Yazidis start to settle in camp built by Turkey’s disaster agency

Sevil ERKUŞ ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

Yazidis fleeing their hometown of Sinjar after it was attacked by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have started to settle in a camp established by Turkey’s disaster agency in the Zakho region of Northern Iraq.

Initially, 45 tents have been set up for 2,250 people in the camp, but the number of tents will increase to 100 very soon, an official from the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) told the Hürriyet Daily News.

Another camp is being set up for the displaced minority group in the Bersive district of Zakho with a capacity of 100 tents. In total, the two camps will host 7,250 Yazidis, soon to increase to 10,000, the official said.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) opened a corridor for the Yazidi people from Sinjar to pass through, but it is estimated that 10,000-15,000 are still trapped on the mountain and can only cross the corridor in small groups, the official added.

So far, around 2,000 Yazidis from Iraq have crossed the Habur border seeking refuge in Turkey. These refugees have been placed in tents and post-earthquake houses near the border.

The Turkish government has decided to shelter Yazidi refugees in a camp near the Mor Gabriel Monastery close to Mardin, which was previously set up for Syrians fleeing to Turkey. The municipality of the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa has also set up a camp for 3,000 Yazidis.

Meanwhile, the official denied media reports claiming that another camp for Iraqi Turkmens, also fleeing the violence in Iraq, does not exist or was canceled, saying construction was ongoing. The camp for Iraqi Turkmens is being set up north of Dohuk in northern Iraq, which will have a 20,000-person capacity, the official added.