ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region leaders on Wednesday reaffirmed their support for the Yazidi community, on the occasion of the minority group’s New Year - Charshama Sare Sale.

Yazidis are celebrating their New Year on Wednesday. The community, which numbers around 1.6 million people, commemorates the arrival of light into the world. During the celebrations, candles are lit at the iconic Lalish Temple, as dusk falls.

In a Tuesday statement, President Masoud Barzani wished the religious minority “happiness and joy” and extended his “warmest congratulations” to the global Yazidi community.

President Barzani emphasized that the Kurdish leadership shares their “pain and suffering” and supports “the aspirations of the Yazidi brothers and sisters to the best of our ability.”

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also extended New Year congratulations to the Yazidi community in the Region and around the world in a statement, reaffirming the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) “support for the rights and demands of our Yazidi sisters and brothers.”

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani wished the Yazidis a peaceful and happy holiday, hoping the New Year will mark “the beginning of a year full of success and peace.”

“The Kurdistan Region will remain a land of coexistence, forgiveness and mutual acceptance for all communities. We will also remain supporters and advocates of their legitimate rights and demands,” he added.

Following the Islamic State’s (ISIS) attack on the Yazidi heartland of Sinjar in August 2014, thousands of Yazidis were forced to flee their homes in hopes of escaping the militant group’s atrocities.

Over ten years on, thousands of Yazidis remain missing, and tens of thousands of others are unwilling to return to Sinjar due to security concerns exacerbated by a lack of services and reconstruction.

The KRG has provided “substantial support” to the UN investigative teams in order to promote accountability for the crimes perpetuated by ISIS, said Dindar Zebari, the Coordinator of International Recommendations in 2024.

The provided support included “gathering information, data, and documenting evidence,” efforts that are considered crucial for providing reparations to the victim’s families, Zebari noted.

The Kurdistan Region accommodates for around 190,000 internally displaced Yazidis, spread across 15 IDP camps, according to the Free Yezidi Foundation.