An Iraqi lawmaker has strongly criticized the federal government for failing to fulfill promises made by the Prime Minister regarding the reconstruction, normalization, and return of refugees to Sinjar. Mahma Khalil, a member of the Iraqi Parliament, highlighted at a recent news conference that these initiatives have stalled due to corruption.

Khalil stated that service projects and the reconstruction of offices in Sinjar are progressing slowly and inefficiently, with projects being manipulated. He alleged that no significant projects have been implemented, drawing a parallel with the situation in Nineveh province.

Furthermore, Khalil accused the Iraqi Interior Ministry of corrupt practices in the recruitment of police officers. According to an agreement to normalize Sinjar, 2,500 policemen were supposed to be recruited from the local population, but this has not happened.

“All the negligence in implementing the Sinjar agreement and normalizing the situation in the city has led to a loss of confidence. As representatives of the people of Sinjar and the Yezidi community, we will turn to international courts because the threat of illegal armed groups in Sinjar continues,” Khalil stated.

He questioned why the Iraqi federal government has not addressed the reasons for the delayed return of Sinjar residents. “We call on international observers to directly supervise and monitor the process of normalizing the situation in Sinjar and the return of refugees,” he explained.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as of April, only 43 percent of the more than 300,000 people displaced from Sinjar had returned. IOM Chief of Mission Giorgi Gigauri stated that returns have been hindered by concerns over safety and security, the need for reconstruction, improved public services, economic opportunities, widespread residential destruction, accountability, redress and compensation, and community reconciliation.

In a related development, the Iraqi federal government has postponed an order to clear out camps in the Kurdish Region that house thousands of people who fled when the Islamic State seized their home areas a decade ago. Earlier this year, Baghdad ordered the camps to be closed by July 30, offering payments of 4 million dinars to those who leave. However, the Kurdistan Regional Government refused to implement the closure order, arguing that the areas from which the displaced people fled—particularly the remote district of Sinjar, the historic homeland of the Yezidi religious minority—are not yet suitable for returns.