Iraq in Recovery: Plight remains serious for displaced Yazidis in Sinjar

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Tens of thousands of ethnic Yazidis were forced to flee to Mount Sinjar in northwestern Iraq after the violence brought by ISIL's occupation in 2014. Many died of starvation and dehydration. As CGTN reporter Meng Qingsheng finds out, more than three years later, their conditions remain bleak. We look at this group's current plight, and what they're asking for.

We are now on our way to Sinjar mountains, where the Yazidis are living. We can see from the car window that many villages along the way have been destroyed and abandoned. It isn't difficult to imagine just what happened there.

A memorial place marking those killed and writings on the wall, a reminder of the brutal massacre in Sinjar. Two thousand Yazidi families are living at this tent camp. Krait Suliman and his neighbors are spending their third winter here.

KRAIT SULIMAN DISPLACED YAZIDI "We need help from the government. Most of the tents here are torn apart. When it rains, the water comes in and runs all over on the ground. And we have no electricity as the generators broke down and need to be fixed. Who is going to help us? Only god will help us.”

Suliman says his tent has holes, and cannot keep the warmth inside. But what worries his daughter-in-law most is her child's worsening health.

BASIMA DISPLACED YAZIDI "My daughter is very sick and requires special treatment. She is paralyzed and can only sit and lie on one side. I have to travel a long distance to take her to the nearest hospital in Dohuk. For each time, I don't have the money to pay for the transportation. Doctors told me she is already late for a treatment."

Females in the family are preparing food for a religious occasion. Despite lacking basic services, they are among the lucky ones.

On August 3rd, 2014, ISIL militant fighters launched an attack on the Yazidis. A survey by PLOS Medicine journal shows about 3,100 were killed, with more than half shot, beheaded or burned alive, and about 6,800 kidnapped to become sex slaves or fighters.

In June 2016, the UN formally recognised the killing as genocide.

MENG QINGSHENG MOUNT SINJAR "Ever since the massacre in August, 2014, the Yazidis have been living on this Sinjar Mountain and living inside the temporary tents like that. Life has been hard for them, but they are still hoping for a change."

Ibrahin is the coordinator of the displaced Yazidis community at Mount Sinjar. He says, for centuries, they have been willfully mistreated for their religion, and it's unfair for peace-loving believers to go through over 70 genocidal massacres.

IBRAHIN, COORDINATOR YAZIDI CAMP AT MOUNT SINJAR "We do not feel safe at all, as we have big problems with the government. We don't have a name or identity in the constitution. We can't get our papers unless we change the Yazidi identity. Many of our neighbors and forces are those who fought us. We need international protection, and we want a place run by Yazidis within the federal government of Iraq."

In local legend, Sinjar Mountain is the final resting place of Noah's ark, a vessel used to escape from a world-engulfing flood. But for those displaced Yazidis, it hasn't been a safe haven, as they have serious plight to overcome. Meng Qingsheng, CGTN, Mount Sinjar, Iraq.