MP Murad Ismail has criticised the Iraqi government’s handling of Shengal, saying decisions concerning the district cannot be made without meaningful participation from Ezidi representatives and local residents.
Iraqi MP Murad Ismail, head of the Ezidi Cause Alliance parliamentary bloc, has rejected the formation of a high-level government committee dealing with Shengal, saying Ezidi representatives and residents of the district were not sufficiently involved.
Ismail said the Iraqi government had proceeded with discussions on Shengal without adequately consulting relevant Ezidi representatives, including Ezidi members of the Iraqi Parliament and the Ezidi Cause Alliance. He also criticised an expanded meeting attended by senior state officials, arguing that those directly affected by decisions concerning Shengal were not properly represented.
A second report on the statement said the alliance rejected the government meeting and expressed concern over the creation of a higher committee for Shengal without prior communication with relevant Ezidi representatives and local residents.
Ismail said the absence of sufficient Ezidi and Shengal representation meant the meeting did not reflect the voices of the people whose future would be directly affected by any decisions taken.
He rejected both the meeting and any decisions that could emerge from a process conducted without meaningful Ezidi participation.
The criticism comes amid renewed discussions in Baghdad over Shengal’s administration, security and future governance. Ezidi representatives have repeatedly argued that decisions concerning the Ezidi homeland must not be negotiated or imposed without the participation of the people who live there and those elected to represent them.
