The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government has issued a set of guidelines for traffic police, among which only permanent residents of Kurdistan region with permanent address are entitled to obtain public driving license, an obstacle in front of Ezidi IDPs mainly in Duhok northern province.
The Ezidi IDPs whom live in camps and working as taxi drivers has to quit in August.
Most of the Ezidi IDPs are from Shingal district of Ninewa province which is practically under control of the Iraqi government and part of the disputed territories between the Iraqi federal government in Baghdad and the KRG in Erbil.
Samir Khidir Ilyas is an Ezidi IDP currently living in Bersiv camp with his parents. He works as a taxi driver to make living of his 8-member family.
“Our life will get much harder by this decision. If I don’t work as taxi driver, how I can make the living of my family? I have no fixed salary and my family has no any other income,” Ilyas sadly said.
Our life will get much harder by this decision
“Its only me who can work since my father is very old and my brothers are too young. I make 10-25 thousand IQD ($7-17) and hope they won’t ban us from working,” he desperately talked to KirkukNow.
Two weeks ago, Ilyas was told all taxi drivers should register their vehicles under their name or else the syndicate will not grant them permit label for which a residence letter is required.
Azad Taha, media officer of Duhok traffic police said the IDPs can’t get public driving license for public vehicles, including taxis, and can’t work as taxi drivers “because they do not have support letter of residence inside (Kurdistan) region.”
the IDPs can’t get public driving license
The instructions cover Kurdistan region in general not only Duhok, Taha added.
The IDPs called on the KRG more than once to address the issue of considering camps as permanent residence address yet no positive feedback up to the present.
“We have asked o solve this issue several times so that we can register our vehicles under our names and work as taxi drivers but no one listens thus we are obliged to sell our taxis and work as construction workers,” said Yaqwb Yousif, a resident of Kabartw IDP camp, in a tone full of bitterness.
In August 2014, the extremist militants of so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria ISIS stormed the district of Shingal, home to hundred thousand Ezidis, adherents of an ancient religion accused of being devil worshippers, and have committed atrocities mounted to genocide.
Out of half million population, over 350,000 Ezidis fled Shingal to Kurdistan region and Shingal Mount. About 100,000 migrated to Europe, USA, Canada and Australia and over 100,000 are still living under tents in tens of camps for Internally Displaced Persons IDP in the adjacent Kurdish region, reluctant to return to warn-torn region for lack of reconstruction, proper public services and unemployment.
Thousands of men and boys were slaughtered at the hands of Daesh militants and about 2,800 Ezidi women and girls captured as sex slaves were brought to unknown destiny. Tens of mass and individual graves were found for the Ezidi adherents slaughtered at the hands of the extremist of ISIS yet few of it has been exhumed up today.
KRG’s Joint Coordination Crisis management JCC figures say 30% of the 665,000 IDPs from all over Iraq residing Kurdistan region, are Ezidis.
