Iraq's 2 million IDPs struggling
The Islamic State’s offensive this year, and the subsequent conflict that has followed, has spawned nearly 2 million internally displaced persons, many of whom live in run-down, squalid refugee camps and are desperate for aid.
ERBIL, Iraq — Since January, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Iraq has reached approximately 1.9 million. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the IDPs are dispersed across 1,928 locations in Iraq and include 450,000 women and girls of reproductive age, of whom an estimated 72,000 are pregnant. Roughly 47% (889,878 individuals) are located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The Dahuk governorate is the recipient of almost a quarter of Iraq’s IDPs, with more than 450,000 individuals seeking refuge across its four districts of Sumel, Zarko, Dahuk and Amedi. Erbil follows closely with over 400,000 individuals, while Sulaimaniyah hosts 160,000. The most vulnerable displaced families have sought refuge in unfinished buildings and schools, which has delayed the start of the current academic year.
Unfortunately, many of the IDPs in central Iraq are beyond the reach of humanitarian agencies, while religious and ethnic minorities face an additional fear of discrimination when seeking refuge and aid. The case of Ayshan, a Yazidi mother of five girls who escaped the Sirjan district with her husband, Naif, and is living in a derelict building is typical of the situation of thousands of others.
