Yazidi women rescued from captivity by the Kurdish-led Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) joined a protest march in Amûdê (Amuda) on 3 August to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi Genocide. The march was a powerful display of remembrance and resilience from those who survived the atrocities committed by ISIS a decade ago, on 3 August 2014, and the ensuing months.
Amûdê is a city in northeastern Syria, located in the al-Hasakah Governorate. It is part of the predominantly Kurdish region known as Rojava. The city has been a significant site for Kurdish and Yazidi communities, especially in the context of the Syrian Civil War and the fight against ISIS.
Among the participants in the march were Ezîze Xalid Elî and Tawaf Dawûd Çeto, both of whom were captured by ISIS as children, and freed by the YPJ. Çeto, who had been held in Til Izêr, shared her feelings through an interpreter, saying, “I am happy to be among my relatives. I thank the YPJ for rescuing me.” She also reflected on the enduring pain of the past decade, stating, “This is a very sad day for us; it will never be forgotten. We wanted to uplift our community by joining this march.”
The YPJ reported that Elî had been rescued from al-Hol Camp, while Çeto had been intercepted near the Syria-Iraq border as she was trying to escape. Their rescue, along with that of a Yazidi child named Xunav, highlighted the ongoing efforts to reunite survivors and honour the memory of those lost.
