NEWS CENTER -  Zehra Silêman Xelef, one of the Êzidî Women's Committee, who is conducting diplomacy work against the Shengal agreement, stated that they do not recognize neither the alliance nor the agreement and said: "We do not want those who left us face to face with death, we don't want those who betrayed and ran away."

 

The most important reaction to the Shengal agreement made between the Iraqi Central Government and the Federated Kurdistan Government on October 9 came from women. Women, who initiated diplomacy talks with the two delegations they formed, visited Sulaimaniyah and Baghdad. Meeting with representatives of many non-governmental organizations, institutions and political parties within the scope of the meetings, women demanded a stance against the agreement. Zehra Silêman Xelef, the Director of the Foundation for Solidarity with Êzidî Women, who took part in the delegation, evaluated the purpose of the agreement, the attitude of the Êzidî people and the talks they held to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA).

 

'IT WAS THE GREATEST BETRAYEL'

 

Stating that the Êzidî community faced great difficulties in 2014 and overcome it by struggle, Xelef said, “From 2014 to 2020, the Êzidî community continued its struggle resolutely. With this struggle, the Êzidî community showed the whole world that it was independent. They showed that they could manage themselves with this resistance. Existing forces such as the KDP, which came to protect us in 2014, betrayed the Êzidî community by turning their backs on it. These  people have been left to their fate and left vulnerable to ISIS. Of course, this was the biggest betrayal done to Êzidîs. The Iraqi Government's forces were also here at that time, but the Iraqi government, like others, did nothing for the Êzidî community. We were faced to face with massacre. Their aim was to annihilate the Êzidî community on earth, but they did not succeed. Now they want to complete what was left unfinished in 2014 with this new agreement."

 

'WE DIDN'T ABANDON OUR LANDS'

 

Stating that the Êzidî community suffered a lot of losses and paid a heavy price, Xelef said: "Thousands of women and children were brutally murdered. Thousands of children disappeared, thousands of our elderly people were killed, but the Êzidî community did not bow to the enemy and responded to the attacks. In response to this injustice, the Êzidî community took revenge of the children, women and youth who were murdered, raped, forced into disappearence, left to stravation, by organizing their own military forces. This was actually a message to the whole world. It was the message that the more your persecution increases, the greater will be our resistance. And there is no one left who did not see or hear our resistance. Despite everything, we have not left our lands. Êzidî community went down in history with their organized struggle against the 6 years of persecution."

 

'A NEW EXISTENCE'

 

Expressing that the whole world has seen the will of the Êzidî community, Xelef said: "The Êzidî community trained itself in the field of military and ideology by organizing itself. From the military forces to the organization of the women, it has walked to a path into a new  existence. It has realized itself everywhere. It has fought and is still struggling against every danger against its existence. In such a difficult process, women were well organized. Because the women were the ones who suffered the most. Most of us were sold in markets and brutally murdered. By transforming this into an organization, we repelled this mentality from these lands. Therefore, we, the women have reinvented ourselves within military, organizational and institutional structures. We expanded the women's organization and women's organization is expanding and growing here every day."

 

'THE AGREEMENT WILL CAUSE NEW MASSACRES'

 

Emphasizing that they interpreted the agreement and alliance made between the Federated Kurdistan Administration and the Iraqi Central Government as a 'continuation of the edict' (edict: massacre), Xelef said: "This alliance is not acceptable in any way. The agreement is especially denied by families who paid a heavy price. Because, with this alliance, neither the Iraqi Government nor the Kurdistan Regional Government recognized the will, organization and autonomy of the Êzidis. With this, they want to pave the way for a new massacre once again. The perspective and will of the Êzidî people is once again ignored. Yes, as the Êzidî community, we were not against this decision. We accepted some parts of this decision. This part was to help the Êzidîs, who had to leave their lands and migrate to Europe in during the massacre, to return to their homeland. We looked positively at this dimension of the decision, but we never wanted and accepted a force that left us face to face with death and betrayed us to settle in our lands."

 

Stating that the Êzidî community does not agree to this decision and they were against this alliance in the first place, Xelef said: "The existing forces in Shengal provide enough protection and security. YBŞ and YJŞ and Hashdi-Shabi forces ensure our security. Ezidxan Asayish Forces and the Iraqi Government have their own forces here. Shengal doesn't need their safety and protection. Shengal needs recognition of its will, recognition of its autonomy and protection of its existing gains." 

 

"WE DO NOT RECOGNIZE THE AGREEMENT OR THE DECISION"

 

Referring to the talks they held, Xelef said the following regarding the content of the meeting: "As the Êzidî women, we had a meeting with Iraqi officials and members of parliament for the recognition of Shengal's fate, Shengal's will and the women's will. In these meetings, we said that we do not accept the decisions taken and we reject the alliance. We said that the parties of agreement were guilty because this agreement was made without consulting us. They said that "they do not accept the alliance established on the Êzidî community and they do not ignore the suffering of the Êzidîs". We had a meeting in this context. They welcomed us positively and supported our attitude. We have insisted that we do not and will not accept this agreement."

 

'OUR ATTITUDE IS CLEAR'

 

Stating that there is a general mobility and dynamism in Shengal, Xelef said: "Nobody in Shengal accepts this alliance and agreement and their attitude towards it, is clear. Shengalis do not want those who abandoned the people to their fate in these lands. Shortly after the massacre, Xanesor was attacked by the Peshmerge. The families who paid a price for this cause do not want the presence of the peshmerga here. They see it as a threat. It is said that if the Peshmergas are settled here, the blood will be shed again and the massacre will be repeated. We, the Êzidî women, do not accept this either, and our attitude towards it,  is also clear, and the whole world knows this very well."

 

 

MA /  Zeynep Durgut