ReliefWeb

Appeal Target: US$ 4,787,956

Balance Requested: US$ 2,061,553

Geneva, 10 April 2015

Dear Colleagues,

Iraq currently has one of the largest populations of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the world; at least 2,400,000 as of 26th August 2014 (Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre). From January to September 2014 the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) identified 1,709,178 internally displaced individuals in Iraq. The Sinjar Crisis triggered the most recent wave of displacement, contributing approximately 42% of the overall number of IDP families in Iraq, following intense fighting and the violent persecution of ethnic and religious minorities by Islamic State (IS) extremists (ACAPS, Briefing Note: Humanitarian Implications of Violence in Northern and Central Iraq, 21st August 2014). This is in addition to the 217,886 registered Syrian refugees, the majority of whom are in the KR-I (UNHCR, 27th August 2014). Most of these Kurdish ethnic refugees from Syria are being accommodated within the homes and communities of their relatives and friends, and are struggling to get back to a normal livelihood in Kurdish region of Iraq. However, many of them have fewer means or no means of support, and are living in several refugee camps run by the Kurdish Regional Government with the support of various international humanitarian agencies.

June’s 2014, dramatic events have added substantially to the humanitarian crisis in Northern Iraq. Armed group of the Islamic State (IS) of Iraq and Syria has seen them take over large swaths of land in the north and west of Iraq from the Iraqi central government’s control. Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq was overrun quickly, with little resistance put up by the Iraqi national army. This drove large numbers of Christians and Shiite section of Muslims who did not accept the IS from their homes in Mosul and surrounding areas of conflict to the relative safety of the Kurdish-controlled section of the Nineveh plain to the east and north of Mosul region of Iraq, and further on into the Kurdish Region in early August.

ACT members in this response foresee the IDP crisis situation having a protracted effect and the current numbers of beneficiaries being increased significantly by including the returnees and the host communities.

This version of the extended and revised appeal (revision 2) replaces the 1st revision, issued on 24th November 2014, now removed from our web site.