Armenia to provide aid to displaced Yazidis, Kurds, Assyrians

An Armenian MP stated that the Armenian government will provide aid to Yazidi refugees as well as Kurds and Assyrians who are internally displaced and living in camps in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

Rustam Bakoyan, member of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs in the National Assembly of Armenia, said Thursday on Facebook:

"The government decided to grant $80,000 to the Armenian Consulate General in Erbil for the purchase of required supplies and the distribution of $100 per person in aid."

$30,000 will be used to buy heaters and blankets for Yazidis and other minority refugees residing in various camps.

"We are all aware of the tough conditions under which national minorities live and thrive throughout Kurdistan region," Bakoyan added. "The need for humanitarian assistance is always there as long as a lot of problems remain unsolved."

2014 Yazidi Genocide

Thousands of civilians were killed and thousands of women and children were enslaved by the Islamic State (ISIS) in August 2014. ISIS attack also resulted in the complete displacement of the Yazidi people living in the towns and villages south of Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq.

Half a million people fled, left defenseless against the attackers as the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraqi troops withdrew. Tens of thousands of Yazidis took refuge in Mount Sinjar.

It is now estimated that almost 350,000 Yazidis are currently living in refugee camps in KRI and other areas.

In March 2016, US Secretary of State John Kerry stated that the US has determined that "ISIS' action against the Yazidis and other minority groups in Iraq and Syria constitutes genocide."

In May 2021, the United Nations investigation team similarly concluded that ISIS crimes against Yazidis constitute genocide.

A report by the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism observed in August 2021 that Turkish airstrikes in Yazidi homeland Sinjar (Shengal) hinder the displaced Yazidis' return, and "contribute to instability and prolong the underdevelopment of Sinjar."