The following article was originally published in Rudaw on August 3rd, 2016.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Events are taking place across the Kurdistan Region and globally to mark the second anniversary of the Sinjar massacre and the start of the Islamic State genocide against the Yezidi population.
At Sharafadeen Shrine, northeast of Mount Sinjar, people have gathered at the site considered a symbol of the Yezidi resistance, said Qasim Shasho, a commander in the Peshmerga forces in Shingal.
Shasho told Rudaw that the Islamic State (ISIS) attempted 17 times to reach Sharafadeen shrine but they were defeated each time.
On the heights of Bawela village in Halabja, many people including refugees from Rojava and displaced Iraqis are planning to climb a hill to commemorate the liberation of Shingal from ISIS.
One of the event organizers told Rudaw that the people of Halabja want to support and share the pain of the Yezidis. Halabja itself was victim of genocide carried out by Saddam Hussein.
Representatives from Halabja have demanded the United Nations (UN) and world countries recognize the Shingal case as genocide.
In Sulaimani, several organizations have planned to carry out activities in Bareka camp where many Yezidi families have sought refuge, reported Newzad Mohammed, Rudaw’s correspondent in Sulaimani.
In Shingal, a diverse program is planned, including music and theatrical performances to re-enact the events of two years ago. They will be broadcast live on TV and radio.
The Mayor of Shingal, Mahma Khalil, spoke to a large audience at Sharafadeen Shrine Wednesday morning. He thanked the Kurdish forces for their efforts to confront ISIS and extended his gratitude to all those offering to assist Shingal.
Memorial events are also being held internationally.
According to Rudaw reporter Kurdistan Hassan in London, Yazda, a Yezidi advocacy organization, is coordinating with several other groups to hold a commemoration at 6pm in Trafalgar Square where they will be asking the UN to help Yezidi girls and women who are still in ISIS captivity.
In Washington DC, a candlelight vigil organized by the Free Yezidi Foundation will be held in front of the White House at 8pm.
In Berlin, a march organized by Yazda will be held from Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Gate.
ISIS militants captured thousands of innocent Yezidi civilians in August 2014 and executed hundreds within hours. Numerous mass graves have been found in the areas retaken from ISIS.
On August 3, ISIS militants attacked the predominantly Yezidi town of Sinjar, also known as Shingal, triggering a grim humanitarian crisis as thousands of locals fled to the safety of the nearby Mount Sinjar where they were trapped for weeks.
On November 12, 2015 vowing that “no other flag will rise in [Shingal],” Kurdistan region President Masoud Barzani declared the town liberated from ISIS, and congratulated Yezidi Kurds on the victory.
Access the article originally published in Rudaw here.
