About 130 m Iraqi Dinars ($85K) donations has been collected along with households for the 136 Ezidi IDP families turned homeless again due to June 4th fire blaze enflamed 280 tents completely and caused damage to another 90.
Several campaigns were launched to rescue the Ezidis IDP families of Sharia camp in Duhok whom were displaced again due to electrical short circuit.The local authorities have permitted building houses with concrete walls to replace the tents.
The Iraqi ministry of migration and the displaced has paid each family 500,000 IQD ($330) as emergency funds which didn’t include the 90 families whom lost part of their tents and household.
Tens of thousands of Ezidis are still living in tens of camps in Kurdistan region despite ousting the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria ISIS in 2017 due to the vast destruction to their hometowns and poor utilities of water, power and key public services.
Sharia Camp for Ezidi IDPs is home to 2500 families, in Sumel district, 20 km far from the center of Duhok province.
The data published in May by the Joint Crisis Coordination Center JCC of Kurdistan Regional Government KRG shows over 600,000 IDPs and migrants live in tents in Kurdistan region, 30% of them are from the Ezidi ethno-religious minority accused by the extremist militants of being heretics and devil worshippers, living in 26 camps for IDPs and 10 for the refugees.
Duhok, June 5th, 2021- Civil defense teams cleaning the fire site in Sharia camp for Ezidi IDPs. Ammar Aziz.
A group of the young in Shingal, has put boxes for donations all over the district in support of their locals and collected about 5.5M IQD ($3,650).
Shingal, located 120 km west of Mosul, center of Nineveh province, up to 2014 used to be home to about 300,000 adherents Ezidi ethno-religious minority and one of the disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil.
Hakar Mohammed, manager of Sharia Camp, said they set up a box for donations and a warehouse for those who donate appliances and other stuff. “Each donor fills in form about the type of the aid under a committee supervised by Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF).”
There is about 50 M IQD in the box to used to compensate all those got losses not only the 136 families “according to the size of their losses.”
There is about 50 M IQD in the box to use for compensation of all those got losses not only the 136 families per their losses
The office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has sent cooker, air cooler and water tanks for each family. Other people donated refrigerator, air cooler, washing machine, beds, blankets and other stuff.
“Currently we are building houses in place of the burnt tents, so once it is ready, we will distribute the donations,” Mohammed said.
Shingal, June 5th 2021- A lady donating to a box in support of Sharia camp fire victims. KirkukNow.
Mohammed said the BCF has sent a list of 136 families only to Baghdad so the other 90 families have not received Iraqi government emergency fund. “They will receive part of the donations we have collected so far.”
Currently, families lost tents live under temporary tents installed by BCF until the plan for the site where concrete houses are built is done, said Karwan Zeki, media manager of JCC.
We have two demands for the government & the aid organizations; one is to support us to return to our home towns as replacing tents with houses is a temporary solution
“We have two demands for the government & the aid organizations; one is to support us to return to our home towns as replacing tents with houses is a temporary solution," said Murad Haji Hato, one of Sharia IDPs lost his tent in the camp fire.
Early June, two Ezidis living abroad donated 600 house plots for Ezidi IDPs living in camps to build houses once they are willing to return home voluntarily following the fire in Sharia camp last Friday.
"Secondly, we want the donations and aid collected for us to be fairly distributed for the affected families," Haji Hato added.
Iraqi authorities have decided to keep supporting affected families, Askandar Mohammed Amin, manager of Duhok office for Iraqi ministry of migration and displaced.
In August 2014, the extremist militants of IS stormed the district of Shingal, and have committed atrocities mounted to genocide, the United nations said.
Thousands of Ezidi women, girls and kids were enslaved and taken as sex slaves. Up today, about 2800 Ezidi women, girls and kids are still missing.
