Faili Kurds in Mandali are expressing frustration over ongoing neglect and the lack of basic services, just days after Iraq marked the 45th anniversary of the genocide committed against the minority group under the toppled Baath regime.
Residents of Mandali, a town in Diyala province east of Iraq, say the effects of Arabization policies imposed by the regime of toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein are still deeply visible today, with a continued lack of infrastructure and essential services.
“Neither the central government nor the [Kurdistan] Region’s government has done anything for the Kurds of Mandali,” Hussein Aalay, a resident of Mandali, told Rudaw. “There is nothing left of Mandali, there are no services left. Its people are Kurdish, but they have moved to Baghdad, Sulaimani, and Baquba,” he added.
The Faili Kurds have historically settled across the Zagros Mountain range. They speak a distinct dialect of Kurdish, a sub-dialect of Luri. Unlike other Kurds, who are predominantly Sunni Muslims, Failis are Shiites and have faced persecution, especially under Baath rule.
“Our situation has not changed,” said Abbas Ismael, a retiree from Mandali. “There are no services, no construction. We still don't have fresh water, our water is salty,” he added.
“In 1975, these people [Faili Kurds] were all relocated to Baradruz, Baquba [in Diyala] and Baghdad. They have not returned yet,” recalled Shukr Abbas, another retiree, speaking to Rudaw.
“[The people of Mandali] were transferred overnight, taken away in military vehicles. The [Baath] regime relocated them away from here,” said Saadr Ahmad, a Peshmerga fighter.
In the 1980s, Saddam Hussein stripped Faili Kurds of their citizenship, confiscated their properties and deported many of them to Iran. Over 22,000 Faili youth were also executed during that period.
In 2006, the Baathist-era decree was repealed, and the citizenships of Faili Kurds were restored.
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court in 2010 ruled that the crimes committed against the Faili Kurds under the Baath regime amount to genocide.
In early January, the Iraqi government designated April 2 as “Faili Martyrs Day” to honor those killed by the Baath regime.
Marking the 45th anniversary of the occasion, Kurdish leaders on Friday urged the Iraqi federal government to compensate victims and their families who were stripped of their citizenship, deported, and executed during the Baathist regime’s rule.
Minority Rights Group in 2017 estimated that around 1.5 million Faili Kurds live in Iraq. However, there are no confirmed figures regarding how many of them have had their property returned or have received new citizenship documents.[1]