Iraq CRISIS Situation Report No. 43 (6 – 12 May 2015) This report is produced by OCHA Iraq in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 6 – 12 May. Due to the rapidly changing situation it is possible that the numbers and locations listed in this report may no longer be accurate. The next report will be issued on or around 22 May. Highlights • Clashes around the Baiji refinery causes minor displacement • Eviction of IDPs from Kerbala hotels deferred for another two months • Shikhan Camp in Ninewa opens and fills quickly with IDPs from informal settlements and other critical shelter situations • Mr. Chaloka Beyani, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs visits Iraq Map Source(s): IOM DTM 25 April 2015, Clusters, CODs. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. Map created on 16 May 2015. Situation Overview Throughout the reporting period, fighting was ongoing in al-Baghdadi, Falluja and Ramadi districts in Anbar Governorate. Clashes also continued in Baiji District, Salah al-Din Governorate, including around the Baiji oil refinery. Iraqi security forces reportedly regained control of the highway between Haditha and Baiji. Local sources reported that 200 families crossed into al-Alam Sub district, Salah al-Din Governorate from Baiji District. These families have been displaced due to the ongoing military operations near Baiji. Local authorities reported that these families are in urgent need of food and non-food items. Dhuluiya Town in Salah al-Din reportedly received 120 IDP families bringing the total to 1,900. The Mayor expressed an urgent need for safe water, hygiene items, NFIs, and WASH services. There are reports that some IDP families have been prevented from returning to Tikrit and Daur districts, also in Salah al-Din Governorate. As of 11 May the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Centre (JCMC) reported that approximately 7,400 IDP families have returned to Anbar Governorate. Some returnee families who were interviewed by protection partners, expressed that they felt unsafe in Anbar as a consequence of the prevailing security situation and a perceived lack in available services, food, and potable water. According to Ninewa’s Rabeea Council’s registration records, the total number of IDP returnees reached 1,700 families, 90 per cent of whom are originally from Rabeea. + For more information, see “background on the crisis” at the end of the report www.unocha.org The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. Coordination Saves Lives Iraq IDP Crisis Situation Report No. 43 |2 On 11 May, after the intervention of the Office of the Prime Minister and multiple advocacy efforts by the humanitarian community, the deadline for 1,100 families in Kerbala to leave hotels paid for by the Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM) was postponed for two months to allow camp construction to be completed in Kerbala Governorate. In Dahuk, as of 10 May, referrals from informal settlements and critical non-camp shelter sites continued to accelerate in the newly opened Shikhan Camp, Ninewa Governorate. The camp was reported to be almost completely full. According to the Board for Relief and Humanitarian Assistance the site hosted over 890 families, or approximately 5,100 people. The new arrivals included over 250 families from the Dabin informal settlement in Zakho who have a particularly difficult shelter situation, and have been under pressure from landlords to relocate. With the approach of summer, IDPs in Iraq are in need of summer kits to reduce impact of extreme heat. The Shelter/NFI Sub-National Cluster is following up on standardizing summer packages. WASH services will also need to be scaled up during the summer months. During the reporting period, Mr. Chaloka Beyani, Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs visited Iraq and met with Government, UN and partner staff. The mission also included field visits to IDP camps. International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) verified over 2.8 million displaced people across the country (January 2014 to 25 April 2015). Thirty six per cent of these IDPs did not move out of their governorate of origin, mainly in central and southern governorates. The DTM team also reported that Ramadi displacement figures have stabilized and that limited returns have been verified. Baghdad’s Governing Council announced that additional roadblocks would be put in place from 10 May to provide increased security for Shi’a pilgrims seeking to access Kadhimiya, north of Baghdad. Tightened security measures limit staff movement, humanitarian operations and assessments during the period of pilgrimage. Food Security Needs: • Food security remains a critical concern in al Baghdadi Sub-district, Heet and Haditha Districts in Anbar Governorate. • Priority food supply needs for new and existing IDPs, as well as returnees, persist in Anbar, Salah al-Din, Kirkuk, Diyala, Ninewa and Baghdad governorates. • In the southern governorates, food supply needs remain for IDPs in Qadissiya, Najaf, Kerbala, Thi-Qar and Missan governorates. • In the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KR-I), food assistance needs continue in Dahuk and Erbil governorates. Response: • Immediate Response Rations (IRR) were distributed to families as follows (approximate figures): 17,700 in Anbar Governorate 11,670 in Baghdad Governorate, 1,360 in Babylon Governorate, 430 in Diyala Governorate, 150 in Kerbala Governorate, 30 in Sulaymaniyah Governorate and 340 in Wassit Governorate. In total over 31,700 IRRs were distributed to approximately 30,000 families. • On 6 May, the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) consortium, distributed 500 RRM kits including drinking water, hygiene kits, buckets and IRRs to over 370 families at the Bzbiz Bridge Camp. On 7 May, 500 IDP families were assisted with RRM kits in Falluja district. In addition, approximately 420 families in Baghdad were assisted through the RRM Consortium. The RRM consortium continued distributions of RRM kits in Quarato IDP Camp for over 80 newly arrived IDP Families. • A workshop is being held in Dahuk on livelihoods for early recovery and stabilisation, based on the results of a two-week assessment on market value chains and livelihoods at household level. • Quality improvement measures are ongoing in Dahuk, in order to tackle data duplication and improve partners’ capacity to deliver food assistance to displaced communities. Gaps and Constraints: • Many IDPs’ names are not listed in the Public Distribution System (PDS) electronic list, and as a consequence, are unable to receive their food packages in Muthanna Governorate. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Coordination Saves Lives | www.unocha.org Iraq IDP Crisis Situation Report No. 43 |3 Shelter and Non-Food Items Needs: • Across Iraq 65 per cent of IDP families are living in private settings (host families, hotels and rented accommodation), 23 per cent are living in critical shelter arrangements (mainly in unfinished and abandoned buildings), 8 per cent are living in camps, and 4 per cent are living in formal settlements and unknown shelter types. Response: • Ramadi response update: o Baghdad Governorate: Over 190 IDP households received NFI assistance, while tent upgrade activities are ongoing for another 200 IDP households. o To date, cluster partners have distributed more than 7,470 NFI kits and 3,100 tents. • Regular activity: o In Babylon Governorate, 200 IDP households received NFI assistance while an additional 200 households have been identified to benefit from future assistance. o In Salah al-Din Governorate, 250 IDP households were reached with NFI assistance. o In Ninewa Governorate, partners are planning to distribute core relief items (CRI) to 150 vulnerable returnee families in Rabeea. Other actors have distributed blankets and food items to all returnee families there. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Needs: • Anbar Governorate: Over 90 IDP families reported to be newly settled in Amiriyat Al Falluja, Falluja district, are in urgent need of latrines, showers and water tanks. Increased water trucking is also needed. • Najaf Governorate: IDP families along the Najaf-Kerbala road require safe water, tanks, showers, latrines hygiene items and waste collection. There have been reports of scabies due to poor hygiene conditions. • Babylon Governorate: 1,260 IDP families from Ramadi settled in informal settlements in Babylon urgently require water kits and hygiene supplies. • Baghdad Governorate: Around 200 families in tented camps 3-4 km from Bzbiz Bridge (between Baghdad and Anbar) require latrines, showers, water tanks, and hygiene items. 400 tents currently being installed in the “New Scout Camp” require WASH facilities. • Salah al-Din Governorate: Over 60 IDP families are living in unfinished buildings around the MoDM camp. 1,400 families in Dhuluiya Sub-district, Balad District and thousands of returnees in Tikrit and Daur districts urgently require emergency WASH supplies. Response: • Anbar Governorate: Water trucking and desludging activities are ongoing in Falluja and Rutba districts. • Baghdad Governorate: In collective centers and camps family water kits, hygiene materials and garbage collection items have been distributed. • Salah al-Din Governorate: IDPs and returnees in Daur, Samarra and Balad districts received family water kits, cleaning materials and water tanks. Hygiene promotion sessions were also conducted. • Qadissiya Governorate: Hygiene promotion sessions were conducted. • Sulaymaniyah Governorate: Safe water is being provided in Arbat Camp for 2,700 families and Al Yawa Camp for 1,370 families. In Al Wand 2 Camp (still unoccupied), installation of WASH facilities was completed. Plans are underway to install additional toilets, showers and upgrades to the water system. In Quarato Camp, work is underway on water storage and the distribution network. In Tazar De Camp, support is being provided for the temporary water treatment system.