Return to Sinjar: The Yazidi Community’s Journey  Home and the Challenges Ahead

PFO Report

Executive Summary:

On January 23, 2024, the Council of Ministers of the Iraqi Government adopted a decision to close all internally displaced persons (hereafter referred to as IDP) camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (hereafter referred to as KRI) by July 31, 2024. According to the Government of Iraq (hereafter referred to as GoI), this decision is intended to encourage the safe and voluntary return of IDPs to their places of origin, as part of a broader policy to end displacement in Iraq, including the KRI.

It is important to note that the vast majority of IDPs in the KRI are Yazidis, meaning they will be most affected by this decision. Iraq’s National Plan for Returning the IDPs to Their Liberated Areas (hereafter referred to as INP), which highlights this policy, explicitly calls for the safe and voluntary return of all IDPs and suggests alternative resettlement options for those who do not wish to return to their places of origin.

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