Thursday, March 28, 2024

Baghdad

Iraqi official says 55% of country’s displaced population repatriated

 Iraqi official says 55% of country’s displaced population repatriated

Refugees from Mosul.

Refugees from Mosul.

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraq has repatriated 55% of people displaced during the three-year war against the Islamic State militants, according to an Iraqi migration ministry official.

Sattar Nawroz, a spokesperson of the Migration and Displacement Ministry, was quoted Wednesday by Mawazin News saying that “more than 55% returned to their home regions, and we wish to close that file in the near future,” adding that the ministry has a comprehensive plan to repatriate all refugees.

He said the ministry plans to allocate IQD1.5 million for each family to encourage families to return home.

In October, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande, said “More than 5.4 million civilians have been displaced in Iraq since 2014.”

Iraqi authorities had unveiled plans to repatriate all refugees before this year’s end. The government will soon launch an offensive to retake Islamic State’s last holdouts in Iraq at western Anbar. A campaign backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary troops has managed to retake almost all of the group’s bastions, most notably Mosul, the group’s former capital.

Local and international rights agencies have repeatedly highlighted poor living conditions bth at refugee camps and at Islamic State-held areas. IS militants had regularly executed civilians attempting to flee their havens. Officials have also occasionally pointed out that refugees were reluctant to return home due to the severe damage to infrastructure.

 

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