Sinjar 2014: a map and its sources

Why a map

The events of 2014 unfolded in a specific territory: a mountain about a hundred kilometres long, villages to the north and south, a corridor through Syria, camps in Duhok province. A map makes it possible to follow them in order: the attack of 3 August, the siege of the mountain, the corridor, Kocho, the abductions, the retaking of the territory, the camps, then the UN investigations, recognition and the trials.

Five levels of certainty

Under each step, a “Sources” section states what is established, and how firmly. Verified: the date of the attack, established by the UN Commission of Inquiry. Consensus: the existence of the corridor through Syria, accepted by all sources even though they differ on the details. Estimate: the numbers of people killed, abducted or displaced. Disputed: the reasons for the Peshmerga withdrawal on 3 August, or the role of each force in retaking Sinjar. Announced: an upcoming trial.

Figures presented as such

The reference study, published in PLOS Medicine in 2017, estimates that about 3,100 Yazidis were killed or died in August 2014, with a range of 2,100 to 4,400. About 1,400 of them were executed and 1,700 died on the mountain. It puts the number of people abducted at about 6,800.

The Office for Rescuing Kidnapped Yazidis, in Iraqi Kurdistan, counts 6,417 people abducted, of whom 2,823 were still missing in May 2026. These figures do not measure the same thing: one is a statistical estimate, the other a count by name. The map gives both, with their sources, without adding them up or choosing between them.

What the map does not show

It shows no photographs of the violence. It names no victims, except Nadia Murad, who testifies publicly, and none of the people convicted. The route of the evacuation corridor is a diagram, accurate to within 10 to 20 km: only the departure from the mountain, the passage through Syria and the return via Peshkhabour are established. The relief, taken from SRTM elevation data, is exaggerated three times to stay readable.

Finally, a “What we do not know” section brings together the uncertain points: the population of Sinjar before 2014, the number of people trapped on the mountain, the number of missing people, the mass graves. We point them out rather than settle them.

A page that will be corrected

The page was published on 23 September 2026 and updated the next day. It will be corrected whenever a new source appears or an error is reported to us. Spotted a mistake or have a detail to add? Write to contact@uniondesyezidisdefrance.fr.