Sema
The Office for the Rescue of Kidnapped Ezidis, in its latest statistics, revealed that more than 2,500 Ezidis remain missing, 11 years after the “genocide.” Tens of thousands continue to live in displacement camps.
According to the statistics issued by the office, which operates under the presidency of the Kurdistan Region and President Nechirvan Barzani, “the majority of Ezidis still live in exile and have not been able to return to their former homes.”
The figures show that 325,197 Ezidis are currently living in camps or scattered areas within the Kurdistan Region, including 135,860 internally displaced persons who currently reside in camps.
The statistics of the Office for the Rescue of Kidnapped Ezidis are official and recognized by the United Nations.
Since the fall of ISIS control, 93 mass graves belonging to Ezidi victims have been discovered, in addition to dozens of individual graves.
According to the data, 6,417 Ezidis were kidnapped during ISIS’s attack on Sinjar and surrounding areas on August 3, 2014, including 3,548 men and 2,869 women.
“So far, 3,590 individuals have been rescued, including 1,211 women and 339 men, in addition to 1,076 underage girls and 964 underage boys,” the office reported.
The remains of 274 martyrs have also been identified among the kidnapped victims, including 237 men and 37 women.
The statistics also show that 2,553 Ezidis remain missing, including 1,329 men and 1,224 women.
Following their liberation, 1,090 rescued individuals were sent to Germany for psychological treatment, as part of a program based on an agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Germany in 2015. Others have traveled to Canada, the United States, and Australia with support from humanitarian organizations.
According to the office, “those who went abroad for psychological treatment are free to choose whether to return to Kurdistan or remain in their host countries.”
During the ISIS attack on Sinjar, a total of 11,417 Ezidis were either kidnapped or subjected to genocide.