‘Bring Them Home’: Anfal Families Demand Justice and Remains

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In an emotional plea that echoed across Garmian on Sunday, families of Anfal genocide victims publicly held the Iraqi government and its Martyrs Foundation responsible for failing to return the remains of their loved ones still buried in the deserts of southern Iraq.

The calls were delivered with sharp indignation and decades of accumulated pain, as citizens in Chamchamal and surrounding areas demanded justice, compensation, and accountability.

“Our message to the Iraqi Martyrs Foundation is to inform them that they are primarily responsible for the fact that the remains of Anfal victims have not yet been returned to Kurdistan,” said Mala Hawar Satar, a relative of the victims, in an interview with Kurdistan24. “Because the remains of Anfal victims are on Iraqi soil, in the deserts under the authority of this institution. Until now, not even 1 percent of the remains of Anfal victims have been returned to Kurdistan.”

Another citizen from Chamchamal expressed the deep intergenerational frustration still felt by survivors: “We want to know how long the Iraqi government will continue to ignore the decisions of the High Criminal Court. How long will they avoid apologizing and compensating us? Our relatives fell victim to the Anfal campaign when we were children. Now that we have become grandparents, the number of remains returned to Kurdistan doesn't even equal the number of victims from just 10 Anfalized villages in Garmian.”

The citizen added: “We demand that the Iraqi government assist the families of Anfal victims just as they do for Iraqi martyrs, and we also demand that they return the remains of our relatives—they no longer need to remain in their forensic medicine facilities and deserts.”

Institutional Discrimination Against Kurdish Victims

These grievances expose what many Kurdish families and rights advocates describe as the stark disparity between the treatment of the Anfal victims and the martyrs of other Iraqi conflicts—particularly those affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi).

Families point to glaring inequalities in the benefits, pensions, and recognition granted by Iraq’s Federal Martyrs Foundation. While martyrs of the PMF receive full privileges, including housing grants, monthly stipends, educational benefits for children, and healthcare, the Anfal victims—systematically targeted in a genocidal campaign—remain largely unrecognized and excluded.

“The rights and privileges of Iraqi martyrs and Anfal martyrs are worlds apart,” said Mala Hawar. “The Anfal victims are not even officially registered with the Iraqi Martyrs Foundation. This is not just negligence—it’s institutional discrimination.”

For years, Kurdish lawmakers and civil society organizations have highlighted this discrepancy in parliamentary debates and public forums. Yet, meaningful reforms remain elusive, reinforcing feelings of abandonment and betrayal among the victims’ families.

A Legacy of Genocide and the State’s Historical Responsibility

The Anfal campaign, carried out by Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime between 1986 and 1989, was one of the most brutal state-led campaigns of mass murder, forced displacement, and cultural erasure in modern Iraqi history. Entire Kurdish villages were razed, tens of thousands of civilians were executed or buried alive, and countless women and children disappeared into mass graves. Chemical weapons were deployed in places like Halabja, shocking the international community.

Although the Iraqi High Criminal Court recognized the Anfal campaign as genocide in 2010, the federal government has yet to implement most of its rulings, including restitution, compensation, and the formal return of remains. “These victims were buried in the deserts of Iraq by an Iraqi regime, and today’s Iraqi state is responsible for correcting that historical crime,” said a Chamchamal resident.

Yet, survivors say their appeals fall on deaf ears. “Not even one percent of the requests by Kurdish victims’ families have been met. Baghdad has generally shown no care or accountability,” the resident continued. “This is not just a political failure—it is a moral one.”

KRG’s Persistent Calls for Justice and Reparation

Every year, during official commemorations of the Anfal campaign, chemical attacks, and other genocidal episodes, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) renews its demands to Baghdad for financial and moral reparations. KRG officials have consistently called on the federal government to provide meaningful compensation to victims' families, formally apologize for the atrocities committed, and ensure that Anfal and chemical weapons victims are fully recognized under national martyrdom laws.

On the 37th anniversary of the Anfal genocide, both President Masoud Barzani and KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani issued solemn statements emphasizing that justice must be delivered in both legal and moral terms. Prime Minister Barzani urged Baghdad to fulfill its constitutional obligations by compensating the victims’ families and recognizing the enduring consequences of the campaign. “It is the duty of the federal government to provide just compensation—both material and moral—to the families of the Anfal victims and all others who suffered under the Ba'ath regime,” he stated.

President Masoud Barzani, in his statement, emphasized that the true tribute to Anfal victims lies in unity and the determined development of Kurdistan. He renewed calls for Baghdad to officially recognize and assume full responsibility for the Anfal genocide and to halt all discriminatory policies against Kurds. “The best tribute to the martyrs of Anfal is for all of us to stand united in serving and defending our homeland,” he declared, adding that Iraq must put an end to the legacy of chauvinistic narratives.

Despite these heartfelt appeals, Baghdad’s response remains largely symbolic, with few concrete measures taken to address Kurdish grievances. The KRG has also repeatedly urged the Iraqi government to establish a national program for identifying and repatriating the remains of Kurdish genocide victims from southern mass graves—an effort that has been delayed or underfunded year after year.

As the families in Garmian continue to mourn without closure, their message is clear: the time for empty promises is over. What they demand now is action, justice, and the return of their loved ones from the sands of Iraq’s silent deserts.