On June 4, 2021, a massive fire broke out in the Sharya refugee camp in Iraq’s Duhok region. The camp was established in 2014 to house thousands of Yazidi refugees who escaped ISIS’ genocidal conquest of Sinjar, a predominantly Yazidi district in northern Iraq. The fire destroyed 400 tents and forced over 200 families to relocate. Six people were injured in the fire, and Ali Tatar, the governor of Duhok, reported that the fire caused subsequent explosions of flammable materials, such as gas canisters. These explosions worsened the fire and inflicted severe burns on some of the camp’s inhabitants. The fire brought back past traumas for many camp residents, who were reminded of the destruction that ISIS wrought on Sinjar.
Yazidi refugees, like the residents of the Sharya camp, live in poverty. As survivors of ISIS’ genocide, they have lost their loved ones, homes, and financial stability. More money and aid are needed for them to survive in refugee camps and obtain better standards of living. Fires like the one at Sharya claim the lives and livelihoods of Yazidis, and so more material and financial support is needed to prevent such fires and increase the living conditions of Yazidi refugees. This is why Yahad-In Unum’s work is so important. By raising awareness about the Yazidi genocide and its aftermath, as well as by helping refugees reestablish themselves socially and financially, YIU denies the success of ISIS’ genocidal project. Its work ensures that the Yazidis will be able to rebuild their communities and thrive for generations to come.
A Yazidi man looks at a burned structure in the Sharya camp (The Middle East Eye).
