OCHA Flash Update Iraq Crisis – Ramadi Displacement No. 1 | 16 April 2015

1. An estimated 4,250 families have fled central Ramadi District, including the towns of Albu Farraj and Albu Thiyab, as well as Albu Sawdah, Albu Ghanim, Albu Mahal and Sofiya areas, since Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the launch of military operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Anbar Governorate on 8 April.

2. The operation has centred on Ramadi District – with the provincial capital Ramadi – a city of over 200,000 straddling the Euphrates River and Highway No. 1.

3. Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and allied armed groups were scaling up their presence when ISIL launched a two-pronged attack on Ramadi – from the north and southwest.

4. As of 14 April, an estimated 9,000 people are believed to have fled Albu Farraj, home to some 15,000 residents, to Ramadi City, where they have taken up refuge in schools and mosques, or have moved onto Baghdad.

5. Of the estimated number of people who have fled, IRC protection monitors have identified 2,955 families displaced in Khaldiya, Habbaniyah, Amiriyat al Falujah and Ramadi.

6. As of 15 April, some 1,235 families have reached the Iraqi capital and are sheltering in public buildings, rented accommodation, unfinished buildings or with host families. Another 60 families have been identified in Babylon Governorate, living in rented houses, staying with relatives or in unfinished buildings in Makhwil District.

7. An estimated 1,356 families are reportedly stranded in the plateau region between Amiriyat Fallujah and Khandiya due to military closure of the road. Another 350 families from Ramadi District remain blocked at the Sadar al-Yousfiya checkpoint as those responsible for the checkpoint have orders not to allow IDPs from entering Baghdad.

8. On 16 April, the Baghdad Operation Commander (BOC) announced all checkpoints under his jurisdiction would facilitate the entry of IDP families from Anbar to Baghdad, adding the BOC would also monitor and coordinate their stay in Baghdad.

Humanitarian Situation/on-going response

1. NGOs cite food, shelter and non-food items as a priority while the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MODM) has reportedly deployed more than 25,000 items of humanitarian aid to Anbar Governorate.

2. 500 recently displaced families from Anbar Governorate have received relief assistance through UNHCR and IOM.

3. The MODM will support the displaced in Baghdad.

The information in this note was compiled by OCHA Iraq based on a variety of sources, including the Government of Iraq, UN agencies, international non-government organizations, media reports, and key informant interviews.

The next Flash Update will be issued as required. For more information, contact David Swanson swanson@un.org or visit the Humanitarian Operations Centre, Erbil.