Approximately 7 million people mostly in Ninewa province are in critical need of humanitarian support, while there are still around 1,750,000 Iraqis living in displacement, according to a report published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The IOM said it plans to launch “funding appeal to address most urgent humanitarian needs in Areas of Displacement and Return in Iraq in the amount of US$ 41.4 million.”
Gerard Waite, IOM Iraq’s Chief of Mission said, “Funding for humanitarian assistance is crucial to uphold the basic needs and dignity of vulnerable Iraqis in displacement and areas of return. It will prevent a reversal of the gains made to stabilize areas that have been most severely affected by the conflict.”
According to the report, an estimated 6.7 million people are in critical need of support. Nearly 65 per cent of those are concentrated in Ninewa, Anbar, and Salah al-Din, the governorates most severely affected by the recent conflict.
The migration agency indicated that displaced families are unable to return due to significant obstacles such as “damage to houses; lack of livelihoods and basic services; perceptions of insecurity in areas of origin; and mental and psychosocial distress.”
Naseer Abdel-Sattar, Executive Director of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Centre (JCMC) of the Government of Iraq commended IOM for its efforts efforts “to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to displaced families in and out of camps as well as support them upon return their communities of origin. We look forward to our continued cooperation in 2019.”
According to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials reversed migration to the Kurdistan Region provinces continues due to lack of essential services in areas retaken from the Islamic State (IS) group.
Hoshang Mohamed, Director General of the KRG’s Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC) said, “The protracted displacement crisis is one of the critical challenges that needs our focused attention, as many displaced people still depend entirely on the provision of humanitarian assistance.”
Over 6 million Iraqis fled their homes after IS swept across vast territories in Iraq in mid-2014; nearly 4 million people have not returned home yet.
