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IOM Distributes Relief Items to 395 Families Displaced along Iraq-Iran Border

November 3, 2011 News

Fighting between Iranian military forces and Iraqi Kurdish separatists throughout the months of July, August and September displaced hundreds of families in northern Iraq.

Working closely with local authorities and other partner humanitarian agencies including ICRC and UNHCR, IOM carried out emergency distributions to vulnerable families throughout these months.

After receiving initial reports of the fighting in early July, IOM assessment teams were immediately sent to various locations in northern Iraq to identify the immediate needs of those displaced.

IOM monitors estimated that a total of 884 families were displaced from their homes since July, in particular from the sub-districts along the border in Sulaymaniyah and Erbil.

Most of the families were forced to abandon their homes after artillery shells landed on their village. Leaving all their possessions behind, the displaced resided in makeshift camps several miles away from their homes. The greatest concern of these families was their future. Many were forced to abandon their crops and their livestock.

In accordance with the assessment team's findings, relief items were sent from IOM Iraq's emergency warehouse in the governorate of Erbil. The families were provided with basic supplies including bed frames, mattresses, pillows, carpets, plastic furniture, and water purification kits.

As well as distributing relief supplies, IOM constructed temporary clinics in one of the camps. These clinics were equipped with water filtration units and run by local doctors and medical assistants.

IOM completed its last emergency distribution on the 28th of September to one hundred vulnerable families in Sedakan, Erbil. This followed distributions to the districts of Prdi Haso and Qeladze in Sulaymaniyah and Qasre in Erbil. In total, IOM assisted 395 displaced families from both Sulaymaniyah and Erbil.

The temporary camps in both Sulaymaniyah and Erbil are currently empty. Those displaced have returned to their homes, partly due to increased safety but also to prepare for the harsh winter months.

IOM Iraq's field monitors will continue to assess the situation in northern Iraq, and its emergency programme remains ready to respond should the need arise. Funding for IOM emergency distributions are provided by the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).

A video news story on IOM's assistance to displaced communities in northern Iraq is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYS9nx3wv1Y&feature=youtube