Iraqi refugees complain of reduced support: The war in Ukraine has made us forget the Middle East
Refugees in refugee camps in the Iraqi cities of Erbil and Dohuk are complaining that aid to them has decreased in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine. “Donors tend to help new crises and conflicts,” said Firas Elhir, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Iraq. “We all need to work together, we need more support for displaced populations.”
Residents of refugee camps in Iraq say they are facing major difficulties in getting food, drinking water and garbage collection as a result of reduced aid.
They point to the recent diversion of aid to Ukraine and call on the United Nations (UN), other international organizations and Iraqi authorities to help.
“How can I take care of myself and my daughter if the UN doesn’t help”
Speaking to AA correspondent, Abide Salih Omer, a Syrian from Gevrgosk Camp in Erbil, asked the UN to stand by them.
Stating that their food is running low, the accumulated garbage and the spread of odor due to the heat create danger especially for children, Omer said, “Not only these, sometimes we stay in these tents for 3-4 days without water and the heat is unbearable. The UN makes a decision every day. Now they are making our children study outside the camp. We want their schools to be taken inside the camp.”
Noting that they could not return to their homes due to the ongoing state of war in their country, Ömer said:
“If the United Nations does not help, how can I take care of myself and my daughter? We have not been helped since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Aid to refugees should not be cut.”
Abdulkerim Muhammed Kasım, another Syrian who has been living in Gevrgosk Camp for 9 years, said that the cleanliness of the camp has deteriorated and garbage has accumulated everywhere.
Emphasizing that the refugees are waiting for help, Kassim said, “The United Nations is no longer helping us refugees. With the war in Ukraine, humanitarian aid was directed there. We want them not to ignore us and give the same aid to others as they give to Ukrainian asylum seekers.”
“We complain about the Iraqi government”
Bahar Davud Ilyas from Sinjar, who is staying in Sharya Camp in Dohuk, said that they started living in camps after being liberated from the terrorist organization DAESH.
Ilyas said, “At first, there was a lot of material and moral aid from the institutions, but now this is no longer the case. We complain about the Iraqi government, they should find a solution to this problem. Iraq is a state, it should find a solution for refugees.”
Ilyas pointed out that they have difficulty in taking care of their children and that measures should be taken against the burning tents due to the increasing heat.
Ilyas Bekir, a young Yazidi resident of Sharya Camp, said, “There was an aid organization that helped each family before, but it has not provided any help for a month.”
Bekir pointed out that Iraq has not provided any aid to them so far, only the KRG government and the city of Dohuk have hosted them.
“We demand that international aid organizations and the UN do not ignore this place”
Musa Ahmed, President of Barzani Relief Foundation, stated that the situation in the camps is not good and said, “We have warned the KRG government, the Ministry of Interior, the Iraqi government and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that international aid is decreasing and that the programs of these aid organizations are no longer available in most of the camps.”
Ahmed commented that if the aid does not continue, the situation of the refugees will be worse than the first day.
“We demand that international aid organizations and the UN should not ignore this place,” Ahmed said.
Demand for a special conference in Erbil
Dayan Jafar, the Provincial Director of the Center for Migration and Migrants and Crisis Response in Dohuk, said that they have prepared a report showing how much budget each sector needs as many aid organizations have left the camps.
Jafar expressed the hope that the Iraqi Migration and Displacement Authority will organize a special conference in Erbil, where UN aid organizations are also invited to solve the problem.
Reminding that the Iraqi Ministry of Finance had previously announced that the economic situation in the country was good, Jafer said that this statement caused aid organizations in the region to leave.
“With the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, aid organizations went to Ukraine,” Jafar said.
“We need to diversify our funding sources”
Firas Elhir, spokesperson for UNHCR in Iraq, said that their work in the region is priority-based.
“We need to diversify our funding sources and work with other partners. In this way, we can provide more support to refugees.”
Stating that supporting refugees to stand on their feet and become part of the society economically is also among their goals, Elhir said:
“Donors also tend to help new crises and conflicts. There are many other situations in the world outside Ukraine and other places that need donor attention. We all need to work together, we need more support for the displaced population.”
