Iraq - IOM Iraq’s new Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), published this week, recorded 2,123,340 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country through year end 2014, up from two million in November. The increase was due to people continuing to flee their homes in the Central and Central North regions.

Of these, half a million people are nearing one full year of displacement. They were a part of the first wave of displacement, which began early in 2014 following the outbreak of conflict in Anbar Governorate.

Through 2014, the highest number of IDPs originated from Ninewa Governorate with 996,828 individuals (47 per cent), followed by Anbar Governorate with 576,774 (27 per cent), and Salah al-Din Governorate with 265,266. Dahuk Governorate has received the greatest number of IDPs, over 478,000 individuals, representing 22 per cent of the displaced population.

This DTM round is the first to implement Group Assessment (GA) interviews to gather more demographic and contextual information from the displaced population. Over 160 key informant interviews were held with representatives of displaced groups representing some 230,000 IDPs across five governorates. (Implementation of the GA is still at an early stage, so the sample is not representative of the entire displaced population.)

The preliminary findings gave the following reasons for displacement: general violence and armed conflict (89 per cent); eviction (5 per cent); direct threats to family members (3 per cent); and family members killed due to conflict (2 per cent.) Regarding return intentions: 74 per cent reported a willingness to return to their place of origin, 23 per cent were uncertain and will wait before deciding.

IOM spoke with Khisro and Aishan, who are living with their four children and extended family in an unfinished building in Zakho City, Dahuk Governorate.

“Our family is from Sinjar. We fled our home in early August as armed groups were approaching. We took only what we could carry and came here to Zakho. This building provides protection from the rain, but it is very cold. We were happy to receive relief items and fuel, but it is not enough. The greatest happiness will be when we return to Sinjar. We will go back whenever it is safe,” said Khisro.

IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss said: "The new DTM methodology and GA provides important insights into the displaced population’s characteristics, experience and return intentions. This data will further inform and enhance our humanitarian response efforts. In 2014 IOM provided over 72,000 non food (NFI) relief kits to displaced families in Iraq. We will continue to assist the most vulnerable affected by conflict through 2015 and beyond.”

The DTM is an IOM information management tool that gathers specific information regarding the status and location of IDPs. The most recent IOM Iraq DTM dataset, Dashboards, and Dynamic Displacement Map, in addition to previous DTM products, can be found at http://iomiraq.net/dtm-page.

For more information please contact

Sandra Black

IOM Iraq

Tel: +964 751 234 2550

Email: sblack@iom.int, or Email: iraqdtm@iom.int