ReliefWeb

KEY FIGURES

358,410 Iraqis currently internally displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas since military operations to retake the city began on 17 October 2016

51,237 core relief item (CRI) kits distributed to families in camps, assisting some 307,000 IDPs from Mosul and surrounding areas

11,034 family plots currently occupied out of 17,597 family plots (for some 105,000 people) in UNHCR built camps ready to receive IDPs displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas

3 million IDPs since January 2014

253,992 Iraqi refugees hosted in countries in the region, and 15,411 Iraqis received in Al Hol camp in Syria since 17 October 2016

POPULATION MOVEMENTS

Displacement from west Mosul is ongoing. About 2,000 persons were displaced from Mosul between 1 and 2 May according to authorities. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) continue to transit through Hammam Al-Alil screening site, before moving onwards to camps or urban areas. The observed significant increase in the Mosul current displacement figure reported in IOM-DTM Emergency Tracking reflects the inclusion of Hammam Al-Alil 2 camp population in the total number of IDPs verified in displacement.

Most of the 59,735 families1 (an estimated 358,410 individuals) verified as being currently displaced as a result of the Mosul military operation that commenced on 17 October 2016 are from west Mosul. They are sheltered in camps or in urban and peri-urban areas in or near Mosul. The latter stay with relatives, in rented houses, or in empty buildings, often damaged or unfinished.

Returns to east Mosul continue at a steady rate. Close to 3,000 IDPs departed from camps east and south of Mosul between 28 and 30 April. IDPs who have registered to return to their areas of origin cited as their main reasons the lack of livelihood opportunities in camps, monthly food rations being insufficient for large families, the discomfort of living in tents due to the heat, and a lack of specialized health services and medication for patients with chronic diseases.

SITUATION UPDATE

Attack at screening site for Iraqi refugees and Syrian IDPs. On 1 May, armed extremists carried out an attack at Rajm al-Salibi in Hassakeh, Syria, near the north eastern border with Iraq. Reports indicate that dozens of people, including Iraqis, were killed and injured.

An estimated 118,000 (35%) of IDPs from Mosul are school-age children. In camps, around Mosul, some 53,000 children are enrolled in informal education activities. Ninewa education department reportedly estimates that 10 per cent of children in east Mosul are still out of school, although the number of out-of-school children is increasing rapidly as families continue to flee west Mosul. About 320 of the 400 schools in east Mosul city and the neighbouring districts of Tilkaif and Bashiqa are reported to have reopened, allowing 352,000 children, including those displaced from other areas of Mosul district, to return to school.

RESPONSE UPDATE

UNHCR continues protection assessments in east Mosul. Between 3 and 19 April,
UNHCR carried out protection assessments in Sumer, Intisar, Aden and Wahdaa neighbourhoods of east Mosul, while also distributing relief items to vulnerable families. Protection concerns identified includes family separation, arbitrary arrest and detention, lack of civil documentation, and repeated/sequential displacement. One of the most pressing needs highlighted by families from west Mosul was shelter: many reported sharing houses with other families, while some reported living in unfinished or damaged buildings that raised safety concerns, particularly for children. Vulnerable individuals have gradually been referred to specialized partners for assistance.

Over 460,000 persons in need of assistance have been supported by UNHCR in and out of camps since the start of military operations to retake Mosul in October 2016. In east Mosul, UNHCR’s partner distributed essential household items such as blankets and mattresses, kitchen sets, and cooking stoves to about 25,000 persons in need of assistance in 2017. Since October 2016, over 319,000 IDPs were assisted in camps around Mosul while 141,000 persons in need of assistance were supported outside of camps, including IDPs, returnees, and members of host communities.

UNHCR needs USD 212 million in 2017 to continue providing urgent protection, shelter and camp coordination and camp management assistance to IDPs from Mosul