Security and economic reasons prevent the return of displaced people to Sinjar

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[size=52]Security and economic reasons prevent the return of displaced people to Sinjar[/size]

[size=45]The return to Sinjar faces several security and economic challenges. From a security perspective, the region still suffers from security threats due to armed activities and extremist groups, which makes the return fraught with danger.[/size]
[size=45]Economically, the destruction caused by conflict and the economic crisis is hampering reconstruction efforts, and there is a lack of infrastructure and basic services, making life unsustainable for returning displaced persons.[/size]
[size=45]“The destruction of infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, water and electricity networks makes it difficult to provide basic services to the returning population,” explains human rights activist Mohammed Jassim.[/size]
[size=45]He added, “Disagreements between local groups and different militias can lead to tensions and instability, making return more difficult.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “The displaced are suffering from difficult humanitarian conditions in the camps or in the areas to which they have fled, and they may not have the resources or stability to return at the present time.”[/size]
[size=45]He explains that “the lack of clear policies or effective support programmes from the government or international organisations for the reconstruction process could lead to a delay in return.”[/size]
[size=45]“The weakness of the local economy in Sinjar after the conflict means few job opportunities and limited resources, which reduces the attractiveness of returning for residents seeking to improve their living conditions,” Jassim continues.[/size]
[size=45]In 2022, a destroyed school in Sinjar was rehabilitated by a Japanese NGO, but instead, Japanese officials complained that it had been taken over by a faction.[/size]
[size=45]It has been seven years since the defeat of ISIS in Iraq, but as of April 2024, only 43% of the more than 300,000 people displaced from Sinjar have returned, according to the International Organization for Migration.[/size]
[size=45]Earlier this year, Baghdad ordered the camps to close by July 30, offering to pay 4 million dinars to occupants who leave.[/size]
[size=45]The United Organization for Human Rights, which operates in Nineveh Governorate, calls on the Iraqi authorities to address the Sinjar problem politically before starting to return the displaced.[/size]
[size=45]The organization’s director, Sami Al-Faisal, says, “The Sinjar file has become sterile, and has had political repercussions, and successive governments have been unable to resolve it, due to the complex scene in the judiciary and international interference in it, in addition to the fact that the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Sinjar came about through an agreement with the Iraqi authorities.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Faisal points out that “the return of displaced Arabs and Yazidis to Sinjar is being hindered by the control of armed factions outside the law over the Sinjar centre,” indicating that “the Sinjar centre is inhabited by an Arab majority whose property has been seized, and they have been prevented from returning to it to this day.”[/size]
[size=45]Earlier, the head of the Popular Mobilization Authority, Faleh al-Fayyadh, explained that “returning the displaced to their homes in Sinjar district requires discussions with the Kurdistan Regional Government,” noting that “Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is keen to preserve the rights of the people of Sinjar and the return of the displaced to their areas of residence,” stressing “the necessity of maintaining security in the region and cooperation in order to improve the security and service situation in Sinjar,” stressing that “the people of Sinjar must put their trust in the federal government because it is keen on their interests.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani's government program, which was voted on by the House of Representatives on October 27, 2023, stipulates in one of its paragraphs the implementation of the Sinjar Agreement between the federal government and the regional government.[/size]
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