Iraqi Red Crescent Organization The Internally Displaced People in Iraq Update 33 30 April 2008 For additional information, please contact: In Iraq: 1. Iraqi Red Crescent Organization, Secretary General- Mr. Mazin Sallum. email: [email protected]; [email protected] 2. International Relation Department manager [email protected]; [email protected] Mobile phone: +964 7901669159; Telephone: +964 1 5372925/24/23 In Jordan: Coordinator for Non-Governmental Organizations- Mr. Ahmad Al-Karboli: [email protected]; [email protected]; mobile phone: +962 796484058 Also, visit the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization web site: http://www.iraqredcrescent.org/ The Internally Displaced People in Iraq; update 33; 30 April 2008 Table of contents BACKGROUND AND HUMANITARIAN CONTEXT.......................................................................... 2 THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE....................................................................................... 3 ROLE OF THE IRAQI RED CRESCENT ORGANIZATION................................................................ 4 HUMANITARIAN AID DISTRIBUTION IN THE GOVERNORATES ................................................... 5 THE NEEDS OF THE IRAQI RED CRESCENT TO ASSIST THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE . 6 IRAQI RC BRANCH REPORTS ON THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE................................... 7 1. NAJAF ..................................................................................................................................... 7 2. SALADIN .................................................................................................................................. 8 3. SULEIMANIAH............................................................................................................................ 9 4. MISSAN ..................................................................................................................................10 5. WASSIT...................................................................................................................................11 ANNEX 1: NUMBER OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE IN IRAQ FOR 2006-2007 .....................12 ANNEX 2: CAMPS ESTABLISHED BY THE IRAQI RED CRESCENT TO SHELTER INTERNALLY DISPLACED FAMILIES ................................................................................................................13 Iraqi Red Crescent Organization; Disaster Management Department 1 The Internally Displaced People in Iraq; update 33; 30 April 2008 Background and humanitarian context The continuous violence in Iraq since the bombing of the Holy Shrines in Samara' (February 2006) had caused the displacement of thousands of families from their areas. Over two million people became internally displaced and over two million became externally displaced in neighboring countries. Thousands of displaced families became heavily dependant on humanitarian aid, which had intensified the growing humanitarian crisis in Iraq. According to an assessment carried out by the World Food Program in 2007, some 55 percent of the displaced families were unable to get their food rations provided under Iraq’s Public Distribution System (PDS) due to various difficulties including the transfer of their ration cards to their new place of residence. The highest number of Internally Displace People (IDP) was registered in September 2007- 2,299,425 people. By end of January 2008, a total of 126,768 people were registered as returnees, as many had thought that the security situation in some areas in Iraq had relatively improved. On the other hand, some IDP families were forced to return to their original areas of residence by the high cost of living in their host communities. For additional information on monthly cumulative numbers of IDP and other distributions for 2006 and 2007 see Annex 1. Recently, Kurdistan- the safe haven for many Iraqis became involved in armed conflict. Both the Iranian and Turkish military bombarded the border villages with artillery shells for weeks. Thousands of villagers migrated inland for fear of their lives thus compounding the displacement problem in Iraq. The latest incident took place on 25 April 2008 in Erbil, where there was bombardment of the border villages in Sida area. Disaster preparedness activities of the Iraqi Red Crescent in the area included distributing relief aid and temporarily sheltering the displaced families in safe areas. Also, in Suleimaniah, the Iranian military bombarded the border villages which caused displacement of families to Bashdar. The Iraqi Red Crescent provided the IDP with food and relief aid. Iraq embraced many families from other countries, which underwent difficult situations. These families could not endure the violent situation in Iraq during the past few years. They could not leave Iraq because no other country accepted to receive them and they are living in refugee camps at the Iraqi borders. Many endure difficult living conditions in the desert areas, hoping that some humanitarian organizations will adopt their case and provide them with their human rights and dignity. The Iraqi Red Crescent continues to assess the needs and provide humanitarian assistance to the refugees in the following camps: . Sudanese camp- located 370 km from the center of Anbar governorate. Forty Sudanese families resided in the camp since three years. Ahwasian camp- located at the borders with Jordan (Traibeel area). Al-Waleed Palestinian camp, which shelters more than 292 families. The camp is located in Tanaf area 450 km from the center of Anbar governorate at the Iraqi-Syrian borders. In September 2007, the Syrian authorities started to request all Iraqis to obtain a visa before attempting to travel to Syria. All Iraqis have to pay 50 USD at the borders upon entry, including businessmen and people traveling for humanitarian purposes. Some Iraqi families residing in Syria could not get their residency renewed and others suffered from the high cost of rented apartments and the high cost of living coupled with unemployment. All this had forced many families to return to Iraq. (See Updates on Returnees at http://www.iraqredcrescent.org/reports.html ) Iraqi Red Crescent Organization; Disaster Management Department 2 The Internally Displaced People in Iraq; update 33; 30 April 2008 The Internally Displaced People By end of March 2008, the number of IDP was 2,225,363 people. This is an increase by 28,600 people (1.3 percent) compared to February 2008. The increase in the number of IDP was registered in five governorates- Najaf, Saladin, Suleimaniah, Missan and Wasit. The highest rate of increase was in Saladin (see table 3 for increase in number of IDP compared to February 2008). More than 82 percent were women and children under the age of 12. According to the Iraqi Red Crescent monthly IDP updates, 14 governorates had registered changes in numbers of IDP since January 2008, which may be the result of the increasingly difficult security situation in the southern governorates. (See table 1 and chart 1 for 2008 cumulative monthly numbers of IDP and table 2 for distribution of IDP by governorate) Table 1: Cumulative monthly numbers of Internally Displaced People for 2008 Month/2008 Number of families Number of individuals % children % women % men January 343,025 2,172,657 58.7 24.1 17.2 February 345,734 2,196,763 58.6 24.1 17.3 March 348,613 2,225,363 58.4 24.3 17.3 Chart 1: Cumulative monthly numbers of IDP for 2008 2,240,000 2,220,000 2,200,000 Number of individuals 2,180,000 2,160,000 2,140,000 January February March Table 2: Distribution of Internally Displaced People by Governorate Governorate Number of Number of % % % families individuals children women men 1. Anbar 9,642 54,451 47.1 29.6 23.2 2. Babil 9,487 60,544 42.8 30.6 26.6 3. Baghdad 206,556 1,364,131 65.6 21.1 13.3 4. Basrah 5,707 34,172 40.1 32.8 27.0 5. Diwanyah 3,455 20,804 31.2 35.2 33.6 6. Diyala 9,456 56,736 45.7 29.7 24.5 7. Dohuk 18,710 111,501 40.0 32.0 28.0 8. Erbil 9,747 38,141 47.7 28.9 23.4 9. Kerbala 5,985 39,756 54.0 27.1 18.9 10. Kirkuk 4,383 19,882 61.7 20.3 18.0 11. Missan 6,876 54,668 37.6 37.7 24.6 12. Muthanna 794 5,131 47.2 27.2 25.6 13. Najaf 6,100 42,700 25.0 40.0 35.0 14. Ninawa 15,860 66,068 44.0 31.6 24.4 15. Saladin 14,577 120,987 65.6 21.0 13.4 16. Sulaimaniyah 8,867 62,068 42.9 31.4 25.7 17. Thi qar 2,521 14,283 50.5 26.1 23.4 18. Wassit 9,890 59,340 58.9 22.7 18.4 Total 348,613 2,225,363 58.6 24.1 17.3 Iraqi Red Crescent Organization; Disaster Management Department 3 The Internally Displaced People in Iraq; update 33; 30 April 2008 Table 3: The increase in the numbers of IDP in five governorates compared to February 2008 Number of IDP Governorate Increase (%) February March Najaf 41,861 42,700 2% Saladin 111,503 120,987 8.5% Suleimaniah 57,435 62,068 8.1% Missan 43,394 54,668 2.9% Wasit 56,970 59,340 4.2% The Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MODM) made a monthly payment of 150,000 Iraqi Dinar for each displaced family effective upon its registration. The Iraqi government also facilitated the provision of food rations to the IDP through the Public Distribution System. Many IDP families do not consider returning to their original areas of residence because their homes are partially or totally destroyed or because they do not think that security is really enforced. Others want to return to their homes as they could not integrate in their host communities or because they live in unstable areas. The government of Iraq allocated 800 USD as a grant for each returning