Following the displacement of 65,000 Iraqi civilians last week, an Abu Dhabi-based spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has appealed to the capital’s residents for aid.
“People are without money for food and fuel and lack suitable clothing and blankets for the rainy winter-time conditions,” said Mohammed Abu Asaker, public information and communications officer at UNHCR. “Many shops are closed due to the fighting. Most children have not attended school since last month when the fighting in Anbar erupted and sanitary conditions, particularly for women, are inadequate.”
The recent supplanting of civilians adds to the 140,000 internally displaced people since the end of last year alone, according to Iraq’s Ministry of Displacement and Migration. This is on top of the 1.13 million who are temporarily residing in the Baghdad, Diyala and Ninewa provinces.
Meanwhile, many more are left stranded, forced to live with relatives, in schools, mosques and hospitals where they face a severe shortage of food and supplies. Host families are feeling the burden of caring for the displaced as fuel runs low.
Recently, bridges reaching areas where many displaced civilians reside have been destroyed, thwarting agency’s efforts to deliver vital food and medical aid.
While UNHCR along with a few of its humanitarian partners has managed to deliver 2,400 core relief kits, including tarpaulins, blankets, sleeping mats food and hygiene supplies, many of the displaced are still in desperate need of essential aid.
Although no permanent refugee camps have been established within Iraq, UNHCR, at the request of the Iraqi government, has refurbished temporary accommodation in Baharka in preparation for 300 families should the site be opened in the near future. In Suleymaniya, a site originally built for Syrian refugees has opened up for hundreds of Iraqi displaced civilians.
If you wish to make an online contribution through UNHCR, you can do so by visiting: www.unhcr.org
