Kurdistan President to Baghdad: Compensate Yazidis, Expel Militias from Sinjar

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – On the solemn 11th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani has issued a powerful demand for the Iraqi federal government to fully compensate its Yazidi citizens and decisively end the use of Sinjar as an “arena for militias and armed groups,” urging the immediate and full implementation of the Sinjar Agreement to restore security and dignity to the beleaguered region.

In a message released Sunday, August 3, 2025, the Region's President described the ongoing plight of the Yazidi people as a source of "great sorrow and concern," underscoring the failure to secure the region eleven years after the heinous crimes committed by ISIS.

"Today, we commemorate the painful eleventh anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, and with respect and reverence, we remember the victims of that ISIS crime," the Kurdistan Region President’s message began. He affirmed a steadfast commitment to the community, stating, "We are committed to providing all support to our Yazidi citizens, and despite all the pain of the past, we look to the future with hope and work together to heal their wounds."

The Regional President highlighted the stark reality that continues to face the displaced, noting that it is a "source of great sorrow and concern that, for 11 years, nearly half of the Yazidis still live in the difficult economic, social, and psychological conditions of the camps."

Placing responsibility squarely on the federal authorities, Kurdistan Region's President declared, "It is the duty of the Iraqi government to assume greater responsibility for its Yazidi citizens and compensate them." He further demanded that Baghdad must "no longer allow Sinjar and the Yazidi areas to be an arena for militias, armed groups, and the settling of regional agendas."

The President outlined a clear path for the federal government to follow, stating it must "restore trust, assurance, tranquility, security, reconstruction, and services to Sinjar and their other areas." He also insisted that "justice must be served for the Yazidi community and the perpetrators must be punished."

To achieve these goals, the President re-emphasized the critical importance of a specific political solution. "Therefore, we emphasize the implementation of the agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi Federal Government for the normalization of the situation in Sinjar and making it a province," his message read.

The President also extended a call to the global community, urging international partners "to provide greater assistance to the Yazidis in all respects." He expressed gratitude to nations that have formally acknowledged the atrocities as genocide, saying, "We thank all those countries that have recognized the Yazidi massacre as genocide, and we will continue our work and efforts for it to be further recognized as genocide on the international level."

The message also included "thanks and appreciation for the assistance of the International Coalition in defeating ISIS."

In a direct address to the Yazidi community, President Barzani offered a firm guarantee of protection and continued action. "We assure our Yazidi sisters and brothers that we will always be their protectors," he stated. "And as long as one Yazidi abductee remains, the work of our office to rescue them and reveal their fate will continue."

The statement concluded with a tribute to both the victims and the liberators. "Tribute to the memory and souls of the Yazidi victims and to the strong will and resilience of the Yazidis. Tribute to the memory and souls of all those heroic Peshmerga who, under the command of His Excellency President Masoud Barzani, gave their lives to liberate Sinjar and all the components of Kurdistan and Iraq."