Community Dialogue in Northern Sinjar - Iraq

In 2014, ISIS perpetrated its most heinous crimes in Sinjar District of Ninewa Province, including genocide against the Yazidis (or Ezidis) and taking thousands of women as sex-slaves. By design, ISIS implicated members of different tribes and communities against each other, resulting in entire tribes and communities being accused of the crimes committed by some. Ten years on, much of Sinjar was still destroyed and the wounds of its people, particularly the Yazidis, remained fresh as thousands of women, girls and men that ISIS kidnapped remained missing; hundreds of thousands of Yazidis remained displaced; and the families of the victims and the entire Yazidi community awaited justice.

In this video Sarhang Hamasaeed explains how the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) facilitated dialogues in northern Sinjar to prevent communal violence and bridge relations both between local communities and between communities and the government. The dialogues eventually led to a breakthrough, and in March 2024, Yazidis and Arab leaders in the area signed an agreement that rejected violence, embraced the rule of law for settling disputes, and called for the Iraqi government to pursue justice and rebuild the district. The dialogues were an integral part of USIP’s ongoing work in Iraq. The Institute had also conducted extensive research on local attitudes toward peace, conflict and governance and hosted the “Nobody’s Listening," an immersive exhibit commemorating the Yazidi genocide, at its Washington, D.C., headquarters.

The video was originally posted by USIP on its website and YouTube channel on April 11, 2024.