Erbil:The Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has issued a warning to the federal government in Baghdad against reaching unilateral agreements concerning Sinjar. These actions are perceived as contradictory to the 2020 agreement aimed at normalizing the district’s situation, which was signed with United Nations support.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Ministry expressed concerns over what it described as the imposition of an undesirable security and administrative reality outside legitimate institutions. The Ministry stated that such actions would complicate matters further and undermine both the normalization process and the return of displaced persons.
The Ministry’s statement highlighted the sacrifices made by Peshmerga forces in liberating the area, noting that the liberation of Sinjar and Mount Sinjar came at the cost of 500 martyrs and 3,000 wounded. The Ministry emphasized that these sacrifices must be respected, and that the only sustainable solution is the full implementation of the Sinjar Agreement. This would establish a legitimate administration by regional representatives, facilitate reconstruction, and ensure a dignified return for displaced Yazidis.
As an alternative, should the agreement fail to be implemented, the Ministry suggested consulting the views and will of the Sinjar people, particularly the Yazidis, allowing them to decide on the best course of action. The Ministry stressed that regional stability and safety are paramount.
The integration process involves incorporating between 4,200 and 4,300 members of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS) into Iraqi security forces and integrating 1,200 civilians into government institutions. YBS members will be distributed among the Iraqi Army, local police, and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
The 2020 agreement between the federal government and the KRG includes three main components administrative, security, and reconstruction. The administrative component involves appointing a new district administrator for Sinjar and reviewing other positions via a joint committee. The security component assigns exclusive security responsibilities to the local police and national services, removes other armed factions, recruits 2,500 personnel into internal security, and excludes the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and affiliates from the region. The reconstruction component mandates oversight by a joint committee of federal and KRG representatives in coordination with the local administration in Nineveh. The committee’s duties will be defined by the federal and KRG Prime Ministers, while a joint field committee will monitor the agreement’s implementation.