Iraq: Iraq ‑ Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #3, Fiscal Year (FY) 2019
HIGHLIGHTS
Approximately 5 percent of campbased IDPs intend to return to areas of origin in the coming year, a decrease since August 2018 survey
Relief actors respond to humanitarian needs arising from March–April floods
USAID/FFP partner WFP reaches nearly 484,000 people with emergency food assistance in April
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding during late March and early April resulted in displacement, disruptions to safe water supply, and increased risk of waterborne diseases, affecting an estimated 273,000 people across several central and southern governorates, the UN reports. Humanitarian agencies provided emergency food assistance, medical supplies, and other relief items to flood-affected populations in April.
In mid-April, a U.S. Government (USG) delegation—including U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Joey Hood and representatives from USAID’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and State/PRM—traveled to Anbar Governorate’s Fallujah District, where local authorities and representatives of Anbar’s Amriyat al-Fallujah internally displaced person (IDP) camp reported that movement restrictions in the camp, limited access to civil documentation among IDPs, and impediments to IDP returns remain primary concerns in the governorate.
The Government of Iraq (GoI) reported more than 37,000 acres of agricultural land across Iraq had burned in more than 270 separate incidents from May 8–June 8; unconfirmed origins of the fires include natural causes, controlled burns escalating, and acts of terrorism. Diyala, Kirkuk, Ninewa, and Salah al-Din governorates were most affected as of late May.
On May 26, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) until May 31, 2020. UNAMI will continue to support ongoing GoI stabilization, reconstruction, and development efforts, as well as assist the GoI with the coordination and delivery of humanitarian assistance and the safe and voluntary return or local integration of Iraqi refugees and IDPs.
