ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region’s leader issued congratulatory messages on the occasion of Yazidi New Year on Wednesday, adding that they will remain supportive of the community. The ethnoreligious group has suspended public ceremonies for the occasion, citing regional instability.
“I emphasize that we stand with them in their pain and suffering and support the demands of the Yazidi sisters and brothers,” President Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said Tuesday.
The Yazidi New Year, celebrated in the middle of April, is an ancient festival deeply tied to nature's cycles, symbolizing the renewal of life, the emergence of spring, and cosmic rebirth.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also reiterated support. “We once again reassure our Yazidi brothers and sisters that, as always, the Kurdistan Region will remain a land of coexistence, tolerance, and mutual acceptance for all components,” he said in a statement Wednesday, noting that they will remain “supporters and defenders of their legitimate rights and demands.”
The Yazidi Supreme Spiritual Council decided Monday not to hold any events or gatherings related to the New Year, citing instability in the region. The US-Israel against Iran, which began on February 28, has been paused since last Wednesday following a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. However, Iran resumed its attacks on the Kurdistan Region on Tuesday, taking positions of the Iranian Kurdish armed groups.