Iraq - Iraq’s Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoMD) and IOM this week welcomed more than 5,000 displaced Iraqis (more than 800 families) to the new Al-Qayara Emergency Site in Ninewa governorate.

Arriving from Mosul District, sub-districts of Markaz Mosul and Al-Muhalabiya, and from Al-Shirqat in Salah al-Din governorate, the families were exhausted, but relieved to find shelter and safety. Some arrived with MoMD transport. Others walked and arrived wet and cold after having crossed the river.

MoMD and IOM teams have been working day and night at Al-Qayara to distribute relief kits, including mattresses, blankets, pillows, hygiene kits, towels, heaters, and rechargeable lights to families on arrival, and to assign each family a tent. IOM teams on the ground include Rapid Assessment Response Team (RART), Shelter, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), Psychosocial Support and Medical.

In cooperation with the Ninewa governorate Department of Health (DoH), IOM doctors are staffing a 24/7 health clinic at Al-Qayara and a DoH Ninewa ambulance is on site to transport emergency cases. Two babies, Nader and Hijran, were born overnight; IOM arranged transportation for the mothers to reach the hospital for delivery.

MoMD and IOM have collaborated to identify and establish two Emergency Sites, in preparation for expected displacement from Mosul: in Al-Qayara and at Haj Ali, also in Ninewa governorate. The sites will have sufficient accommodation for over 100,000 displaced people. Additionally, MoMD has contributed 8,000 tents, which are being erected in the two sites to accommodate close to 50,000 people.

At Al-Qayara 3,000 tents have been erected, and an additional 1,600 from MoMD in reserve; an extension of an additional 5,000 plots is planned. WASH installation by UNICEF is in process. Caravans for camp management offices, psychosocial activities and health clinic have been placed, and non-food item kits are pre-positioned on the site in preparation for additional arrivals.

At Haj Ali site 860 tents have been erected on the 1,000 plots demarcated, and gates and perimeter fences have been installed, WASH installation is in process with humanitarian partners, to be completed within the next few days.

In addition to providing shelter to displaced people, the Emergency Sites are employing local populations, many of whom have also been adversely affected by the conflict, to carry out construction efforts. This is helping to engage with and build resilience among host communities, while at the same time preparing for large-scale displacements.

Emergency Sites can be constructed more quickly than full service camps and initially only include basic services such as shelter, water, hygiene and sanitation facilities and roads. However, they are designed to enable a progressive approach to incrementally upgrade the camp in order to meet minimum living standards. The terminology of “Emergency Site” relates to speed of construction and initial services, but does not imply a reduction in international humanitarian standards.

In addition to constructing the Emergency Sites, receiving displaced families, and providing non-food items assistance, the MoMD has also distributed more than 13,100 emergency food packages and 11,100 20-litre fuel containers to displaced families, and has organized 9,200 health consultations.

Deputy Minister of Displacement and Migration, Jassim Mohammed Hassan Al-Atiyah said: “The Emergency Sites for displaced people are part of the joint efforts of the MoMD and IOM within the framework of our humanitarian activities. MoMD and IOM are continuing to work together on the emergency response in retaken areas of Mosul Corridor.”

IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss said: “Thanks to our fruitful collaboration with the MoMD, we have been able to offer immediate assistance to displaced Iraqis arriving at Emergency Sites. The MoMD has been a critical partner and together we can provide essential support to over 100,000 Iraqis. With continuing winter weather, it is vital that displaced people have shelter and the life-saving supplies they need to survive.”

Muthanna, who fled to the Al-Qayara Emergency Site with his family said: “We fled from Shirqat on foot. We didn’t bring anything, not even extra clothes. I got soaking wet when we crossed the river. I can’t even wash my clothes because I don’t have any others to change into, and it is very cold, I can’t take them off. I don’t even have socks. We need clothes, more blankets, and fuel for the heaters. And we need bread, we can’t survive without bread. We can bake our own bread, but we don’t have a baking area.”

Additional support for the Emergency Sites has been provided to IOM through financial and in-kind contributions from the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), the European Union Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO), the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Governments of Germany, Canada and New Zealand.

More than 85,500 people have been displaced by ongoing Mosul military operations since 17 October, according to IOM Iraq’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Emergency Tracking. This figure represents an increase of over 3,450 individuals in the past four days (since 6 December).  

Since 17 October to date, displacement from Mosul operations stands at 85,518 people; over 49,100 internally displaced people are from the sub-district of Markaz Mosul, where Mosul City is located. 

The majority of the displaced are from Mosul district (89 percent, around 76,000 individuals) and the districts of Tilkaif (5 percent, over 3,800 individuals), Al-Hamdaniya (over 3 percent, over 2,800 individuals), Hatra (1 percent, over 1,200 individuals), Telefar (1 percent, over 1,200 individuals),  and Makhmur (less than 1 percent, 300 individuals). These displacements are in addition to the more than 3 million Iraqis currently displaced across the country since January 2014.

For more information, please contact Sandra Black, Email: sblack@iom.int, Tel. +964 751 234 2550 or Jennifer Sparks, Email: jsparks@iom.int, Tel. +964 750 741 1642