal] Sinjar families in the Kurdistan Region’s camps; however, now 21,000 [Yazidi] families are still there.”
According to Jahangir, the migration ministry will provide returning Yazidi families with four million dinars (around $3,000) in financial assistance, as well as some essential household appliances to get by, including a refrigerator, stove, and television.
“Currently, only household appliances are being provided to the returning families, while the financial assistance will be distributed soon, following the approval of the [Iraqi] finance ministry,” he explained.
Though more than 10 years have passed since ISIS launched its attack on Shingal, much of the Yazidi community remains displaced. Their return has been hindered by a combination of security concerns, political disputes, and infrastructure and reconstruction challenges. The presence of various armed groups has also created an unstable environment, further deterring many Yazidis from returning.
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