Iraq - IOM’s latest Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) identified 3,087,372 internally displaced persons (514,562 families) in Iraq from January 2014 through 4 June 2015. The displaced are dispersed across all of Iraq’s 18 governorates.

Considering the available information and the DTM methodology, the United Nations Humanitarian Country Team revises the planning figures for the humanitarian response to 3.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

In the months since the beginning of hostilities in Ramadi, Anbar, on 8 April 2015 through 15 June, over 276,330 Iraqis are reported to have been displaced from the city and its outskirts. Of this population, 55 per cent were displaced after 15 May when Ramadi city centre was entirely occupied by armed groups. Most of the IDPs are displaced to Baghdad governorate (45 per cent) or within Anbar governorate (35 per cent).

The majority of IDPs in Iraq are originally from the governorates of Anbar (1,162,998 individuals), Ninewa (1,052,016 individuals) and Salah al-Din (453,054).

Over 2 million IDPs are reported to be housed in private settings (rented houses, host families, and hotels). Additionally, more than 638,000 IDPs are accommodated in critical shelter arrangements (unfinished and abandoned buildings, religious buildings, informal settlements, and schools).

In response to the crisis, since January 2014, IOM Iraq has distributed 133,000 non-food item (NFI) kits. In the last two weeks, IOM Iraq distributed 5,000 NFIs across six governorates. Many of the beneficiaries were recently displaced by military operations in the governorates of Anbar and Salah al-Din. 

In response to the recent displacement in May and June, with the support of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), IOM Iraq additionally distributed over 40,000 Rapid Response Mechanism kits on behalf of UNICEF in Salah al-Din, Anbar and Baghdad governorates. These kits are distributed within the first 72 hours of arrival to newly displaced persons and returnees and provide 12 litres of bottled water, a plastic bucket and hygiene kit that includes soap, sanitary pads and dental care.

Mohammed Rafi' Hindi, who was displaced from Ramadi and received NFIs from IOM, said, "My wife and eight children and I left our home in May. It was dinnertime when we heard shelling nearby; we knew that ISIL had arrived in our area. We fled by foot and did not manage to take anything with us. Now we are living in al Yousfia, Baghdad, in a friend’s home. Everything in the IOM non-food item kit is important to my family. The mattresses and summer blankets are great. My children will now have mattresses to sleep on."

IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss said: “The continuing displacement in Iraq is deeply concerning. We are reinforcing our capacity in NFI and shelter provision, health and psychosocial services, and livelihoods assistance in order to respond.  IOM relies on our partnerships with local authorities to access, identify and provide the most vulnerable displaced persons with the immediate life-saving humanitarian assistance they desperately need.”

The DTM is an IOM information management tool that gathers information on the status and location of displaced people. Over 130 IOM Rapid Assessment Response Team (RART) members are involved in DTM data collection. 

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: Laura Nistri, Tel. +964 751 234 2549, Email: lnistri@iom.int  or Sandra Black, Tel. +964 751 234 2550, Email: sblack@iom.int