Politics

Ezidis request changes in Nineveh administration before returning: MP

Kurdish Yezidis (Ezidis) will not return to the evacuated city of Sinjar (Shingal) without changes in the administration of Nineveh Province, said an Ezidi member of Iraqi parliament on Monday.

Sangar Ali 2016/09/26 10:08

kurdistan Kurdistan Sinjar Shingal Yezidi Iraq Nineveh Mosul ISIS ISIL

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurdish Yezidis (Ezidis) will not return to the evacuated city of Sinjar (Shingal) without changes in the administration of Nineveh Province, said an Ezidi member of Iraqi parliament on Monday.

Viyan Dakhil, an Ezidi MP, told a local news outlet that Ezidis are calling for a reshuffle of the current Nineveh administration.

The President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani previously stated the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) would promote the city of Shingal to a province in the Region.

Moreover, several Ezidi people have shown support for this movement.

Dakhil noted almost all ethnic and religious groups in Nineveh are demanding changes in the administration of the province and possibly the creation of separate provinces.

She also mentioned the purpose behind changing the current order of Nineveh is to protect the different ethnic and religious groups in the area, including Ezidis, Christians, and Turkmens.

Dakhil emphasized that without this change, people would not return to their homes.

The Kurdish MP said Ezidis had faced atrocities and tragedies in the area where their women were kidnapped, insulted, and harassed by the “neighboring Arabs.”

The Islamic State (IS) occupied Shingal in August 2014. Following the occupation, hundreds of thousands of Ezidis were forcibly displaced to Shingal Mountain, Kurdistan Region, and neighboring countries.

Additionally, the jihadist group enslaved Ezidi women and committed massacres against the people of the area.

In November 2015, Kurdish Peshmerga forces with the aerial support of the US-led coalition liberated the city from IS.

Shingal Mayor Mahma Khalil had stated before that over 80 percent of the city was destroyed due to the coalition air strikes on IS bases.

Very few families have returned to the region due to the destruction of houses and lack of services including water, electricity, hospitals, and schools among many other needs.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany