Cycle of displacement: Sinjar residents return to camps amid fears of conflict

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the Directorate of Migration, Displacement, and Crisis Response in Duhok, expressed growing concernover the increasing reverse displacement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Sinjar to the province's camps, due to ongoing clashes between the Iraqi army and militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the region.

Dian Jaafar, the director of the directorate, told Shafaq News that these periodic clashes are forcing Yazidi families to flee once again for their safety.

"Last week, 16 Yazidi families returned to the Duhok camps, and today another four families have returned," Jaafar said.

He added that 2023 saw armed confrontations between the Iraqi army and the fighters loyal to the PKK, resulting in the displacement of 10,740 families from Sinjar to Duhok.

Jaafar emphasized that the continuation of these clashes not only harms the residents of Sinjar but also disrupts the resettlement process, impacts security stability, and hinders efforts to rebuild and provide essential services to the region's population.

Meanwhile, a local source told Shafaq News that the Sinjar Protection Units (YBS) have given the Iraqi army and police 24 hours to release five of their fighters who were detained by the police, threatening military action if their demand is not met.

This threat followed a gunfight that broke out in central Sinjar last night between YBS fighters and Iraqi forces, leaving five federal police officers and three YBS fighters wounded before the situation was brought under control.