On Tuesday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Interior expressed concern over what it described as a unilateral decision by the Iraqi federal government concerning Sinjar, saying any resulting actions would contradict the UN-backed Sinjar Agreement signed in October 2020.

On Monday, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s office announced that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party-linked Sinjar Resistance Units had been integrated into official Iraqi institutions, and that the responsibility for the security of Mount Sinjar had been transferred to the federal authorities.

On Wednesday, the KRG Ministry of Interior said that the federal government was pursuing action in Sinjar without consulting the KRG. It called for the full implementation of the agreement, which it said provides the framework for legitimate local administration, reconstruction, and stable security.

The ministry also called for recognition of the Peshmerga’s role in liberating Sinjar, citing 500 Peshmerga members killed and 3,000 wounded in the process.

“Imposing an undesirable security and administrative reality outside legitimate institutions will further complicate the region’s situation and undermine the normalization process,” the ministry said. It added that implementing the agreement was essential to enabling hundreds of thousands of Yezidis to return to their homeland voluntarily and with dignity.

The ministry urged the federal government to honor the Sinjar Agreement, as well as commitments made in successive federal governments’ political agreements and programs on administration, security, and reconstruction.

If those agreements cannot be implemented, the ministry said, the people of Sinjar — particularly Yezidis — should be allowed to decide their future, and all parties should respect and support their choice.