I . POST-FEBRUARY 22 IDP ASSESSMENTS: BACKGROUND
An alarming increase in displacement after the Samarra shrine bombing in February 2006 has highlighted the need for in-depth needs assessments of recently displaced populations. IOM conducts assessments in the central and southern 15 governorates, complementing the registration work conducted by other entities, such as the Ministry of Displacement and Migration.
IOM monitors use IDP Rapid Assessment Templates created in coordination with Cluster F (1) and the IDP Working Group. Monitors gather information from IDP MoDM, tribal and community leaders, local NGOs, local government bodies, and individual IDP families. Based on this information, IOM is distributing Iraq Displacement Assessments and Statistics reports, Governorate Assessment Profiles, and Displacement Year in Review reports.(2)
This information is assisting IOM and other agencies to prioritize areas of operation, plan emergency responses, and design long-term, durable solutions programs.
IOM's assessment efforts are ongoing; this should be kept in mind when reading statistics that are represented over time. Also, some statistics represent questions that allowed multiple responses.
II . IDP OVERVIEW
Percentages on map show distribution by district of the IDP population covered by IOM's assessment.
Capital: | Baqubah |
Districts: | Baqubah, Al-Muqdadiya, Al- Khalis, Baladrooz, Khanaqin, Kifri |
Population (as per 1997 census): |
1,224,357 individuals |
Total IDPs post-Feb. 2006(3) : |
8,440 families |
Total IDP and IDP returnees pre-Feb. 22(4) : |
11,889 families |

1. Governorate Background
The Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM) estimates that almost 8,440 families, or 50,640 individuals, have been displaced since February 2006 (5) in Diyala.
Diyala has a history of ethnic mixing and changing political agendas, creating tension among the different ethnic communities. It has now become the most dangerous and violent governorate in Iraq. The Public Distribution System (PDS) is not functioning, as violence prevents the provision of services. Schools are closed and insurgents, who tend to be very familiar with the governorate, are targeting police, government officials, and military forces. The few NGOs that continue to work in the governorate work on a "no profile" basis, as they are also targets.
Many IDPs have fled due to recent violence, but the partial or complete closure of many governorate borders prevents IDPs from fleeing north or south, forcing them to flee primarily to Baghdad despite instability there. It is expected that the violence will continue and displacement will increase in the short term.
IOM's assessments cover 6,109 families (6); average family size is 6 persons, yielding an estimated total of 36,654 individuals assessed. (Note that these are numbers of IDPs assessed by IOM, not total per governorate. Please refer to the Cluster F Update for total displacement figures.)
Notes
(1) The UN Country Team cluster for IDPs, Refugees, and Durable Solutions, of which IOM is Deputy Cluster Coordinator.
(2) Available at http://www.iom-iraq.net/idp.html
(3) As per Ministry of Displacement and Migration. See latest Cluster F Update on IDPs, 15 May 2007
(4) As per IOM's Phase II monitoring, December 2005
(5)Cluster F Update on IDPs, 15 May 2007
(6) The monitors use templates for both IDP groups and individual IDP families; therefore, information obtained from group templates applies to multiple families.