Iraq – Prospects For Resolving Displacement In Areas Of Limited And No Return In Sinjar District And Qahtaniya Subdistrict (February 2024)

This in-depth qualitative study of areas of limited and no returns in Sinjar district and Qahtaniya subdistrict seeks to uncover specific barriers to durably resolving the displacement of affected people and potential ways forward in unlocking those barriers. Doing so is a critical step in broadly implementing the Joint Government of Iraq, Kurdistan Regional Government and United Nations Roadmap for the Acceleration of the National Plan pursuant to the United Nations Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement. The study also aims to improve the political dialogue in the country on how to provide a voluntary and informed choice of residence to people who are experiencing longterm displacement. Findings are drawn from separate focus group discussions with Yezidi, Kurdish and Sunni Arab internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Sinjar district and Qahtaniya subdistrict and key informant interviews with representatives from: the Ninewa Governor’s Office, Sinjar authorities in Dohuk, Sinjar and Qahtaniya authorities within these areas, members of political parties in Sinjar, civil society leaders and activists, tribal leaders, national and international peacebuilding and human rights experts, United Nations personnel and donors.1 Sinjar district and Qahtaniya subdistrict are considered together here, given their similar populations and recent conflict dynamics, connected histories and legacies of violence, as well as geographic proximity to one another and to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Syria and Türkiye