Following the savage attacks by ISIS gangs on Sinjar on 3 August 2014 the Yazidi people are continuing to live in the foothills of Mount Sinjar.  At the Dêrweşê Evdî Academy young people are receiving military and ideological education. Students there are calling on the young people to join the ranks of the YBŞ (Sinjar Resistance Units).

Up to now 20 people have graduated from the academy. The new educational periods have been named after YJA Star guerrillas Berivan Colemerg and Zilan PiIling,who died during the Sinjar resistance. At the academy education in history is provided so that the Yazidi culture and faith does not disappear. Training in self-defence, use of weapons and tactics is also given.

Serxwebun Azadi, one of the administrators of the YBŞ Command and  Dêrweşê Evdî Academy, explained to ANF the aims of the academy and why it was founded. "The aim of the academy is to ensure that the spirit of resistance and determination to retain the Yazidi belief is encouraged. Yazidis have always had to defend themselves against external attacks, and we see this resistance and self-defence as necessary. The ideological education here aims to infuse all the people, young and old, with the Yazidi spirit of resistance.”

Azadi added that the training in the academy was designed to enable the people to defend themselves against all manner of attack. “The people saw more clearly during the massacre when the HPG and YJA Star forces saved us. And they are still fighting and dying for us in the front line against ISIS terrorists. We see them as our martyrs, as we have realised who our real friends and protectors are,” he said.

‘We will embrace our faith more strongly’

A student by the name of Berxwedan Tolhıldan said that before the conflict he was ignorant their faith. “If only we had known before, we will embrace our faith more strongly from now on,” he added.

‘I could not just sit at home’

Sirwan Merivan said he had joined the YBŞ after the massacre from East Kurdistan. After a semester at the Dêrweşê Evdî Academy he is now an educator. Merivan said he was unable to just sit at home while his people were being massacred and joined the YBŞ to protect the Yazidi people. He added that the subject that attracted most interest at the academy was that on the history of the Yazidi faith.

Call to join the YBŞ

A fighter by the name of Bahoz Tufan said that he had learned about his faith at the academy. Tufan added: "During the massacre we saw the true faces of those who had said: ‘we will protect you’. We saw how they abandoned us to our fate." He called on young Yazidis everywhere to come to Sinjar and join the YBŞ to render the efforts of those trying to prevent the growth of the YBŞ futile. “All Yazidis must not forget which forces abandoned them and take ownership of the YBŞ and YPJ,” he added.