CENTRAL NEWS
The protesting voices of Yazidi Kurds have been rising in Shengal over the weeks, refuting a transaction for the lands of Shengal between the Iraqi central government and the Southern Kurdistan administration on 9 October. After being ignored in the talks surrounding the agreement reached about Shengal, the locals have been vocal about their anger towards the Southern Kurdistan administration which abandoned the area after ISIS initiated attacks, ignoring its existence until recently.
The Yazidis living in Shengal came together in the district center in the morning and organized a mass march against the southern Kurdistan administration. Hundreds of people attended the march, which started with the slogan “We are all Asayish” (Em hemî Asayîşin).
During the march, the crowd frequently chanted “Bijî berxwedana Şengalê”, “Bijî berxwedana Asayîşê” and reacted to the agreement between Hewler and Baghdad.
The march that started in the center of Shengal ended in the Êzidîxan Central Asayishi. The crowd participating in the march offered their support to the public order members.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Following an agreement between the central Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government on October 9, 2020, the autonomous region of Shengal became a target once again. The agreement signed between Iraq and the KRG foresaw that the autonomous region of Shengal be controlled by the Iraqi government, after the mountainous area was liberated by the locals and PKK fighters from the bloody hands of ISIS. The KRG internal forces had abandoned the area, leaving locals defenseless in 2014 after news broke out that ISIS would launch an offensive on the area.
The Autonomous Administration which was developed in the area by locals, a system similar to that of Rojava, was ignored in the agreements reached between the KRG who surrendered the area before attacks begun, and the central Iraqi government.
Reacting to the agreement, the Shengal Democratic Autonomous Council on 23 November drew attention to the genocidal attack of ISIS gangs against Shengal in 2014, and described the reached agreement as the 74th edict.
The council shared a statement asking, “Where were those who want to send military force to Shengal, when ISIS gangs attacked?” The Shengal Council announced that Shengal does not need any foreign power and can protect itself.
Emphasizing that they are not in favor of any conflict as the Shengal Democratic Autonomous Council, the statement continued, “We want to state that we will use our right of self-defense, only if there is an attack against the gains of our people.”
According to the Yazidis, the 9 October agreement has 6 aims:
- Destroying the will of the Yazidi people, liquidating the Yazidi’ self-defense.
- The arrest of Yazidis who fought against ISIS.
- Confiscation of weapons used in Shengal’s self-defense.
- Prevent commuting by creating checkpoints between cities, neighborhoods and villages.
- Placing foreign armed forces in the holy places of Yazidis such as Çêlmêra and Şêbilqasim Kiçil Laliî by taking the borders of Shengal under siege.
- Resettlement of Arabs who helped ISIS to kill, kidnap and sell the Yazidis by supporting their gangs.
The Council stated that the development of these 6 articles would mean the 75th Edict, and demanded the Kurdish and world public opinion to act immediately. In the statement of the council, the following call was made:
“Today, the Iraqi government imposes a new decree on Shengal with the methods that the ISIS gangs cannot complete. We want our people in all four parts of Kurdistan and all our political parties to act immediately to prevent this new decree. “
