More than 30,000 displaced people have returned to Iraq’s Sinjar district and the nearby areas of Qahtaniyah and Sinuni, as the Iraqi government and international partners step up efforts to support voluntary returns and rebuild essential infrastructure.

Ali Abbas, spokesperson for Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displaced, said the government, in coordination with the United Nations, has developed an international strategy aimed at restoring basic services and improving conditions for returnees. The plan focuses on rehabilitating infrastructure in key sectors, including water, electricity, healthcare and education.

The efforts come as thousands of Yazidi families continue to seek a return to their homeland following their displacement during the Islamic State (ISIS) attack on Sinjar in 2014. UN agencies have previously identified damaged homes, limited public services and security concerns as major obstacles to sustainable returns.

According to Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displaced, about 19,000 displaced families—most of them Yazidis—remain in 16 displacement camps in Erbil and Duhok. Iraqi authorities have stressed that returns are voluntary and are being pursued alongside plans to close displacement camps by improving living conditions and restoring essential services in areas of origin.

The United Nations and other international organizations have supported reconstruction efforts in Sinjar, including housing rehabilitation, restoration of public services and livelihood programs designed to help returnees rebuild their communities and establish sustainable lives in their areas of origin.