A recent study by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has revealed that “for 41 per cent of IDPs, Mosul and Sinjar (Ninewa) are the districts of origin, while a quarter originate from the districts of Al-Hawiga in Kirkuk, Baiji in Salah al Din, Falluja and Ramadi in Anbar, and Telafar and Al-Ba’aj in Ninewa.”
Over six million Iraqis have been internally displaced since the Islamic State group (IS) conflict erupted in 2014, with more than 1.7 million remaining in displacement.
The report indicated that “nearly 61 per cent of these IDPs are currently considered to be in protracted displacement and that all of them are at risk of long-term displacement.”
The IOM study shows that thousands of displaced families remain reluctant to return for a range of reasons, mainly due to the destruction of their houses in their communities of origin.
As a result IDPs are not moving out of their districts of displacement and plan on staying in displacement for at least the next 12 months.
Gerard Waite, IOM Iraq Chief of Mission says, “Research studies like these are instrumental for humanitarian and development actors alike, to ensure sustainable integration of IDPs in their communities of origin and return”.
In mid-2014 IS controlled large swathes of territories in Iraq, forcing an estimated 6 million Iraqis to leave their homes. So far nearly 4 million people have returned home.
