Iraqis slam ‘slow’ international response to Mosul refugee crisis

Tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees continue to flee the violence in and around the city of Mosul, Daesh’s last major urban stronghold in Iraq, while Iraqis have slammed the United Nations and other organisations for their ponderous response to the developing humanitarian crisis.

The total number of refugees that have been internally displaced in Ninawa province, of which Mosul is the capital, has now reached approximately 32,000 people in one camp alone, with 77 families reaching the Dibka refugee camp over the past two days alone, Al Jazeera reported today.

Refugees in the Dibka camp live in difficult conditions, leading many to believe that the US-led international coalition and its Iraqi partners were completely unprepared to handle the tens of thousands of IDPs.

The operation to recapture Mosul may have therefore been launched prematurely. This is despite the fact that the UN had previously warned that over a million Iraqis could be displaced in the fighting for Mosul alone.

Iraqi Immigration Minister Jasim Mohammed criticised the United Nations for failing to respond adequately to the needs of those fleeing violence around Mosul, stating: “[the UN] has not responded to the need to reduce the burden faced by the Iraqi government for emergency relief.”

The minister also added that the government’s policy is now aimed at convincing those at risk to stay in their areas rather than considering moving to safer locations around the country, or even abroad.

However, that is not necessarily feasible for people living in and around Mosul. Apart from reports of Daesh abducting civilians to use them as human shields, Shia militias from the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) loyal to the government have also been caught on camera beating children with hammers, amongst other abuses.