Briefing on Iraq Displacement

Statement by Rafiq Tschannen

Chief of Mission for Iraq and Jordan

International Organization for Migration (IOM) 
 

House Foreign Affairs Committee

Sub-Committee on the Middle East and Asia and

Sub-Committee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight

26 February 2008 
 
 

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Sub-Committees, Ladies and Gentlemen; 
 

On behalf of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), let me express my appreciation for the invitation extended to brief you today on the situation of internally displaced Iraqis.  
 

Background: IOM and Assistance Programs for Iraqis 
 

IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and has helped more than 12 million migrants since its establishment in 1951. IOM maintains more than 400 field locations throughout the world.  The IOM-Iraq Mission was set up in January 2003 in response to the overwhelming humanitarian need following the collapse of the former regime. Working in a wide range of areas across every governorate in Iraq, IOM has maintained a presence and provided significant humanitarian assistance despite a number of challenges, including continuous security constraints.  
 

IOM has numerous programs that assist Iraqis throughout the region.  In Iraq, IOM’s programs include Capacity Building in migration management for various Iraqi Ministries and Capacity Building of the Ministry of Migration (formerly the Ministry of Displacement and Migration); the Iraq Property Claims Program, which builds the capacity of and provides support to the Iraqi Commission for Resolution of Real Property Disputes; Iraqis Rebuilding Iraq, which recruits qualified Iraqi expatriates to participate in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq; the Medical Evacuation Program, which links Iraqis who need urgent medical care with pro-bono medical assistance in the region or abroad; Assisted Voluntary Returns to assist Iraqis who wish to return home; and the Program for Human Security and Stabilization in Iraq, which delivers employment assistance services to unemployed and disadvantaged communities affected by the conflict. 
 

IOM Iraq’s largest program since 2003 has been our IDP Program, due to the urgent need to assist the millions of IDPs who have been displaced throughout the county.   
 

The Displacement Crisis 
 

Iraq is experiencing the worst human displacement of its history, with over 2.4 million persons displaced within its borders and almost 2.5 million who have fled the country to the surrounding region.  This mass displacement has become both a regional and international crisis.  
 

Iraq has a long history of displacement.  Almost half of current IDPs were displaced during previous decades due to the policies of the previous regime and various conflicts.  These included human rights abuses; internal conflict along political, religious and ethnic lines; the Iraq-Iran and Gulf Wars; drainage of the Marshlands in the south; construction of dams in the center; suppression of the 1991 uprising in the south; competition over land and national resources; as well as the previous policies of “Arabization” . 
 

Between 2003 and 2005, some 402,000 people were displaced, although about half of these IDPs have returned home. Military operations were the primary reason for this displacement, as well as secondary displacement of Arabs caused by returning Kurds. 
 

Although there are many older IDP caseloads in Iraq, since the bombing of the Samarra mosque in February 2006 the primary driver of displacement has been sectarian violence, in addition to military operations, armed conflict, and general crime and violence. IOM’s IDP assessments, which cover over 920,000 of an estimated 1.2 million people displaced since February 2006, find that 86% of IDPs displaced since that date say they were targeted due to their religious or sectarian identity.  
 

Monthly displacement rates decreased significantly in 2007 due to many factors, including improved security and the homogenization of communities.  However, displacement continues, especially in unstable areas such as Kirkuk, Salah al Din, Ninewa, and Diyala, with the potential for increased displacement along the Turkish border.  In addition, the conditions of those already displaced continue to worsen. 
 

The Situation for Iraqi Returnees 
 

An improved security situation is drawing Iraqis back to their homes and neighborhoods.  However, their desperate situation in places of displacement both inside Iraq and in neighboring countries is also forcing Iraqis to return home.  Increased visa restrictions, illegal status, no income, and lack of access to health and education all contri