Shingal Mayor: City plans ready but unaffordable

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Mayor of Shingal on Sunday revealed plans had been prepared to rebuild the ruined city of Shinga (Sinjar) but the cost was beyond Iraqi or Kurdistan government means.

Mahma Khalil, the Mayor of Sinjar (Shingal), told Kurdistan24 a plan had been arranged and handed over to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the international community to rebuild the city.

“Rebuilding Shingal requires a large budget which currently cannot be afforded by the KRG or by the Iraqi government,” Khalil said.

Khalil said the plan should be implemented in the near future to rebuild the Shingal area and create lasting peace and stability in the city.

Additionally, the Mayor of Shingal called upon NGOs, the KRG, and the Iraqi government to help the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the area.

Khalil added the IDPs, especially those in the camps on Mount Shingal, needed food, water, and kerosene.

Speaking to Kurdistan24, Khalil called upon the troops who came to Shingal from outside the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to leave.

He also asked the groups not to be a barrier to the stability and development of the Ezidi-populated areas.

The Region officials insist on the withdrawal of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Ezidi town of Shingal so reconstruction can begin and its people can return to their homes.

On Aug. 3, 2016, the Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani suggested the building of a new city for Shingal and leaving the old one as a historic symbol.

Moreover, in late April 2016, the Iraqi parliament unanimously voted for a resolution to declare Shingal a ruined city.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa