Refugee crisis looms across Southern Iraq
31 Jan MKA News
The UN food agency has warned of a looming refugee crisis across the
relatively peaceful southern regions of Iraq.
The World Food Program (WFP) said on Tuesday the humanitarian
situation in the governorates of Najaf, Karbala and Babel was reaching
“critical levels.”Abeer Etefa, the WFP spokeswoman, said those
“receiving the aid are entirely dependent on it and are becoming
vulnerable.”
“While the situation is now under control because we are feeding
people, we are concerned that this assistance is not going to be
sustainable once funding dries up in March and then these people will
have to be on their own with the absence of any other form of regular
assistance for food and other basic humanitarian needs,” she
added.Sources say the displaced Iraqi families are not able to protect
themselves, while many are living in unoccupied public buildings or
mosques.
The Rome-based agency is currently assisting 50,000 displaced
families across several cities of the Iraqi provinces. The ISIL started
its campaign of terror in Iraq in early June 2014. The heavily-armed
militants took control of Mosul before sweeping through parts of the
country’s Sunni Arab heartland.Tens of thousands of people have been
also displaced after their cities were captured by the ISIL
militants.The terrorists have been carrying out horrific acts of
violence, including public decapitations, against all Iraqi communities
such as Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians.
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