The International Organization for Migration (IOM) released
its end of the year report
for displacement in Iraq and found that more people returned to their homes
than were displaced in 2017.
By the end of 2017, there were 2,615, 988 registered
displaced (IDPs) versus 3,220,362 returns. Displacement was down 9% in the
country for the year, while people going back to their homes was up 17%. In
comparison, in 2015 just 468,780 made the trip back to their original areas. In
2016 that number went up to 1,370,862, before passing 3 million in 2017. The turnaround
was due to the victory over the Islamic State on the battlefield. As more areas
were freed, a larger number of people returned.
That explained which provinces received the most returnees.
1,213,476 went back to Anbar, 874,862 went to Ninewa, 459,186 went to
Salahaddin, 244,764 went to Kirkuk, 217,416 went to Diyala, and 74,868 went to
Baghdad. West Anbar was the last part of Iraq to be cleared of the Islamic
State. Before that there were military operations to liberate Shirqat in
Salahaddin, Hawija in Kirkuk, and Mosul and west Ninewa.
Most the displaced are concentrated in just a few provinces.
Ninewa, Dohuk, Irbil, Salahaddin, Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Anbar were home to 82%
of the IDPs. There were 807,324 in Ninewa, 362,898 in Dohuk, 255,672 in Irbil,
247,362 in Salahaddin, and 188,406 in Sulaymaniya for example. In terms of
where they came from, 57% or 1,480,278 people originated from Ninewa, followed
by Anbar and Salahaddin. Those were the last three provinces liberated, which
explains why so many people were still displaced from there.
Where Displaced
Located In Iraq
Ninewa 807,324
Dohuk 362,898
Irbil 255,672
Salahaddin 247,362
Sulaymaniya 188,406
Baghdad 183,516
Kirkuk 180,858
Anbar 111,042
Diyala 82,554
Najaf 55,086
Karbala 51,306
Babil 33,468
Qadisiyah 18,480
Wasit 16,302
Basra 9,288
Dhi Qar 5,820
Maysan 3,528
Muthanna 3,078
Where Displaced From
In Iraq
Ninewa 1,480,278
Anbar 399,210
Salahaddin 354,576
Kirkuk 226,956
Diyala 89,130
Babil 30,918
Baghdad 26,442
Irbil 8,478
Now that all the major fighting is over more people should
be making the decision to go home. Unfortunately, there are a number of factors
such as destroyed homes, lack of money, being banned from the authorities and
others that may keep a large number of people from making that choice. After
the 2005-08 civil war for example, over one million people never returned. There’s
a chance that could be repeated this time around.
SOURCES
International
Organization for Migration, “Displacement Tracking Matrix, DTM Round 86,”
December 2017
- “Integrated Location Assessment, Part I Thematic Overview,” 12/10/17
- “Integrated Location Assessment II, Part II Governorate Profiles,” 12/10/17
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