Decades after disappearances: Feyli Kurds' wait continues

Shafaq News – Baghdad / Erbil

Families of Feyli Kurds who vanished decades ago remain without justice, officials said on Saturday, pressing the Iraqi government to act.

More than 22,000 Feyli Kurds disappeared under Saddam Hussein’s rule, with most remains never recovered. Families continue to face obstacles in reclaiming property and securing compensation.

At a conference in the capital marking the United Nations Day for Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Feyli Kurdish Front Secretary-General Maher al-Feyli accused successive governments of "failing the community" despite its role in Iraq’s modern history. Speaking to Shafaq News, he urged the state to resolve outstanding cases and provide long-promised rights.

Speakers cited Iraqi and international laws that classify Feyli Kurds as victims of genocide and require reparations, including the issuance of death certificates for the missing.

Meanwhile, in Erbil, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Coordinator Dindar Zebari described Kurdistan as “the greatest victim” of enforced disappearance, pointing to the Feyli Kurds of the 1980s, the Anfal campaigns that killed thousands, and Yazidis abducted by ISIS.

“Peshmerga forces lost more than 1,800 fighters, and over 10,000 were wounded in battles to retake Yazidi areas. More than 6,400 Yazidi civilians were kidnapped in 2014, many still unaccounted for," he added.