UNHCR and its partners have been providing assistance for families who have fled their homes in Kirkuk and other disputed areas pre-emptively over the past few days, fearing large-scale clashes.
The immediate needs are food, water and shelter. Most families fled to Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok Governorates and the majority are being hosted by relatives and the host community.
In Sulaymaniyah Governorate, distributions of non-food items were given to newly arrived families at displacement camps in Qoratu and Tazade in Garmiyan district as well as in Nawjul, near Kifri district, in Diyala Governorate.
Distributions were also taking place today for around 200 families in Surdash camp. Many of those families are from Tooz district, where earlier in the week, there were reports of buildings being set alight and looted.
Up to 1,000 families from Zummar sub-district crossed into Duhok Governorate last night, seeking safety in Duhok, Sumel and Zakho. Today, however, UNHCR field staff observed large numbers of families returning home.
“We decided to flee our home because the security situation is deteriorating”, said one mother from Zummar. “We will return back home if we know we’ll be safe”.
“There has been considerable displacement in the past few days as people fled pre-emptively, fearing clashes. We anticipate that the majority of families will return to their homes in the coming days, however, there will be groups who are likely to remain displaced and will need ongoing help”, said UNHCR’s deputy representative, Leila Jane Nassif.
“We are concerned for the safety of civilians. UNHCR is continually monitoring the situation, which is incredibly fluid, and we remain ready to provide assistance to vulnerable families, based on needs”, she added.
Original source: UNHCR.
Posted on 19 October 2017
