Sinjar’s Democratic Autonomous Assembly (MXDŞ), which has been closely following developments in Iraqi Kurdistan related to the agreement signed by the Baghdad and Hewlêr governments over Sinjar, has reported that Sinjar faces a new calamity unless action is urgently taken.

Following the Sinjar agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi government on 9 October 2020, attention has focused upon Sinjar and the Yazidi community living there. According to Fırat News Agency (ANF), MXDŞ has reportedly stated that Sinjar is facing a great threat after the agreement and has called for sensitivity in an appeal to the Kurdish and world public. Noting that the Yazidis reacted negatively to the agreement signed between the Baghdad and Hewlêr administrations, and that a series of initiatives were undertaken to protest against and cancel the agreement, MXDŞ announced that: ”All attempts we made through dialogue have been inconclusive, and it seems that the parties insist on the implementation of the agreement”.

Sinjar Democratic Autonomous Council announced that Sinjar does not need any foreign power and can protect itself. Emphasizing that it is not in favour of any conflict, it issued the following statement: “We want to state that we will use our right of self-defense only if there is an attack on our people”. In the statement, the 9 October agreement was discussed and criticised in six articles which summarise the basis of the Council’s concerns:

– It will destroy the will of the Yazidi people and their right to self-defense.
– It will lead to the arrest of Yazidis fighting against ISIS.
– It will lead to confiscation of weapons used in Sinjar’s self-defense.
– It will prevent people from commuting by establishing checkpoints between cities, neighbourhoods and villages.
– It will place foreign armed forces in the holy places of the Yazidis such as Çêlmêra and Şêbilqasim Kiçil Laliî and place the borders of Sinjar under siege.
– It will resettle Arabs who helped the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to kill, kidnap and sell the Yazidis by supporting their gangs.

“Our people should act immediately”

MXDŞ stated in its six articles that these developments would mean the 75th destruction process and it demanded that the Kurdish and world public take urgent action to address these concerns. The MXDŞ further stated that: “Today, the Iraqi government imposes a new decree on Sinjar with the methods that the ISIS gangs could not complete. In order to prevent this, we want our people in the four parts of Kurdistan and all our political parties to act immediately”.