Eid visits in Diyala bring displaced village residents into focus

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Thousands of families visited cemeteries in Diyala on the first day of Eid al-Adha, drawing renewed attention to a displacement problem that has remained unresolved for years. The largest crowds gathered at major burial grounds in the province, especially the 800-year-old Sharif Cemetery in central Baqubah. The cemetery, where the graves of ministers, governors, military leaders and clerics are located, brought together people from different social groups for the holiday. During the visits, the hardship faced by thousands of people forced from their villages after 2003 because of conflict and sectarian fighting came back into focus. Residents displaced from villages around South Beherz and Muqdadiya said they have waited for years for the forced displacement to end so they can return home. Some now live outside their original villages, and some have sought refuge in the Kurdistan Region. They said decision-makers have ignored the issue and no solution has been produced. At Sharif Cemetery, holiday celebrations mixed with grief over a displacement problem that remains an open wound in Diyala and a longing to return home.