Although there are growing numbers of internally displaced people
(IDPs) returning to their homes within Iraq, many are coming back
home to be faced again with basic needs including shelter, health
care or water and sanitation.

In the latest IOM needs assessment of Iraq's internally
displaced people, the report highlights Baghdad as the main
destination for returnees but that often people are going back to
find their homes destroyed and key infrastructure in disrepair.
Many homes need to be rebuilt and buildings, water pipes,
electrical networks and basic public services such as health
centres are cited as in need of repair and rehabilitation to meet
the needs of returning IDPs or refugees.

In one village in Baghdad, where nearly all the families have
now returned home according to community leaders, the living
environment is very difficult as there are no adequate health care
facilities or sanitation system in place.

The report also notes that transportation continues to be an
issue for families wishing to return home but who have no financial
resources to do so as it is unclear whether the government will
carry on offering cash grants to displaced families moving
back.

In many of Iraq's governorates where instability is ongoing,
small scale displacement is continuing. Shelter, water, sanitation,
medication, health care and food and non-food items are desperately
needed. In some cases, displaced families have resorted to
constructing improvised shelters from mud and wattle that don't
provide adequate protection from the winter weather. The reliance
of others on rivers for water is leading to high prevalence of
water-borne and skin diseases.

IOM's emergency relief assistance to internally displaced people
and vulnerable host families continues. The impact of drought in
various governorates such as Dahuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah has led
IOM to truck in more than three million litres of water daily to
more than 61,000 people in communities in these governorates.

The Organization is also providing food, non-food items, fuel
and clothes to particularly vulnerable displaced people across the
country with a particular focus on women-headed households,
children and those with disabilities.

There are an estimated 2.8 million IDPs in Iraq, of which 1.6
million have been displaced since February 2006 when the bombing of
the Al-Askari mosque in Samarra triggered a new upsurge in
violence. A further 2.4 million Iraqis are refugees, living
predominantly in Iraq's neighbouring countries.  Since 2006,
IOM has identified more than 290,000 people who were internally
displaced or who left Iraq as refugees as having returned to their
homes.

Returnee reports, along with IOM's regular reporting on
displacement, including governorate profiles, bi-weekly updates,
tent camp updates, and yearly and mid-year reviews, are available
at "http://www.iom-iraq.net/library.html#IDP" target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.iom-iraq.net/library.html#IDP

For further information, please contact:

Rafiq Tschannen

IOM Iraq

E-mail: "mailto:rtschannen@iom.int">rtschannen@iom.int

Tel: +962 79 540 9601