Yazidi Resistance: Preserving identity against genocide - Sîpan Selo

Although Şengal may not constitute a vast geographical area, it holds profound historical significance as a symbol of enduring resistance and self-organization—principles that the Yazidi community has upheld for generations in the face of repeated genocidal campaigns, known as firmans, aimed at erasing their existence and identity. The most recent of these atrocities occurred in 2014, marking one of the darkest chapters in the community’s modern history.

More than a decade has passed since the last firman, recorded on August 3, 2014, which Yazidis remember as a massacre that added to a series of 74 similar campaigns throughout their history. Despite this legacy of suffering, the Yazidis have demonstrated unwavering resilience in preserving their presence and culture. Today, Şengal stands at a critical juncture, facing renewed attempts by the same forces responsible for the 2014 genocide—efforts aimed at undermining the community’s evolving models of resistance and the Autonomous Administration.

The Yazidis, among the most ancient peoples of Mesopotamia, have long endured systemic attempts by colonial and oppressive powers to annihilate their cultural and religious identity. The Yazidi heritage—deeply rooted and spanning thousands of years—cannot be understood without acknowledging the foundational role of resistance in its survival. Through steadfast defiance, the Yazidi people have managed to protect their identity and traditions, despite experiencing massacres, forced displacement, and abductions.

On March 18, 2025, the imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan addressed a message to the Yazidi community, stating:

"The history of our Yazidi people is replete with massacres, forced migration, and repression. This community, among the oldest in Mesopotamia, has endured immense hardship in its struggle to safeguard its beliefs, identity, and existence. The tragedies they have suffered are etched not only in the collective memory of our people but also in the shared conscience of all humanity."

In his message, the leader emphasized that the survival of the Yazidis has been made possible through resistance. He further asserted that any political approach that fails to recognize or disregards the right of the Yazidi community to freedom is inherently illegitimate. 

Discussions around resistance and the Autonomous Administration in Şengal come at a particularly sensitive moment. On March 18, 2025, Iraqi military forces launched an attack on a vehicle belonging to the Şengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) in the district center of Şengal, capturing five fighters who remain in detention, despite persistent appeals by the Şengal Autonomous Administration, the families of the detainees, and the local population.

This incident is not isolated. Since Şengal’s liberation from ISIS militants in 2015, the region has witnessed multiple assaults by the Iraqi military targeting the YBŞ and the Ezidxan Asayish (Yazidi security forces). On August 4, 2014, in response to the genocide, Yazidi youth—both men and women—established the Şengal Resistance Units to defend their homeland. Fighters from the People's Defense Forces (HPG), the Free Women’s Units – Star (YJA-Star), the People’s Protection Units (YPG), and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) also joined the battle against ISIS across the region—from Khanasor and Sinuni to Silo, Siba Sheikh Khidir, and Tal Benat.

In the wake of the 2014 genocide, Yazidis recognized that resistance was the only viable path to safeguarding their community. The decision to form these units stemmed from a profound sense of responsibility. In February 2015, young Yazidi women founded the Şengal Women’s Units (YJŞ), reflecting an evolving awareness that defending Şengal was not only a duty but an existential necessity.

The most recent attack by the Iraqi military on the Şengal Resistance Units represents a direct assault on the Yazidi community—a community that stood at the forefront of the fight against terrorism in Iraq. This act must not be seen as a mere isolated incident involving the capture of a few fighters, but rather as an attack on a legacy of resistance that defines Yazidi history. Accordingly, the Iraqi government must issue a formal apology to the Yazidi people, who continue to exhume mass graves in search of those lost to the atrocities committed by ISIS.

The Yazidis have maintained their cultural and religious identity through extraordinary resilience and steadfast resistance. This historical reality must be acknowledged by the Iraqi government. As efforts continue to rebuild and return to a semblance of normalcy, the enduring Yazidi culture stands as a testament to a people who have survived unimaginable violence and oppression.

a.k

ANHA