Yazidis mark 12 years since genocide with the same demands unmet

SINJAR — Hundreds of Yazidis gathered at the genocide memorial in Sinjar on Monday to mark 12 years since the Islamic State group’s assault on their community, repeating demands for justice, the recovery of those still missing and the excavation of mass graves.

“The demands raised by Yazidis today are the same ones they have repeated for 12 years, foremost among them achieving justice and redress for the victims,” activist Layla Hadi told 964media. She said thousands of displaced people are still living in camps, their home areas still lack basic services, and successive governments and the committees set up to handle the file had produced no tangible results. “The remains are still at the forensic medicine department, while families have waited for years for the mass graves to be opened, which now number more than 90,” she said.

Kurdistan Region figures record 6,417 Yazidis abducted during the assault. As of May, 3,594 had been rescued, leaving 2,823 unaccounted for, according to the Office for Rescuing Kidnapped Yazidis. By February 2025 authorities had identified 93 mass graves in Sinjar, of which 55 had been excavated, yielding 750 sets of remains. Thirty-eight were unopened and 242 recovered victims had not been identified.

Faisal Ghanem, director of the Nadia Murad Initiative, said Yazidis return each year because nothing has been resolved. “Despite the recognition of the genocide by several countries and despite the promises made by international officials and entities, Yazidis still feel they have been left alone,” he said. Community members, civil society organizations and political parties took part in the commemoration, he said, but had seen no practical measures capable of ending their suffering.

Nineveh Gov. Abdul Qadir al-Dakhil acknowledged that both the federal and local governments remained deficient in addressing Sinjar’s needs and the rights of its residents.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said honoring the victims required “delivering justice, uncovering the fate of the missing, supporting survivors, rebuilding Sinjar, and ensuring the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of the displaced.” He honored the security forces and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS for the victory over the group, and said the state would remain “the guarantor of the rights of all its citizens” while ensuring arms remain exclusively under state authority.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani today called on Baghdad to restore security in Sinjar, implement the 2020 Sinjar Agreement and facilitate returns.

The assault began on Aug. 3, 2014. The group killed more than 5,000 Yazidis, displaced about 360,000 inside Iraq and drove more than 100,000 out of the country.