Residents of Shingal (Sinjar) district are urging security forces and the local government in Nineveh province to address the tension and anxiety they are facing following clashes last month between the Iraqi army and the Shingal Resistance Units (YBSh), which left five people lightly injured and five others arrested. Following the clashes, army forces entered the district center with heavy weapons.
The situation in Shingal has been unstable for a month. Shingal district is a disputed territory under the Iraqi constitution, with the majority of its population being Ezidi (Yazidi). Shingal has been without a mayor for two years, and armed groups there are in an ongoing struggle for security control.
Khidir Elias, a resident of Shingal district center, stated, "We returned to Shingal to start a new life, but the security situation in Shingal has not stabilized... Recent events have raised concerns and fear among those returning from displacement. No one is prepared to restore security and stability to Shingal."
Elias was displaced from Shingal to the camps for the Internally Displaced Persons IDP in the adjacent Iraqi Kurdistan Region IKR after that the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ISIS took over the district in August 2014. He returned ten years later and emphasized, "Security comes before services, but Shingal is still not safe."
On March 18, clashes erupted between the pro-PKK (YBS) and the army in central Shingal, resulting in the injury of five members of the Iraqi army and intelligence services. This led to the deployment of army forces and heavy weapons to the district center.
Less than a week later, the army withdrew its heavy weapons in exchange for Yabsha supporters removing the protest tents they had set up in front of the Iraqi intelligence headquarters.
Jalal Khalaf, administrative director of the Shingal district, stated, "Intense efforts were made to resolve the disputes between the Yabsha and the security forces, but these did not yield satisfactory results."
"One of the five people arrested was found in possession of a hand grenade. They had kidnapped a person, and that's where the problem started," he added. "These five opened fire on the security forces. As a result, five people were injured, including the Shingal intelligence director and the deputy police director. They refuse to pardon the five detainees who were transferred to Baghdad, and their families are demanding their release."
The (YBŞ) were formed in 2015 and operate under the control of the Shingal Democratic Autonomous Administrative Council, which is described as close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is fighting Turkey and holding territories in Iraq. Formed by locals to manage the war-torn region, neither the Iraqi federal nor the Kurdistan Regional Governments KRG recognized it.
However, under the Sinjar Agreement in October 2019 between the Iraqi government and the (KRG) to govern Shingal, all armed forces, including the Yabsha, must withdraw from the district center, and security responsibility must be handed over to the local police.
Ghazal Rasho, a member of the (YBS), told KirkukNow, "We do not want to fight with the Iraqi army. We want to resolve problems peacefully because fighting harms others, which goes against our principles."
"We will never abandon our five members. What happened was a conspiracy planned by a certain party that wanted to stir up trouble between us and create accusations against the Yabsha. We continue to demand their peaceful release and civil activities."
He noted that the Yabsha members are no longer in Shingal but are present on the outskirts of the district.
Shingal is not safe for Khidir Elias and other returning (IDPs). Khidir remarked, "The government is not exerting enough effort to solve Shingal's problems, nor are our brothers in Yabsha. Between this and that, the people are becoming the victims... The problems must be resolved radically."
Khalaf, the official in the Shingal district, stated, "Calm has prevailed in Shingal for a few days. Citizens have returned to their daily work, and the police are taking over security."
Mohammed Jassim, head of the security committee in the Nineveh Provincial Council, who visited Shingal to investigate the recent events, said, "There are serious efforts to put an end to this type of problem. We have sent messages to all parties not to use Shingal as a means to achieve their personal interests."
The tensions arise as a new mayor has yet to assume his duties in Shingal. Although the Nineveh Provincial Council elected the heads of all administrative units, including the Shingal mayor, in July 2024, the decision to assume his duties requires the governor's approval.
On Wednesday, April 9, the Nineveh governor issued orders to six mayors and district directors in Nineveh province, but the Shingal mayor was not among them.
The acting mayor of Shingal resigned from his position on April 20, 2023.
The position of mayor of Shingal was previously in the hands of the Kurdish parties, which in the current session of the Nineveh Provincial Council hold six seats, out of 29 seats, (four for the Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP and two for the Patriotic Union of KurdistanPUK, decades rivals whom form the Erbil-based Kurdistan Regional Government KRG), the other seats - except for the three quota seat allocated to each of the Ezidis, Shabak, and Christians - distributed among the Sunni and Shiite Arab blocs.
There have been two administrations in Shingal for seven years, one operating from Dohuk Northern Province and the other within the district. In addition to these two administrations, the Democratic Autonomous-Administration Council in Shingal, formed by parties close to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party PKK, has power in the district as a project to administer Shingal following the ousting of the ISIS.
Zaidan Sheikh Kalo, a member of the Nineveh Provincial Council representing the Yazidi community, told KirkukNow, "I asked the governor of Nineveh if there were any problems preventing the issuance of the order to assume the Shingal mayor, but he said there were no problems, only some administrative procedures remaining."
In the July 2024 session, which voted to determine the positions of heads of administrative units, 13 of the 29 members boycotted the session, describing it as illegal. However, the boycotting front lost the lawsuit it filed in court. This was one of the reasons why the Shingal mayor did not assume his duties.
However, all cases have now been legally resolved, so the Shingal mayor's failure to assume his duties is now a matter of question.
Mohammed Jassim, a member of the Nineveh Provincial Council from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan bloc, said, "The establishment of appropriate governance and the mayor's assumption of his duties will be followed by the provision of services and the strengthening of security."
"It is important to involve the people of Shingal in the management of the district and security forces, including the army, and to provide them with job opportunities. This will lead the region toward stability."
