Outlaw militias must leave Sinjar so locals can safely return: PM Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani reiterated on Wednesday, the eighth anniversary of the Yezidi genocide, that armed groups and "outlaw groups" must leave Sinjar so its inhabitants can return safely. 

On Aug. 3, 2014, ISIS launched its brutal genocide against the Yezidis of Sinjar, killing thousands and subjecting Yezidi women to sexual enslavement. 

Even though Sinjar was liberated from ISIS in 2015, most Yezidis have not been able to return since the area remains unstable, thanks to the continued presence of several armed militia groups that have hindered any serious attempts at reconstruction. 

"Due to the self-imposing armed groups, Sinjar has not been a secure place that its people could go back to," Prime Minister Barzani said, adding all those "outlaw groups" and militias must leave the area. 

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Government of Iraq signed the Sinjar Agreement in October 2020 to normalize the situation in the area through joint administration of the town. It has not yet been implemented. 

Prime Minister Barzani stressed the importance of implementing that UN-brokered deal. 

The prime minister recalled the successful Peshmerga efforts to liberate Sinjar and its surrounding towns from ISIS. He also said the KRG would continue its efforts with the Government of Iraq and international agencies to facilitate the return of missing Yezidi women to their community. 

In his congratulatory message to the Yezidis on Tuesday's Peak of Summer festival, Prime Minister Barzani similarly pledged that his government would do its best to alleviate their suffering.