Title: The competition for control in Sinjar: how external actors and local interests inhibit the Sinjar Agreement
Author: Ali Saleem, Zmkan
Place of publication: UK
Publisher: LSE Middle East Centre, London
Release date: 2024

Located in western Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate, Sinjar is arguably the most volatile of the country’s territories, disputed between the Government of Iraq (GoI) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). In 2020, the GoI and the KRG signed the Sinjar Agreement in a bid to stabilise the district, but it is yet to be implemented. This paper examines the factors that have contributed to upholding the status quo in Sinjar, thus preventing change through the implementation of the provisions of the Sinjar Agreement. It argues that generating change has been made difficult by intense competition between local, national and regional actors seeking to control Sinjar. While the implementation of the Agreement is difficult under the current conditions, the Iraqi government and the international community are advised to take measures to reduce the security and governance challenges faced by the people of Sinjar as a result of the continuing status quo.[1]