UNHCR’s Iraq Representative, Bruno Geddo, said:
“Hammam al-Alil 2 camp has opened as the number of people fleeing West Mosul continues to increase. Up to half a million people are thought to remain in the western sector of the city and we fear that there could yet be more large outflows of people fleeing Mosul. We are working around the clock to prepare more camps and have more shelters available for families who arrive exhausted, hungry, thirsty and often traumatised”.
According to government figures, cumulatively, more than 400,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas since October, when the military offensive began, including 282,000 individuals displaced from western Mosul since mid-February. An estimated 91,000 people have since returned to their areas of origin.
Families who have fled western Mosul speak of worsening conditions as fighting has intensified, with extreme shortages of food, fuel and water. Hammam al-Alil 2 is one of 11 camps UNHCR has built in order to respond to the large-scale displacement from Mosul and surrounding areas. Two other sites are under construction: one, Hasansham U2, should open in mid-April.
(Source: UNHCR)
Comments are closed.