MESOP MIDEAST WATCH : KURDISTAN – IRAQ – Kurdish PKK Facilitates Mass Migration of Yezidis to Europe: Official

ERBIL BASNEWS 5-11-22— The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), through a number of groups affiliated with the armed group, continues to facilitate the migration for Yezidi youths, particularly in Sinjar, an official said on Wednesday.

Unconfirmed statistics indicate that approximately 4,000 Yezidi youths have left Sinjar for Europe

within the past few years, Sulaiman Fano, head of the Sinune branch of Lalish Cultural and Social Center, told BasNews, noting that some of them are still in Greece waiting for a chance to move to the European countries.

“This is very dangerous for the future of Yezidis, but people no longer believe that the situation in Sinjar will ever be calm and stable again so that they can return to their hometowns, and that is the reason the youth leave,” he added.

Faisal Qasim, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) representative in Sinjar, spoke to BasNews on the issue and pointed out that PKK-affiliated groups have been pushing for the migration of Yezidi youths from the region, describing it “a dangerous plan” against the presence of the religious minority group in the area.

The groups, some of whom believed to be affiliated with the pro-Iran Hashd al-Shaabi, even help the youth financially to facilitate the migration for them, he noted.

The PKK and Hashd al-Shaabi militias have repeatedly been asked to withdraw from Sinjar to pave the way for a safe return of displaced Yezidis to their areas of origin. However, the “outlawed” groups refuse to leave the town.