KRG Says No To Baghdad’s Orders To Close Displacement Camps In Region

At the end of June the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed announced that the displaced (IDP) camps in the region would not be closed by July 30. That was the deadline set by the Displacement Ministry to have all the camps shuttered across the country. This follows a pattern of the KRG refusing to follow the orders of the Ministry.

Still Over 1 Mil Displaced In Iraq

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) released its latest quarterly report on Iraq’s displaced (IDPs). While 4.8 million people have returned to their homes after the war with the Islamic State there are still over one million IDPs.

Review Return To Ruin, Iraqi Narratives of Exile and Nostalgia

Saleh, Zainab, Return To Ruin, Iraqi Narratives of Exile and Nostalgia, Stanford University Press: 2021

 

Return To Ruin, Iraqi Narratives of Exile and Nostalgia by Zainab Saleh is the story of Iraqi expatriates living in London. Saleh interviewed five Iraqi exiles from different backgrounds and experiences about their families, life in Iraq and how they ended up in England. She included her own story about exile as well. Their stories are by far the best part as Iraqi voices are rarely heard in Western books about Iraq. On the other hand this was based upon a thesis. That meant Saleh’s college advisor told her to link her interviews to a larger theory. She chose one about British and American imperialism that didn’t stand up.

Iraqi Govt Sues KRG To Force Closure Of Displaced Camps

(Rudaw)

The Sudani government is pursuing the same policy as the last four prime ministers when it comes to Iraq’s internal refugees. That is to close down displacement camps, force everyone out and claim victory.

Another Study Of Climate Change Induced Displacement In Iraq

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has started tracking Iraqis displaced by climate change. They have found the phenomena is increasing with each passing month. The group tried to deduce the main causes of this new dilemma Iraq is facing.

More Iraqis Displaced Due To Climate Change

(IOM)

The United Nations said that Iraq is one of the top 5 nations in the world susceptible to climate change. Fertile land is becoming arid due to drought and desertification. Rain has decreased along with the flow of water down the Euphrates and Tigris due to dams in neighboring countries. Salinity and pollution in the water is increasing as well. Crops have declined as a result along with livestock and fishing. Thousands of people have left their homes because they can no longer make a living. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) released a survey for September 2023 that found the number of people displaced due to the environment has increased.

1/3 Of Iraqi Voters Excluded From 2023 Elections Largely Due To Sectarian Cleansing

(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Al Mada reported that up to one-third of registered voters won’t be able to take part in Iraq’s December 2023 elections. That’s because the Election Commission refused to update its voter data. Since the Commission is controlled by the ruling parties this was likely done to reduce the number of ballots cast in the hopes that would ensure their victory.

Climate change induced displacement increases in Iraq

(IOM)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the premier group working with the Iraqi government on the country’s displaced (IDP) problem. In recent years it has been documenting a new phenomenon which is people being forced out of their homes by climate change. The United Nations said Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable country to the environmental crisis.  In a July report the IOM noted that this new IDP population is increasing.

Over 1.1 Mil Still Displaced As Returns Largely End In Iraq

(IOM)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the pre-eminent group working on displacement with the Iraqi government. It released its latest report for the first four months of 2023 and found barely any change in the number of internal refugees from the end of 2022.

Increased Displacement In Iraq Due To Climate Change

(IOM)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) just issued a new report about continued displacement in central and southern Iraq due to climate change. The situation has gotten worse with more families leaving the land and the government appears to be incapable of providing help.

Iraqi Govt Wants To End Displacement In 6 Months

(Devex)

Iraq’s Displacement Minister Jabro recently repeated that the Sudani government wants to end the country’s displacement problem in six months. Like previous administrations there doesn’t appear to be any real plan behind this statement.

Over 1 Mil Displaced In Iraq And Unlikely To Go Home

(Middle East Institute)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the premier group that works with the Iraqi government to help the displaced (IDPs). Its latest report which covers the winter of 2022 shows that returns of Iraq’s internal refugees has almost ceased. This is a repeat of the civil war period in Iraq when around one million IDPs never went home.

Sudani Latest PM To Claim He Will End Iraq’s Displaced Problem

(AFP)

At the end of January the Labor Ministry said that Prime Minister Sudani wanted to end the displacement issue by the middle of the year. Previous governments have made similar announcements and failed.

Review Eclipse Of The Sunnis, Power, Exile, and Upheaval in the Middle East

Amos, Deborah, Eclipse Of The Sunnis, Power, Exile, and Upheaval in the Middle East, New York: Public Affairs, 2010

 

Journalist Deborah Amos said she wrote Eclipse Of The Sunnis, Power, Exile, and Upheaval in the Middle East to explore the plight of Iraqi refugees in the Middle East. It turns out to be more of a travel journal about her trips to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Half the book is about Iraqis but the other half is about the politics and society of those countries. That means Eclipse Of The Sunnis really lacks focus.

Iraq’s Sinjar Dist May Forever Be Changed As Few Yazidis Have Returned

(Wikipedia)

There have recently been two humanitarian reports on the situation in Ninewa’s Sinjar district. One looked at a subdistrict and found a severe lack of rebuilding. The second noted that the increase in Turkish air strikes on the area was another detriment to people returning. It found that only 30% of Yazidis have returned as a result.

Kazemi Govt Runs Into Obstacles Trying To Close Displaced Camps In Iraq

(Shia News Association)

Al Mada reported that Prime Minister Mustafa Kazemi wants to end the displacement (IDP) crisis in Iraq before the October elections. Starting in the fall of 2020 he ordered the closing of all IDP camps in the country forcing people out. That plan has now run into serious problems.

Displaced Returns Continue To Stagnate In Iraq

The number of displaced (IDPs) going back to their home areas hit a new low in Iraq during the start of 2021. When the war against the Islamic State ended there was widespread hope that IDPs would immediately return and the crisis would largely be over. That’s not happened. Instead the country is experiencing something similar to what happened after the civil war with over one million likely to be permanently displaced.

Displaced Returns In 2020 Nearly Half The Rate Of The Year Before

(Kurdistan 24)

Despite thousands of people being forced out of displacement camps by Prime Minister Kazemi the rate of return in 2020 was nearly half that of 2019.

In 2020 235,116 people displaced (IDPs) went back to their home areas. That was down from 431,130 in 2019 and 944,958 in 2018. The idea that with the end of the war with the Islamic State there would be a dramatic increase in people going back to the original areas has not happened.

In fact, the number of people going home in 2020 would have been even lower if the Kazemi government hadn’t started shutting down IDP camps at the end of the year. That’s shown by the returns by month. From May to June before the premier started his policy 12,948 people went to their home areas. Then after the camp closings began returns went to 25,920 from July to August, then 38,364 from September to October and finished with 49,152 from November to December. Kazemi is hoping for an easy political victory by shutting down the IDP camps. As various groups and IDPs have noted they are not getting any support from the authorities. That’s one of the main reasons why 58,363 were displaced for a second time in 2020.

As the International Organization for Migration noted in its latest survey the main reasons why people do not want to return are the lack of housing, jobs, services, social cohesion and security. 71% of respondents said their homes had been damaged or destroyed, and 62% stated that there was a lack of jobs. That meant the vast majority of IDPs said they were going to stay where they were for the next six months. There were some exceptions with 83% of IDPs in camps in Diyala and a majority of those outside of camps in Diyala and Salahaddin saying they wanted to return. Still the negatives to going home were dominant.

Total Number of Displaced Returns 2018-2020
2018 944,958
2019 431,130
2020 235,116

Avg 78,746 returns per month 2018
Avg 35,927 returns per month 2019
Avg 19,593 returns per month 2020

Govt Negligence In Closing Displaced Camps In Iraq

(IFRC)

In October 2020 Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi formed a committee to close down 17 displaced camps in Iraq that held 60,337 people by December. Since then, eleven camps have been shuttered and two have been declared informal forcing out 27,191 displaced (IDPs). This includes all the camps in Kirkuk and Diyala. This is despite continued warnings that many of these people will face major difficulties. This is another case of government negligence because it is showing no signs it wants to help the displaced, just gain political points.

Kazemi Latest Iraqi PM To Order The Close Of All Displaced Camps

(AP)

Prime Minister Mustafa Kazemi has decided that he will end the displacement crisis in Iraq by closing down all the camps and declaring the problem solved. This has been the wish of all the previous premiers since Nouri al-Maliki. None of them seemed to actually care about the displaced and none of them succeeded either, something Kazemi doesn’t appear to have taken to heart.