Displaced sinjar residents struggle amid federal government inaction

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Life in the camps for Sinjar residents continues to deteriorate as the Iraqi government remains unresponsive to their pleas for compensation and support.

Displaced individuals are eager to return to their homes, but face significant obstacles, including a lack of financial assistance and neglect from authorities.

Shamo, a Sinjar resident currently living in Sharya camp in Dohuk, shared his plight with Kurdistan 24. “I have a house in our village in Sinjar, but it is demolished due to the war. Only two rooms remain in my house, and it must be rebuilt again, but the construction expenses are high and I cannot pay the construction costs,” he explained.

The majority of Sinjar’s displaced population wish to return to their homeland and escape the harsh conditions of camp life.

However, the Iraqi government has only compensated 2% of these individuals, leaving the city in ruins and its people in despair.

Vian Dakhil, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc in the Iraqi parliament, blamed the Iraqi Ministry of Immigration and Displaced of committing a new genocide by forcing the Yazidis and other Sinjar residents to return to unstable areas.

In an interview with Kurdistan24, Dakhil criticized the ministry’s intention to close the camps for political gain, noting the absence of essential services and development in Sinjar.

Human Rights Watch has also voiced concerns, stating that plans to close camps for displaced people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq by July 30 will endanger many residents, particularly from the northern Sinjar region.

Read More: KRG ready to assist in IDPs return, calls for genuine efforts from Iraqi government

The organization emphasized that Sinjar remains unsafe and lacks the necessary services to support the displaced population's return.

Sarah Sanbar, Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch, highlighted the precarious situation: “Many Sinjar people have been living in camps since 2014, and they deserve to return to their homes, but this return must be safe and voluntary. Given the lack of services, infrastructure, and security in the region, the government risks exacerbating the already dire situation.”

Sinjar, known for its mountainous environment and mixed population of Kurds, Arabs, and Yazidis, suffered extensive destruction during the conflict against ISIS from 2014 to 2017.

The International Organization for Migration reports that about 183,000 people from Sinjar remain displaced, including 85% of the Yazidi population.

Despite some returns, many towns and cities in Sinjar still host only a fraction of their original populations, with some areas seeing no returnees at all since 2014.

As the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and international organizations call for safe, voluntary returns, the plight of Sinjar's displaced remains a pressing humanitarian issue.

The KRG’s Ministry of Interior indicates that 23 camps in the region currently host approximately 157,000 people, many of whom are from Sinjar, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive support and reconstruction efforts.