Highlights
Hundreds of families return to Tikrit from Samarra and Kirkuk
Sulaymaniyah checkpoints remain closed to newly displaced people.
4,400 Rapid Response Mechanism kits provided to IDPs and returnees in Samarra
More than 276,000 people displaced from Ramadi since 8 April
Government requests support for new camp in Ameriyat al-Falluja.
Situation Overview
Upwards of 300 families (1,800 individuals) have returned to Tikrit District from Kirkuk Governorate and Samarra District in Salah al-Din Governorate, according to the Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM) which is facilitating their return. People are reportedly returning in convoys with security escorts, following a screening process. Families returning are reportedly related to security forces and government officials in the area and are returning to their own homes. The Governor, his team and the Provincial Council members have all returned as well. Reports from local partners and NGOs indicate that neither they nor the local authorities have access to Tikrit. Access to Tikrit town is anticipated for Sunday, 21 June. The Governorate Joint Coordination Emergency Cell is also now operational. According to partners, the most urgent needs are repairs for damaged houses, food, non-food items (NFIs) and the reestablishment of health services.
In Kirkuk Governorate, small-scale spontaneous IDP returns are also occurring to areas that are accessible again in the southwest areas of the Governorate, as well as to neighbouring Diyala and Salah al-Din governorates.
New displacement is being recorded in Samarra, Salah al-Din Governorate. An estimated 50 families (300 individuals), comprised primarily of women and children, reached the Al-Hwesh IDP Camp in Samarra District on 9 June. The families are likely part of a larger displacement of 2,250 families from villages in Balad and Samarra districts of Salah al-Din Governorate displaced earlier this month. Particularly concerning are reports related to the detention of male youths and men, as well as the denial of access to safety. The Al-Hwesh Camp is full and apparently a significant number of families are outside the camp and in need of a temporary shelter solution, partners report.
Humanitarian partners have distributed 5,000 Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) kits to IDPs and returnees in Samarra District this week. From 8 to 11 June, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) distributed 1,215 NFI kits to IDPs from Ramadi District, Anbar Governorate, including 765 in Erbil, 200 in Baghdad, 150 in Wassit, and 100 in Salah al-Din governorates. Additional distributions are planned for 1,200 RRM kits in Baghdad and 4,150 kits in Ameriyat Al-Fallujah Sub-district in Anbar Governorate.
As of 15 June, IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) team has verified that 25,697 families or 154,182 people have been displaced from Ramadi District since 15 May due to ongoing clashes in Anbar Governorate.
This brings the total number displaced from Ramadi District to more than 276,000 individuals since the launch of military operations on 8 April, according to IOM. This is an increase from approximately 257,000 on 8 June.
On 11 June, the Office of the Prime Minister requested support to establish a camp in Ameriyat Al-Fallujah Subdistrict, Anbar Governorate, as a contingency measure for up to 10,000 families expected to be displaced due to potential future military operations in Fallujah and Ramadi districts. Following consultations with clusters on 14 June, concerns were raised about the present and longer-term security of the location. The UN will advocate for the rights of IDPs to access safety and for freedom of movement. Partners will share guidance with the government for generic camp layouts, and recommend planning for several smaller camps instead of a large one.
In a subsequent meeting on 14 June, the Government of Iraq announced its intention to identify a camp site in Ameriyat Al-Fallujah in the week ahead with the initial intent of erecting 2,000 tents on the site and to provide food, water and electricity. By 16 June the Iraq Red Crescent Society had started the set-up of a camp in an area two kilometers away from Ameriyat Al-Fallujah town.
Checkpoints controlled by the Sulaymaniyah Governorate remain closed to IDPs. Protection partners report 220 IDP families remain stranded at the Kalar checkpoint. A health partner provided healthcare to IDPs through mobile teams. The NGO reported 50 cases of borderline dehydration among IDPs stranded at the checkpoint.
NGOs working in the Kalar area have prepared a plan to assist IDPs stranded at checkpoints. This will include shade areas, installation of water tanks and mobile latrines. OCHA will present the plan to local authorities following the coordination meeting in Kalar on 16 June.
The REACH Initiative and IOM, in support of the CCCM Cluster, recently completed the second of two spontaneous site assessments in May 2015. Two sweeps of spontaneous collective sites were conducted in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) and disputed areas of northern Iraq in October and November 2014, as well as in the southern governorates between February and May 2015. Partners identified geo-referenced and collected key data on informal settlements containing five or more families, including demographics, shelter conditions, legal status, and access to services.
Spontaneous sites include informal settlements, collective centres, religious or public buildings and unfinished or abandoned buildings in use as shelters. Most of the sites have substandard services in terms of access, site planning and WASH. Residents are highly vulnerable to changing weather conditions. Shelter in many sites is ad-hoc, with limited protection provided by plastic sheeting and other basic materials. Due to restrictions on access for security reasons, an assessment has not yet been possible in Kirkuk, Anbar, and Ninewa governorates.