Mine Clearance and Explosive Ordnance Awareness in Sinjar

Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan

The Sinjar district in Nineveh Province was severely impacted by the occupation of Daech, starting in August 2014, and the subsequent war of liberation until October 2017. This is due to the ethnic composition of the district, which is home to the largest Yezidi community in the world. The majority of Sinjar’s residents, in their diversity, fled the fighting in the direction of Iraqi Kurdistan. Today, around 140,000 inhabitants of the district still live in replacement in the only district of Dohuk. The year 2020 has seen a significant increase of return and an agreement on the governance of Sinjar signed between the Kurdish authorities and the central Iraqi authority, giving hope for a growing return of these populations. Nevertheless, the Sinjar district suffers from high explosive contamination as a result of three years of recent warfare. This may pose a long-term threat to the civilian population. It is therefore urgent to ensure, on the one hand, that the populations adopt safe behaviors in the face of the risks of explosion, and on the other hand, that the contaminated lands of Sinjar are cleaned up.

Goal

Identify areas contaminated by explosive remnants of war and then clear these lands by supporting the local capacity and activities of a local NGO (Shareteah Humanitarian Organization) skilled in mine risk education and mine clearance.

Our local partner

Our financial partner

HAMAP-Humanitaire contact

François ROPARS : francois.ropars@hamap.org

Zakaria ABBIOUI : zakaria.abbioui@hamap.org