SITUATION
• Since Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the launch of military operations in Anbar governorate, on 8 April, at least 7 011 families have been displaced within the governorate itself, 4 965 families have fled to Baghdad governorate, around 1 200 families to Sulaymaniyah governorate, in northern Iraq, and some 110 families to the central governorate of Babil. ISIL launched a two prone attack on the city of Ramadi and surrounding villages, now being in control of most of these locations.
• IDP families seeking to reach Baghdad governorate are reportedly blocked at checkpoints. On 16 April, Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) announced that all checkpoints, under Iraqi Security Forces jurisdiction, would allow entry of IDP families from Anbar into Baghdad, with BOC being in charge of monitoring their stay in the mostly sunny areas of Abu Ghraib, Mansour and Rasheed. The latter aggravates already severe protection concerns against discriminatory treatment of IDPs fleeing from Anbar governorate. Direct humanitarian assistance in these locations remains limited and constrained by access barriers imposed to humanitarian organisations by parties to the conflict.
• Together with partner organisations, UN agencies distributed immediate response food rations for 50 000 individuals, core relief items to 7 000 individuals and rapid response kits (water and hygiene kit) to around 85 000 individuals, in Ramadi district and Baghdad. Further integration and coordination of humanitarian efforts is urgently needed in Baghdad, in order to maximize the life-saving impact of ongoing actions.
Sources: ECHO, UN, NGOs