Iraq Displacement Passes 3.1 Million

The latest IOM Iraq Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) has identified more than 3.1 million Iraqis displaced by conflict since the beginning of 2014. This number includes over 250,000 individuals displaced from Ramadi, the capital of Anbar governorate, since April 2015.

The DTM has identified 3,112,914 persons displaced by conflict in Iraq. The majority, 67 per cent, are sheltered in private settings that include rented housing, host families and hotels. A smaller but significant number, 20 per cent, are identified as living in critical shelter arrangements, which include unfinished buildings, religious buildings, informal settlements and schools. Eight per cent of those currently displaced in Iraq are living in camp settings.

In alignment with the most recent data and DTM methodology, the UN Humanitarian Country Team will maintain its humanitarian response planning figure at 3.1 million displaced.

The latest IOM Iraq Emergency Tracking data has identified more than 75,000 individuals displaced from the Fallujah area since 8 July, as Iraqi Security Forces intensify their efforts to regain control of the city from armed groups.

In response to the overwhelming and continued displacement, IOM has distributed non-food aid to more than 138,000 families across Iraq. Since 1 July, IOM has distributed approximately 3,950 non-food item (NFI) kits, including cool boxes, rechargeable fans, mattresses, summer blankets, tarps, hygiene kits and other items.

Of these, 1,250 kits were distributed to people recently displaced in Salah al Din governorate. Continuing IOM services for affected communities in Iraq country-wide include non-food item aid, shelter provision, psychosocial assistance, health service provision, livelihoods training and support, and transportation services.

Silvana, who was displaced from Tikrit, told IOM staff: “My husband went out to buy a few things for the house and he never came home. He was killed and we never found out why. A few months later, ISIL invaded Tikrit. I had to leave because I can’t let my two children become orphans. We are living with my aunt in Baghdad and I try to help with the rent. We had no possessions of our own, but now with this aid, I will finally have some things to furnish the room where my children and I are sleeping.”

IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss said: “As displacement continues from conflict areas, IOM continues to work with the UN Humanitarian Country Team, especially through its Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), the Government of Iraq and other humanitarian partners to provide assistance to the most vulnerable. With temperatures in Iraq soaring, prompt and effective aid delivery is saving lives.”

The DTM is an IOM information management tool that gathers information on the status and location of displaced people.

The most recent IOM Iraq DTM Dataset, Dashboards, and Dynamic Displacement Map, in addition to previous DTM products, can be found at: http://iomiraq.net/dtm-page