Iraq: A Displacement Crisis

[tequila]

FAFO did a study with the Jordanian government in April 2007 on the number and characteristics of the Iraqi refugee population in Jordan. Haven't had a chance to really look at the report or the sampling data, but it's here and here.

[TROUFION]

http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=3888

We can all note that the IDP and Refugee issue in Iraq is huge, it is at present a destabilizing factor in the region, yet if handled properly it could be a significant advantage.

But I have already stated my crazy ideas on another thread, what I'd like to hear is what else could be done. First and foremost we (US) need to stop saying that refugees and IDP are a UN issue. We cannot and should not pass the buck. If a concerted effort was made by the US and I mean -DOD-DOS in conjunction with the Iraqi military and Gov't this problem could be reduced if not solved.

One of the big problems is that the returnees tend to run into squatters, and that is just bad. The other issue is that the returnees tend to be brought to cities Bagdahd in particular. These places are over crowded, and already violent, why put more unemployed into an already weak zone.

Relocation of the displaced has worked in the past and if modified to fit 'modern sensibilities' it can become palatable and managable.

Bottom line, we only need to look at the Palestinian camps to see the dangers of prolonged displacement in foriegn countries. The first goal should be to bring the people back into Iraq, and into safe areas that have ready made job opportunites and a higher standard of living. The cost is negliible in comparison to leaving at it is now.

-T

[Jedburgh]

HRW, dated Nov 07, but published on-line 4 Dec 07:

Rot Here or Die There: Bleak Choices for Iraqi Refugees in Lebanon

Compared to Syria and Jordan, Lebanon hosts a relatively small number of Iraqi refugees, estimated at around 50,000. But Lebanon, with a population of only four million people, already shoulders a significant burden by hosting 250,000 to 300,000 Palestinian refugees. Political instability and crisis also make many Lebanese wary of hosting another refugee population whose prospects of returning to their home country in the short term are remote. The situation is further complicated because many Lebanese perceive that the sectarian tensions that plague Iraqi society might feed into, and amplify, the sectarian tensions that are ever present in Lebanon itself.

Iraqi refugees in Lebanon currently enjoy only very limited protection. Since January 2007, UNHCR grants refugee status on a prima facie basis to all Iraqi nationals from central and southern Iraq who have sought asylum in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, and Lebanon. However, Lebanon, like some of its neighbors, does not give legal effect to UNHCR’s recognition of Iraqi refugees. Lebanon is not a party to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention) or to the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. It has no domestic refugee law. Instead, people who enter Lebanon illegally for the purpose of seeking refuge from persecution, or who enter legally but then overstay their visas for the same purpose, are treated as illegal immigrants and are subject to arrest, imprisonment, fines, and deportation.

The Lebanese authorities have in many ways shown a remarkable tolerance for the Iraqi presence in Lebanon. The police and the Internal Security Forces (ISF) do not systematically arrest Iraqi refugees who do not have valid visas or residence permits, but sufficiently large numbers of Iraqis are arrested and detained to ensure that the risk of arrest is constantly on their minds. The number of Iraqi refugees arrested increases in direct proportion to the number of checkpoints in Lebanon. While in March 2007 there were fewer than 100 Iraqi refugees in detention in Lebanon, by August 2007 this number had increased dramatically to 480 as a direct result of the proliferation of checkpoints due to the worsening security situation. As this paper goes to press, in November 2007, about 580 Iraqi refugees are in detention in Lebanon. This means that most Iraqis do not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary, and often do not approach UNHCR or the authorities for fear of exposing themselves to arrest. Their lack of legal status in Lebanon also means that they are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation by employers and others who know that the Iraqis have no recourse to the Lebanese authorities.....

Complete 70 page report at the link.

[Jedburgh]

Refugees International, Apr 08: Uprooted and Unstable: Meeting Urgent Humanitarian Needs in Iraq

....As a result of the vacuum created by the failure of both the Iraqi Government and the international community to act in a timely and adequate manner, non-state actors play a major role in providing assistance to vulnerable Iraqis. Militias of all denominations are improving their local base of support by providing social services in the neighborhoods and towns they control. Through a “Hezbollah-like” scheme, the Shiite Sadrist movement has established itself as the main service provider in the country. Similarly, other Shiite and Sunni groups are gaining ground and support through the delivery of food, oil, electricity, clothes and money to the civilians living in their fiefdoms. Not only do these militias now have a quasi-monopoly in the large-scale provision of assistance in Iraq, they are also recruiting an increasing number of civilians to their militias - including displaced Iraqis.....

Complete 28 page paper at the link.

[Creon01]

From their web page:

IOM is conducting on-going, in-depth assessments of recently displaced persons throughout Iraq. Monitors use Rapid Assessment questionnaires to gather information from IDP families, the Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM), IDP tribal and community leaders, local NGOs, and local government bodies. Based on a database of this information, IOM disseminates bi-weekly, bi-annual, and annual reports containing updates, statistics, and analysis on displacement.This information assists IOM and other organizations in prioritizing areas of operation, planning emergency responses and designing long-term programs.

June 2008 updates and much more solid information can be found here http://www.iom-iraq.net/library.html#IDP

Creon

[Jedburgh]

ICG, 10 Jul 08: Failed Responsibility: Iraqi Refugees in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon

.....The refugee crisis has presented a test that virtually all involved are failing. The three neighbouring host countries have performed best. There is much in their attitude toward Iraqis that is open to question and, as time elapsed, they unfortunately have hardened their policies. Still, Syria and Jordan in particular opened their borders and provided sanctuary at significant cost to their already fragile socio-economic fabric. Nothing of the sort can be said of the Iraqi government or of those in the international community primarily responsible for the refugees’ plight. The Iraqi government, neighbouring host countries, the U.S. and EU have a joint obligation to do more for the refugees’ welfare.

Today, as some relatively hopeful signs emanate from Iraq, there is a temptation to downplay the problem and bank on large-scale returns. Yet, although the refugee flow has begun to taper off as a result of decreasing levels of violence, relatively few of the displaced have felt confident enough to return; those who have tend to be IDPs rather than refugees (who fear they will not be allowed to re-enter their safe havens should violence once again pick up), and those refugees who have returned have often resettled in other than their original places of residence, because they found their own homes damaged, located in hostile areas or occupied by IDPs.

There also is a real risk that such progress as there has been will prove fleeting. The surge in troop presence has contributed to the relative calm, but those numbers are expected to decrease; more importantly, the shift in Iraq is largely due to other factors, principally a decision by key military actors either to lie low as long as U.S. forces remain in the country – the Sadrists and their Mahdi Army militias – or, in the case of Sunni tribes, to tactically ally themselves with the U.S. to fight a common enemy, al-Qaeda in Iraq. Underlying political conflicts have yet to be resolved and could reignite a bloody civil war. In other words, the world must be prepared for a possible second refugee wave.

Whether neighbouring states would be able to absorb that wave is doubtful. At that point, Western nations would face their second, arguably more critical test: to help neighbouring countries care for these refugees and accept greater numbers of them for resettlement or to see states, including important allies such as Jordan or critical regional actors such as Syria, buckle under the strain of a burden that far exceeds their limited resources.

Complete 47 page report at the link.

[Jedburgh]

Middle East Institute, Jul 08: Iraq's Refugee and IDP Crisis: Human Toll and Implications

Iraq's Refugee and IDP Crisis: Human Toll and Implications is a wide-ranging collection of essays that explore the challenges facing Iraq, the international community, and the refugees themselves. Fifteen leading experts and practitioners from around the world provide thought-provoking commentaries on a wide range of issues, including the factors that triggered the refugee flow; the response of the US, Iraq, and the international community; the prospects for the refugees' return; the impact on Iraq's neighbors, and much more. This special edition of MEI's prestigious Viewpoints series also includes maps and statistics about the state of Iraq’s millions of refugees and IDPs as well as a comprehensive bibliography and the testimonies of refugees themselves.