USCIRF Vice-Chair Nadine Maenza: Yezidis unlikely to accept PMF or ISF as security guarantors

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Vice-Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Nadine Maenza stated via Twitter that it is unlikely that the local Yezidi Şengal resistance Units (Yekîneyên Berxwedana Şengalê, YBŞ) will leave the protection of the Yezidi community in the hands of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) or Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) who abandoned them to annihilation at the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS).

“There needs to be time to transition Yazidis into security forces,” stated Maenza.

I suspect that #Yazidi YBS are not going to leave #Sinjar to the "protection" of PMF/ISF. These genocide survivors watched those protecting them flee before, yet now are expected to trust non-Yazidis for security? There needs to be time to transition Yazidis into security forces. https://t.co/FVRlp6SKt9

— Nadine Maenza (@nadinemaenza) March 26, 2021

Amidst threats by Turkey to invade the region and the desire of various factions in Iraq to control Şengal, Iraqi forces demanded the removal of the Security Forces of Ezidkhan (Ezidxane Asayish) from Şengal in line with the agreement between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on 9 October 2020.

Yezidi institutions in Europe held protests on 27 and 29 March in front of Iraqi Embassies in solidarity with the people of Şengal.