-
The Yazidi genocide, eight years on, remains unaddressed

In the northern Nineveh province of Iraq, there resided a small community known as the Yazidis.
Estimates put the global number of Yazidis at roughly 800, 000 people with the vast majority living in northern Iraq.
The main living areas of Yazidis include the Sinjar mountain range, and the Sheikhan region around the city of 'Ain Sifni, as well as the twin cities of Bahzani and Ba'shiqa near Mosul.
The Yazidis are an ethno -religious minority whose existence as a sect is engulfed by mystery. The city of Sinjar huddled at the base of the southeastern side of Mount Sinjar forms the region's heart. Much of Sinjar was destroyed either by the Islamic State (ISIS) or in the battle for liberation.
Following the uproar in the Middle East of 2011, an Islamic fundamentalist militant group called the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq, declared an Islamic Caliphate in Syria and Iraq.
In June 2014, IS militants captured the center of the Nineveh governorate in Iraq and embarked on a campaign of purifying the Caliphate of non-Arabs and non-Sunni Muslims. In the same month, hundreds of ISIS fighters approached Sinjar intending to capture all the Yazidi villages, towns, and the city of Sinjar. Ninety per cent of the Yazidi areas lay within the disputed areas.
However, early on August 3, 2014, fighters of the Islamic State (IS) went on a genocidal rampage against the Iraqi Yazid minority in Sinjar.
From Ba'aj in the southwest, Tal Afar and Mosul in the east, and from Tal Hamis and Shadadi in Syria in the west, IS militants converged on Sinjar.
By the time, all 350,000 people living in Sinjar had left their homes, nearly 50,000 people sought refuge on the dry and desolate Mount Sinjar.
It was the Iraq dictator Saddam Husain that in 1970s razed the traditional Yazidi habitat on the mountain and beneath enforcing Yazidis to be relocate in vulnerable urban villages constructed for the end and known as compounds.
Villages on the plain had the lion's share in the barbarities committed. The attack began at 2:10 after midnight, however, resistance at the two southern villages of Gir Zerik and Siba Sheikh Khidir gave time to people in the whole area to ascend Mount Sinjar.
At dawn, the line of resistance was pierced. By then thousands of people had fled their homes. However, thousands others were left stuck on the roads.
Mount Sinjar, a ragged 1 mile-high and 60 mile -long arid ridge identified in local mythology as the final resting place of Noah's ark, was the destination. Those made it to the mountain were faced with a harsh reality. With no access to water or food, thousands of infants and the elderly lost their lives under scorching heat of summer. Many others returned home and eventually were captured.
On 6 August, IS announced it controlled Sinjar proper and on 7 August American, British, French and Australian planes began to airdrop humanitarian aid to those trapped on the mountain.
In the first days of the genocide, 1,293 people were killed and over 6,000 people were abducted, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Office for Rescuing Kidnapped Yazidis.
Due to their ethnicity and religion, Yazidis were among the most severely affected communities. The Sinjar attack marked the start of a highly systematized and brutal campaign to erase the Yazidi culture. The Islamic States used selective sayings and traditions of Prophet Muhammad and his companions depending of their strict interpretation of Islam and its defunct corpus.
The centuries old religion is shrouded in mystery. However, a Yazidi hypothesis suggests that the Yazidism is very old.
The sect, however, is a non-missionary religion in which neither new believers are welcome nor renegades are permitted, their admittance is impossible.
Today, after eight years of family loss and bereavement the Yazidi community is shattered. As the plight of the IS victims- mostly women- trails, the perpetrators of the genocide are at large.
With western governments grapple with the thorny issue of how to deal with their citizens currently held in Syria and Iraq, many of them have returned to their countries of origin undetected or without being prosecuted or charge.
The world had done little to address the plight of the Yazidi people of Iraq. Some 2,863 still remain missing. Many of those who are missing are believed to be in the refugee /IDP al-Hol Camp in Syria. Those returned face difficulties in reintegrating anew into their own community. Hundreds of others were relocated to third countries. Much psychological support is needed.
The vast majority still lives in internally displaced persons camps in northern Iraq that lack basic everyday life needs.
On October 9, 2020, the Sinjar agreement was announced. However, up to date, it remains ink on paper.
In March 2021, after nearly two years of deliberations, the Yazidi Female Survivors Law was passed by the Iraqi Parliament. The law (Law No. 8 of 2021) applies to ''every woman Yazidi survivor who was kidnapped by ISIS and later liberated, in addition to women and girls from the Turkmen, Christian and Shabak components who were subjected to the same crimes mentioned'' reads the legislation.
As perpetrators of the genocide are at large, justice should be served. In late 2021, Taha al-Jumailly, an Iraqi citizen, was found guilty of genocide and war crimes resulting in death at the court in Frankfurt. The verdict passed by the Frankfurt court gave a glimpse of hope to the survivors of the genocide. However, the process is a very slow one.
Earlier in the year, Jennifer Wenisch, Taha's German wife, was sentenced in a separate trial to 10 years in prison in connection with the killing. Prosecuting al-Jumailly on foreign soil is based on the universal principle of justice.
Today, much of the Yazidi ancestral homelands lay in ruins, villages that lack basic services and infrastructure are deserted. Unexploded mines planted by IS fighters, the smell of unburied bodies, among others, are all hurdles to the return of the Yazidi people to their ancestral homelands.
Few have returned others refrain to return as the security situation in the mountains and nearby areas remain unsettled.
As Sinjar has turned into a battleground for state, and non-state forces the plight of Yazidis proceeds unabatedly.
BY: Lazghine Ya'qoube
You May Also Like
Popular Posts
Caricature
BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
opinion
Report
ads
Newsletter
Subscribe to our mailing list to get the new updates!