Thousands of families who had fled earlier had returned to their homes in Ramadi, when fighting again broke out, forcing them to flee a second time.
UN agencies are mounting this operation with stocks running low and funds running out. More than 2.5 million displaced persons and refugees are receiving assistance each month from UN agencies and front-line partners.
But funding for these life-saving programmes is nearly exhausted. By June, 56 health programmes will be forced to close; the majority in camps and settlements where IDPs are concentrated. In July, the food pipeline will break.
"Nothing is more important right now than helping the people fleeing Ramadi. They are in trouble and we need to do everything possible to help them." Lise Grande, the UN's
Humanitarian Coordinator said. "Thousands of people had to sleep in the open because they didn't have places to stay. We would be able to do much more if we had the funding."
"Abandoning the victims of violence is unthinkable; more has to be done," Grande said.
The United Nations is launching a humanitarian appeal for Iraq on 4 June in Brussels. The appeal includes highly prioritised programmes to meet the most urgent needs of vulnerable people in Iraq, including people who have been displaced from Ramadi.
(Source: UN)
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