An international initiative is helping Yazidi people to return to their ancestral homes on Mount Sinjar (Şengal) in Iraqi Kurdistan, 10 years after ISIS’s genocide.
In partnership between @SinjarAcademy & @SinjarHome, we have rebuilt first home in Til Azer, southern Sinjar. It costed us about 2500 dollars to rebuild this home and make it livable for this family. To help others to safely return to their homes & make difference in 1 family… pic.twitter.com/wmXuJhC7oI
— Murad Ismael (@murad_ismael) May 2, 2024
Sinjar Homes and Sinjar Academy have been working together to collect money for the restoration of destroyed houses on Sinjar. They posted on social media platform X that the first home had been renovated for just $2500. The organisations are calling for more donations to carry on their work.
One resident of the restored house said on X: “Our house was left in a skeletal state, with no doors or windows. My children were young and were all students. We had no source of income. During winter the cold winds would blow through the house.” They thanked the organisation for carrying out the renovations.
ISIS attacked Sinjar on 12 October 2014, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee. The genocide that followed took the lives of thousands of Yazidis across Iraq and Syria, with thousands more raped, enslaved, or forcibly converted to Islam.
Ten years on, most people are still living in refugee camps. Yazidi community leaders recently launched a legal action against the Barzani family, who dominate the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), complaining that the KDP’s policies have effectively prevented Yazidis from returning to their homelands.
One social media user commented on X: “In a country like Iraq, which holds the world’s fifth-largest proved crude oil reserves at 145 billion barrels, representing 17% of proved reserves in the Middle East and 8% of global reserves, it’s unbelievable and sad that Ezidis still require donations to rebuild their house”.
Murad Ismael, president and co-founder of Sinjar Academy, posted on X: “Yazidis deserve a return to their homeland with dignity. They have right to accountability for those who committed crimes. They deserve to live without fear for their future. They deserve safety and security.”
Sinjar Home is collecting donations to rebuild more houses, so that people can return to their homes from refugee camps.
