'Stories Left Unfinished': Yazidis Renew Calls for Justice and Answers on Genocide Anniversary

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Preparations are underway to commemorate one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Yazidi community, as survivors, displaced families, and volunteers gather to mark the anniversary of the genocide while thousands of loved ones remain missing.

Along the road leading to one of the displacement camps, a group of young Yazidi internally displaced people erected an unusual tent. It was not built to shelter families, but to preserve memory. Its fabric walls are covered with photographs of those who were killed and those who disappeared, transforming the space into a living memorial for a tragedy that continues to shape the lives of thousands.

Every year, as the anniversary approaches, these portraits are raised once again to deliver a message that survivors insist the world must continue to hear: the Yazidi genocide remains an open wound, and their struggle for justice is far from over.

For displaced Yazidis, the annual commemoration is not simply a remembrance of the past—it is a renewed appeal for action.

Displaced Yazidi Bir Tahsin urged the Iraqi government to take meaningful steps to address the community's ongoing suffering.

"The Iraqi government must seriously intervene to find a fundamental solution to the situation of the Yazidis and end our suffering. For our part, we will continue commemorating this painful anniversary year after year so that our cause is never forgotten," he said.

Volunteer Sardar Khalil stressed the importance of preserving the memory of the victims and ensuring that their stories continue to reach the international community.

"The ISIS terrorist group committed the most horrific crimes and atrocities against the Yazidis. Therefore, it is our humanitarian and moral duty to continue working to keep this cause alive and make the voices of the victims heard," he said.

Wounds reopened every year

Inside the memorial tent, the photographs represent far more than memories. For many families, they are stories that have never reached an ending.

Among those standing before the images is survivor Nuriya Hussein, whose personal tragedy remains unresolved. Four members of her family are still missing, and every anniversary forces her to relive the trauma she endured.

"Four members of my family are still missing. All I ask and hope for is that they are rescued, or that we learn anything about their fate," she said.

As each anniversary returns, survivors say the pain resurfaces with the same intensity, reopening wounds that have never fully healed while uncertainty continues to haunt thousands of families.

Thousands remain unaccounted for

During the ISIS terrorist group's brutal assault on Sinjar in the summer of 2014, 6,427 Yazidi men, women, and children were abducted.

Although thousands have since been rescued, more than 2,800 Yazidis remain missing, leaving countless families trapped in years of uncertainty as they continue searching for answers and hoping their loved ones will one day be found.

According to the latest figures:

-6,417 people have been abducted since 2014.
-3,597 survivors have been rescued.
-2,820 Yazidis remain missing.
-Around 50,000 Yazidi families continue to live in displacement camps.
-97 mass graves have been discovered so far.

For the Yazidi community, the anniversary is not solely a remembrance of a genocide—it is a reminder that thousands of stories remain unfinished, thousands of families are still waiting for answers, and the search for justice continues.