Thursday, March 28, 2024

Baghdad

Food security “fragile” for 3.5 mn Iraqi refugees: U.N.

 Food security “fragile”  for 3.5 mn Iraqi refugees: U.N.

Displaced families. File photo.

Displaced families. File photo.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The food security situation for 3.5 million Iraqis displaced by the war against Islamic State militants remains “fragile”, a United Nations official in Iraq said Sunday.

Fadel a-Zubi, representative of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, that nearly 3.5 million displaced people, 3 millions repatriated and 250.000 Syrian refugees inside Iraq are experiencing a “fragile” access to food.

He added in press statements that families in the western side of the city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces are days away from eliminating the Islamic State, are finding a difficulty in getting foodstuff.

He said FAO continues efforts to rehabilitate damaged irrigation canals in the province so as for farmers to resume work to secure their food needs.

The war against IS in Mosul, now entering its ninth month, has displaced at least 900.000 civilians. The Iraqi government and U.N. agency estimate more than four million people displaced since the emergence of the Islamic State militants in 2014.

Adding to medical and foodstuff shortages, refugees have been increasingly targeted by IS snipers or caught and later executed during their attempts to flee battlefields towards areas held by security forces. IS fighters have also reportedly held food supplies for fighters and their families exclusively.

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