The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has called on the international community and human rights organisations to recognise 3 August as a global day to commemorate the Yazidi genocide in Sinjar (Şengal), on the 10th anniversary of the atrocity.
The AANES recalled that on 3 August 2014, ISIS launched a brutal attack on the Yazidi region, using all available weapons and equipment against the defenceless Yazidi population. This assault, the statement claims, was supported by Turkey and facilitated by the inaction of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the ruling party in the region.
The attack resulted in ISIS occupying Sinjar, displacing thousands of people and forcing others to flee to the mountains where they risked death from starvation and thirst. More than 5,000 Yazidi women and children were abducted, raped and sold into slavery in cities like Raqqa (Reqa) and Mosul.
The AANES also acknowledged the pivotal role of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) in providing a safe passage for the survivors and liberating those who remained. The statement condemned the genocide as an attempt to annihilate the Yazidi people, destroy their culture and desecrate their sacred sites.
The Yazidi community has endured numerous atrocities throughout their history. They have remained resilient, a quality they demonstrated yet again, by reorganising and forming the Sinjar Resistance Units (YPS) to liberate Sinjar from ISIS. They also established the Sinjar Civil Council to manage local affairs.
The AANES reiterated its condemnation of the violence and inhumane treatment inflicted on the Yazidis by ISIS, which was a violation of the United Nations Charter and human rights in general, calling for worldwide recognition of 3 August as a day to remember the Yazidi genocide.
