Iraq - The IOM Iraq Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) published this week, identified 3,182,736 internally displaced Iraqis (530,456 families) from January 2014 through 27 August 2015.

Considering the available information and the DTM methodology, the UN Humanitarian Country Team will hold the planning figures for the humanitarian response at 3.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

 The majority (87 per cent) of IDPs are reported to be originally from three governorates: Anbar, 42 per cent (1,334,592 individuals); Ninewa, 32 per cent (1,011,606); and Salah al-Din, 13 per cent (407,142).

Since 1 April 2015 over half a million individuals were displaced from Anbar governorate following the Ramadi crisis. Of these, over 225,000 were displaced within the governorate.

The governorates hosting the largest IDP populations are: Anbar, 18 per cent (584,748 individuals); Baghdad, 18 per cent (567,186); Kirkuk, 13 per cent (408,162); and Dahuk, 13 per cent (407,604). Governorates receiving the largest number of IDPs during the month of August were Baghdad (28,554 individuals) and Kirkuk (8,502 individuals).

Over 350,000 displaced individuals are reported to have returned to their location of origin, just over half to Salah al-Din governorate, one-third of whom to Tikrit district; this return movement began in mid-June. Additional governorates receiving significant return populations are Diyala (nearly 70,000 individuals), and Ninewa (over 60,000), primarily the districts of Telafar and Tilkaif in the north of the governorate, due to improved security conditions.

Within the past month, in cooperation with local authorities, IOM Iraq distributed over 5,000 non-food item (NFI) kits across 10 governorates. These summer NFI kits include essential items to assist displaced people in hot weather: cool boxes, rechargeable fans, light blankets, towels, mattresses, plastic mats, and hygiene kits. The distributions were funded by the United States, the European Commission, Germany and Japan.

IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss said: “Massive displacement due to continued conflict persists across Iraq, and displaced Iraqis are in increasingly desperate situations. Of the nearly 3.2 million displaced, one out of five are living in critical shelter arrangements, including unfinished buildings and informal settlements. IOM is working with the UN Humanitarian Country Team, humanitarian partners, government authorities and our donors to provide the NFI kits, shelter, health care and psychosocial support that displaced Iraqis need to survive.”

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 further information please contact IOM Iraq. Sandra Black, Tel. +964 751 234 2550, Email: sblack@iom.int or Laura Nistri, Email: lnistri@iom.int