Three Years after the Samarra Bombing, Displaced Iraqis Face an Uncertain Future
A continued lack of food, adequate shelter, health care, employment
and concerns over security among the more than 1.6 million people
internally displaced by the violence that followed the bombing of
the Al-Askari mosque in Samarra in 2006, has meant that three years
on, their future remains as uncertain as ever without greater
humanitarian intervention, says IOM.
IOM's annual review of the needs of those displaced by the
Samarra bombing on 22 February 2006 finds that although there are
by far fewer Iraqis displaced by violence these days, with many
governorates having now stopped registration of internally
displaced people (IDPs) altogether, their number remains worryingly
high.
"/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/mainsite/published_docs/studies_and_reports/iom_displacement_report_post_samarra.pdf"
target="_blank" title="">
"background-color: rgb(153, 204, 255);">Three Years of Post-Samarra
Displacement
Representing about 5.5 per cent of the Iraqi population, their
plight has changed little in the past three years. IOM assessments
of 80 per cent of the 1.6 million post-Samarra IDPs show that
priority needs remain adequate shelter, food and access to
work.
The majority of these IDPs (59 per cent) live in sub-standard
but expensive rented accommodation, and with the passage of time
and without work, their financial resources have dwindled
significantly. Others have had to resort to living with host
families in overcrowded and difficult conditions while 22 per cent
of the IDPs are living in collective settlements, public buildings
or makeshift shelters. Some of these are under the constant threat
of eviction. With only 16 per cent of all post-Samarra IDPs able to
access the homes they left behind, a lack of clean water,
sanitation and electricity is a daily reality for the IDPs.
The IOM needs assessment also reveals that across the country,
19 per cent of the post-Samarra IDPs still do not have any access
to the government's public food distribution system (PDS) upon
which much of the Iraqi population is dependent. And with 44 per
cent having only occasional access to the PDS, 81 per cent of all
the IDPs cited food as a priority need.
The health too of the IDPs is of growing concern, particularly
due to their precarious living conditions, lack of potable water
and sanitation or protection from the elements. Although the vast
majority of the displaced say they can access health care, the IOM
assessment argues that a lack of qualified staff, medicine and
equipment and often damage to medical facilities doesn't ensure the
health care is of good enough quality.
Conditions for the nearly 297,000 people, including refugees,
who have returned to their former homes, are also harsh with people
having to cope with damaged property, infrastructure and loss of
livelihood. IOM assessments of returnees show that as a result,
food, fuel and non-food items feature highly in their needs in
addition to health care, employment and clean water.
Overall, 61 per cent of all post-Samarra IDPs would like to
return to their places of origin but in many cases, they do not
have the means to do so to move ahead with their lives, even when
the security situation permits.
Despite limited funding and insecurity, IOM continues to assist
the displaced, returnees and host communities with emergency food,
water and household item distributions and community assistance
projects. Since 2006, IOM has successfully completed 315 projects
in 952 locations with direct costs of over USD 32
million.
However, overall assistance to these vulnerable communities
remains inadequate.
"We and others working on the ground are doing all that we can
to help, but the needs are still so great and so diverse. We
urgently need a much greater level of humanitarian response and
funding to meet the challenges. The future of Iraq depends on the
resolution of the displacement crisis," says Rafiq Tschannen, IOM's
Chief of Mission in Iraq. "However, the fact that people are
returning home, although in smaller than expected numbers, is a
positive development which we hope will gather pace."
To access the IOM Emergency Needs Assessment report, please go
to:
"http://www.iomiraq.net/iomdmreturnee.html" target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.iomiraq.net/iomdmreturnee.html
For further information on IDPs and returnees in Iraq, please
contact:
Martin Ocaga
IOM Iraq Program Manager
E-mail:
"mailto:ocaga@iom.int">ocaga@iom.int
or
Liana Paris
IDP Monitoring Program
Tel: +962 6 565 9660 extensions 1061 and 1033
E-mail:
"mailto:lparis@iom.int">lparis@iom.int