Iraq’s camp closures could leave 100,000 homeless as winter looms
The Norwegian Refugee Council said displaced Iraqis are being forced from their camps with little notice.
The Iraqi government’s renewed push to shut down displacement camps throughout the country could leave more than 100,000 people homeless, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Monday, warning scores of families will lack shelter during the pandemic and the coming winter.
Despite the Islamic State’s territorial defeat in Iraq three years ago, the camps that sprang up to receive civilians fleeing the fighting still host hundreds of thousands of refugees. Many are reluctant to leave, fearing they will return to find their homes vandalized or destroyed.
Others, particularly Sunni families with a perceived IS affiliation, risk being denied entry. Iraqis must obtain certain paperwork to travel, which is challenging if a relatives’ name appears on the government's notoriously unreliable lists of wanted IS suspects.
Guilt by association also means those who are allowed to move freely risk reprisals in their areas of origin. Human Rights Watch has documented revenge attacks, forced recruitment by local armed groups and other dangers that await many returnees in their communities.
