Imad Izaddin Haji, representative of Yazidi Nebu HR-Foundation, held a speech during the 3rd Assyrian European Convention in Gütersloh, Germany, witnessing about historical and current atrocities against the indigenous Yazidis and Assyrians. He also talked about the ongoing Kurdification of Northern Iraq by demographic changes. For example the Shekan district consisted of 95% Yazidis before 2003 when Saddam was toppled. Today there are 95% Kurds in same area. More than 105 Assyrian villages in KRG are occupied by Kurds, he says. In August 2014, the Kurds and Sunni Arabs deliberately pushed ISIS on the Yazidis in order to change the demography of Sinjar, he adds. The same strategy was used agains the Assyrians in the Nineveh Plains. The only solution to maintain our two people’s presence in our historic lands is to create two new provinces of Sinjar and the Nineveh Plains, administrated by Yazidis and Assyrians, he concludes.
He finished his speech by saying: We are neither Kurds nor Arabs, but Yazidis”.