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.