Iraq is suffering through yet another internal refugee
crisis. Previous to the current insurgent offensive there were over 1 million
Iraqis who lost their homes during the civil war period and never returned. Now
there is another wave of internally displaced, which started with the fighting
in Anbar in January, and increased after the fall of Mosul in June. The majority
of these new refugees come from Anbar, Ninewa and Salahaddin. In the midst of
this new crisis several thousand families have fled Baghdad province. Most of
these Iraqis appear to be Sunnis that are fleeing random arrests and harassment
by the Iraqi Security Forces as well as the return of militias to the streets.
Over 4,000 Baghdadis have become displaced in 2014. In a July
report the International Organization for Migration (IOM) counted 706
families displaced from Baghdad province, a total of 4,236 individuals since
January. 54% of the families went to Anbar, while the rest were spread across
Basra, Babil, within Baghdad, Qadisiyah, Maysan, Karbala, Wasit and Dhi Qar.
Around 100 of those families left their homes recently from June 1 to July 16
showing that the displacement is on going. Since most of them went to Anbar they
are likely Sunnis. The IOM gave no reason for why people fled, but the return
of militias and increased harassment by the security forces could be major
causes. Overall violence in Baghdad could be another reason, but the number of
attacks and casualties has remained relatively the same in 2014, and the number
of car bombs has actually decreased. In January there were 47 vehicle borne
improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), then 38 in February, 29 in March, 18 in
April, 23 in May, and 12 in June. What has changed about the security situation
in the capital is that armed Shiite groups are back on the streets. With that more
bodies have been dumped in Baghdad. In January 31 bodies were found in the
capital, followed by 35 in February, 28 in March, 28 in April, 39 in May, and
42 in June. In June for instance the Muslim Scholars Associated accused
militias of killing an imam and two of his aides. The re-birth of the
insurgency has also led to increased security measures aimed at Sunni
neighborhoods. The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) have been accused of cordoning
off Sunni areas, not allowing people to leave or enter, and carrying out mass
arrests. For example, on January
11, a parliamentarian from Speaker Osama Nujafi’s Mutahidun demanded that
the prime minister stop the lockdown of Abu Ghraib, Latifiya, and Radwaniya. In
June,
the New York Times talked with people from Amiriya who said that men in
unmarked vehicles wearing military uniforms took away a woman’s two sons in the
middle of the night. In July the Los
Angeles Times interviewed people in Adhamiya who accused the government
forces of random arrests, and harassment. One man said that his father was in
jail, while his younger brother had been arrested seven times forcing him to
flee to Kurdistan. It appears that many others have followed him in leaving
Baghdad. If more open sectarian violence were to return to the capital there
would be an even greater exodus as happened before.
Sunnis fleeing Baghdad is yet another sign that Iraqi
society is fraying. The fact that militias are again openly operating there and
being accused of taking people away and dumping their bodies shows the
breakdown of order. Not only that but government forces are carrying out group
punishment of Sunni neighborhoods singling them out for blockades, raids, and
mass and arbitrary arrests. Together these are probably leading factors for
thousands of Sunni families fleeing the governorate. The demographics of
Baghdad went through a dramatic transformation during the sectarian war as
militias and the security forces forced most of the Sunni population out. This
could all be happening again as the newest wave of displaced points to.
SOURCES
International Organization for Migration, “Displacement
Tracking Matrix|DTM Iraq Crisis 2014,” 7/16/14
McDonnell, Patrick, “Proud Sunni neighborhood writhes under
Iraq’s Shiite security forces,” Los Angeles Times, 7/20/14
Rubin, Alissa and Nordland, Rod,
“Shiite Violence Traps Baghdad’s Sunnis, Haunted by a Grim Past,” New York
Times, 6/25/14
Shafaq News, “MP demands Maliki to lift the siege of Baghdad
areas belt,” 1/11/14
Sly, Liz, Hauslohner, Abigail and
Morris, Loveday, “Fears of sectarian killings rise in Baghdad after Sunni imam,
two aides found dead,” Washington Post, 6/17/14
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