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Last field visit in #Iraq was to Sinjar. Definitely one of the most difficult places to visit bc of the carnage+pain. Sinjar is a ghost town+people that r there r mentally elsewhere. Despite all political hype around protection of minorities Yazidis r neglected w/v few resourcespic.twitter.com/ZxdNrDC4Ue
25-30% of Sinjar's pop. returned. Returnees r not in their homes (bc contaminated/destroyed) +r squatting in empty homes of Sunni Arabs that r imprisoned/in camps, Yazidis would never allow Arabs to return bc they lost trust --> potential massive land dispute problem in futurepic.twitter.com/Fn8RKLrwcx
Yazidi don't feel safe in Sinjar but many returned bc tired of living in camps. Some aligned w/political groups to get aid. Many not returning bc: -don't feel safe - many political groups+use suffering for political gain, afraid IS re-emerges -no basic services available -no jobspic.twitter.com/rgQi47mY8T
I saw no reconstruction efforts except 1 road redone here. Sinjar historically disputed territory so every process takes much longer to get cleared by multiple authorities. Civilians continue to suffer bc corrupt/selfish policies. Yazidi man told me: "there's no hope in Sinjar"pic.twitter.com/gkSNRcSqU0
I visited NRC com ctr+attended civil docs awareness session. Many lost IDs bc of IS+in Sinjar there r no gov't inst/civil registries. Ppl must go to Mosul. For many, transport costs too high+don't feel safe to go. Some scared of state inst coming back bc many employees joined ISpic.twitter.com/eZUjbKVMSP
I met Shaheen, returned 2 yrs ago to Sinjar. Needs help w/mother's civil ID, she's too old to go to Mosul. His only option: pay guy 230k IQD to do it when actual gov't fee is 30k. When I mentioned the US he said "tell them to come see how we live. We r suffering from everything"pic.twitter.com/Hv2j1Da2xQ
Ziad, NRC's lawyer told me how ppl feel abt Sunni Arabs from their areas "we lived together, bought from each others stores+suddenly they turn against us, join IS+slaughter us. Theres no way we go back to living w/them It's impossible." Made me wonder what Iraq's future will be??pic.twitter.com/fqAxCRBFWN
Sinjar was a heavy trip. I still struggle to think of life under IS. Mosul+Sinjar make it v real but its difficult seeing how much evil is in some humans. The one image I can't shake is the sight of Mt. Sinjar+thought of hundreds of Yazidis fleeing for their lives, stuck up therepic.twitter.com/MEeFT4uQsc
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