Meanwhile, in central Iraq, UN agencies and Iraq's Ministry of Displacement and Migration estimate that some 70,000 people have now been displaced by the fighting and insecurity in Iraq's Anbar Province. Most are in areas around Fallujah and Ramadi, but authorities in other central and northern provinces report the arrival of hundreds of displaced families there too.
Aid from UN and partner agencies has been reaching some of the affected communities since 8th January, and yesterday a further 12 trucks of UNHCR relief reached neighbourhoods around Fallujah, carrying non-food aid. The International Rescue Committee, UNHCR's main partner agency in the area, is doing distribution.
At present, insecurity and access difficulties are still hampering the overall effort. The UN is advocating with the government of Iraq to ensure access to displaced persons and safe passage of humanitarian aid.
The displacement in central Iraq is impacting other regions of the country. Authorities in the northern Kurdistan Region of Iraq report that some 14,000 people have arrived in the last two weeks from Anbar. UNHCR is coordinating with the regional government to establish their locations and assess immediate needs.
Although the displaced are said to be mainly accommodated with family or staying in hotels, we are coming across families living in abandoned houses and semi-constructed buildings that are in urgent need of assistance. At the request of the authorities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, UNHCR and its partners are refurbishing a transit centre at Baharka to accommodate more displaced persons.
(Source: UN)
(UN image via Shutterstock)
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