ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Top Kurdish and Iraqi officials have congratulated Yazidis on the occasion of the Feast of Ezid, one of the community’s most important religious celebrations, which began Friday.

The Feast of Ezid begins with the three-day fast in December, starting Friday, observed by all Yazidis from dawn to sunset, with nights devoted to feasting, celebration, and prayer.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, celebrating the occasion, said on Thursday, “We assure our Yazidi brothers that we will continue, as always, to support their rights and demands,” according to a statement.

Yazidi fasting is one of the most important religious observances of Yazidis, taking place each year in mid-December.

“May the Yazidi Fasting Eid be blessed, and may you all be in goodness and happiness,” the premier added.

President Masoud Barzani also extended his congratulations to Yazidis around the world on the occasion, saying, "May this blessed occasion bring happiness and prosperity, and may the Yazidi community celebrate all its festivals and observances in peace and joy," according to a statement from the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) headquarters. 

He further stressed the religious and ethnic diversity in the Kurdistan Region and added, “We must continue to deepen and expand this culture." 

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also congratulated Yazidis and reiterated the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) "full support for the Yazidi brothers and sisters and the protection of their rights," said a statement from the Kurdistan Region’s Presidency on Friday.

In October 2020, Erbil and Baghdad signed the Sinjar Agreement, aimed at normalizing the situation in the Yazidi heartland that was targeted by the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014.

The agreement outlined that the federal government would oversee security operations in Sinjar in collaboration with the KRG, while Nineveh's local administration would manage public services. It further mandated the removal of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) elements and other armed factions from the district, transferring control to the federal army and police. However, nearly five years since its ratification, the agreement has yet to be implemented.

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Friday asserted Iraq's commitment to "reinforcing the value of cultural and social diversity that distinguishes our beloved country" as he congratulated the Yazidis on the occasion in a post on X.

On August 3, 2014, ISIS militants seized control of the Yazidi heartland of Sinjar, launching a brutal campaign of killings, abductions, genocidal rape, and forced conversions of members of the ethnoreligious minority group.

More than 5,000 Yazidis were killed in the ISIS campaign, and over 6,000 others, mostly women and children, were abducted and sold into sexual slavery. Thousands of abducted Yazidis still remain missing.