Aid agencies warn the November 8 decision by Iraq’s government to rapidly close camps for Iraqis who have fled the conflict with the Islamic State group in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and near the onset of winter will expose thousands of people to a dangerous and uncertain future.
Iraq’s imminent camp closures leave tens of thousands of displaced people in limbo. Babar Baloch, a spokesman for UNHCR, the U.N. Refugee Agency, says his agency has raised its concerns with the government.
“We are particularly worried about the displaced people who say they are unable to return in absence of an organized dialogue with the communities and local authorities in their return areas in central and western Iraq which were heavily affected by the years of terror and fighting,” he said.
The UNHCR says around 48,000 residents have been told their camps will be closed before the end of this month. Baloch said people have been given little notice they soon would be forced to leave their shelters, creating uncertainty for many families.
“Many have objected to leaving camps now over concerns about conditions and destruction, tensions and insecurity in the areas of return. Some displaced people say they were given only two days’ notice to leave their shelters,” he said.
The U.N.’s International Organization for Migration has been tracking the movement of people who have been forced to leave camps in Baghdad and Kerbala in the past weeks. The agency says nearly half have been unable to return to their areas of origin and are living precariously on the edges of towns in damaged or unsafe buildings without basic necessities.
Iraq has announced its intention to quickly find solutions for more than 250,000 people currently sheltering in camps. In mid-October, it began shutting down 10 sites in six governorates across the country and says there will be more closures before the end of the year.
Humanitarian organizations say they will support government efforts to find solutions for those being evicted from the camps. They say those who are able to return to their homes should be provided with a means of livelihood. In cases where people are unable to return safely, they say other options for integration and resettlement should be found.
