Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday met the Governor of Duhok and administrative officials from the province to follow-up the situation of displaced people arriving from Sinjar, the Ninevah plains, and other areas.

The Governor of Duhok presented a summary of the situation of the internally displaced people (IDPs), most of whom are Yezidis, Christians, and members of other ethnic and religious minority communities from Sinjar and the Ninevah plains. The Governor noted that authorities and citizens in Duhok have done everything possible to assist the IDPs, but because of the vast number of displaced people, much more humanitarian aid is needed.

The Minister of Finance and Economy said that thus far only the KRG had shouldered the expenditures for assisting the displaced families, along with aid provided by the people of Kurdistan. He said that no other party had yet provided financial support. The Minister suggested that the situation would be dealt with as an exceptional circumstance in terms of regular financial guidelines, adding that the $15 million allocated by the Prime Minister had already reached the Duhok governorate.

Prime Minister Barzani emphasised that the KRG will continue to mobilise all efforts to support IDPs. He decided to allocate another $10 million in aid, in addition to the previous $15 million, to support the displaced people.

The Prime Minister pointed to the importance of meeting basic needs in the initial phases, to be followed by the provision of necessary services in camps to be built in some areas of the city. He conveyed his government’s gratitude for all the support and aid provided to the victims by the people of the Kurdistan Region and Kurds everywhere. He said that these loyal, patriotic, and humanitarian gestures are worthy of commendation.

The Minister of Planning presented a summary of the KRG’s coordinated efforts with international organisations assisting the government in providing aid to the IDPs. He said that the scale of the crisis has prompted many international humanitarian organisations to come to Kurdistan to help the displaced.

Prime Minister Barzani discussed the latest developments and highlighted the fact that the KRG has substantial international support. He stressed that the Peshmerga forces will defeat the terrorists and prevail with the arrival of required weapons and ammunition. However, the legacy of the barbaric acts committed by the terrorists will remain in the hearts of the victims of these areas and of the people of Kurdistan. Time, sensitivity, patience, and treatment are required in order to recover.

Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani today received Cardinal Fernando Filoni, special envoy of Pope Francis, and his accompanying delegation.

The envoy conveyed the Pope’s greetings and gratitude to Prime Minister Barzani for the help and support provided by the government and the people of the Kurdistan Region to displaced Christians. Most of the Christians came from the Ninevah plains and Mosul. The delegation also applauded the KRG effort to protect all other internally displaced people fleeing terrorists.

Prime Minister Barzani reiterated that it is the duty of the KRG to protect and support displaced Christians, Yezidis, and other religious and ethnic groups seeking refuge in the Kurdistan Region. He said he would mobilise all resources to support them; however, given the number of refugees and displaced people, the KRG cannot provide adequate assistance. It is therefore necessary for the Iraqi government and the international community to promptly provide humanitarian assistance.

The Prime Minister added that Christians, Yezidis, and other minority groups are natives of the area, with historic roots in the region. They need physical protection from the terrorists, not only verbal support, because the terrorists target churches, mosques, and shrines. Prime Minister Barzani noted that the terrorists now constitute an army and include individuals from all over the world, so the international community, in coordination with the KRG and the Government of Iraq, must confront them together.

In the meeting both sides agreed upon the importance of international protection for all ethnic and religious communities native to the Ninevah plains, including Christians, Yezidis, Shia, Sunnis, Turkmen, Shabak, Kurds, and Arabs. Both parties agreed to exert pressure at the global level to assure international protection from the terrorists.

The Cardinal requested the KRG to identify solutions for housing and accommodation for the displaced, as well as an arrangement for students so that they would not lose an academic year. The Prime Minister promised to follow-up on this request and coordinate with relevant KRG authorities to implement appropriate measures.

During the meeting it was decided to establish a committee in Erbil between KRG authorities and relevant Christian community leaders to respond to the immediate needs of displaced people, with similar committees to be formed in other provinces.

The delegation stated that Christians will never forget the support provided by the government and the people of Kurdistan, and that history will record these actions. Prime Minister Barzani urged the delegation to mobilise the Vatican’s international influence to support the Kurdistan Region and the displaced families it is hosting.

Erbil, Kurdistan (KRG.org) – KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani has issued a statement regarding the mass exodus of Christian families from the city of Mosul.

He has called upon the people of Kurdistan to help these families, as well as urging the international community to provide emergency aid and relief to the people who were forced to flee the city of Mosul due to intimidation and threats issued by the armed terrorist groups. The terrorists placed deplorable threats throughout the city of Mosul, ordering Christian families to leave the city by noon today.

The Prime Minister’s statement:

Following the seizure of the city of Mosul by armed terrorist groups, the Christians of Mosul have been subjected to continuous threats. Tragically, over the past few days, Christians have been threatened with mass murder and have been forced to leave the city of Mosul in a mass exodus. They have come towards Erbil and Duhok without being allowed to take any of their belongings or necessities.

In the face of this humanitarian catastrophe, the Kurdistan Regional Government is intensifying its efforts and its capacity to assist the displaced. At the same time we call upon the people of the Kurdistan Region in general, and the generous people of Erbil and Duhok in particular, to provide all that they can in terms of aid and assistance to the displaced Christian families. 

The Kurdish people enjoy good relations with their Christian brothers and sisters as well as all other ethnic and religious groups, and we are proud to protect the diversity that exists in Kurdistan. This diversity and culture of tolerance have been effective over the past few years in our society. The people of Kurdistan now must also provide assistance to the Christian families that have been forced to flee their homes and abandon their property and belongings.

The Kurdistan Regional Government, in full coordination with the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR), has assisted hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced people who have found refuge in the Kurdistan Region. However, the number of refugees and displaced people is increasing each day. The Iraqi Government, which has cut the Kurdistan Region’s share of the national budget, has at the same time refused to bear any responsibility for the internally displaced people who are now sheltered in the Kurdistan Region.

Due to these circumstances and the dire economic situation that the Iraqi Government has caused in the Kurdistan Region, we call upon countries, charitable organisations, and the international community in general to provide refugees and internally displaced people in the Kurdistan Region with relief. We call for support and assistance to the Kurdistan Regional Government in order to better provide relief to the affected families.

Nechirvan Barzani
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government
19 July 2014