Displaced Iraqi girl living in abandoned mosque freezes to death
Displaced Iraqi girl living in abandoned mosque freezes to death
The girl was living in an abandoned mosque without adequate heating, as a local official held the government responsible for the ongoing suffering of displaced Iraqis.
2 min read
Iraq has more than 20 camps inhabited by tens of thousands of displaced families [Getty]
A displaced girl hasÌýfrozen to death in northern Iraq'sÌý after the area experienced a sharp drop in temperatures, °®Âþµº's Arabic-language service Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.
The girl was livingÌýwith herÌýfamily in an abandoned in theÌýtown of Hammam al-Alil, about 27 kilometres south of Mosul.
The family could not afford the heating as temperatures plummeted, localÌýmedia reported on Monday.
Nineveh sawÌýa massive wave of displacement after the invaded the province in the summer of 2014. About a quarter of Iraq's 1.2 million displaced peopleÌýlive in Nineveh province.
One local official held the government and ministry of migration and displacementÌýresponsible for the ongoing suffering of the homeless.
"It is surprising that the ministry of migration and displacementÌýtalks about ending [displacement], while more than 37,000 displaced families were unable to return to their homes," theÌýofficial, who wished to remain anonymous to protect his safety, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
"The drop in temperatures will have serious repercussions on the displacement issue, as the displaced need support to provide the simplest services, including heating and cooking necessities,"Ìýthe official continued, stating the government and ministry had failed to find solutions so far.
In October 2020, Iraq's migration ministry announced a push to shut down displacement camps nationwide,Ìýwith a stated aim ofÌýhavingÌýdisplaced people return to their homes.
The announcement was met with outcry by many IDPs and their advocates, who said displaced people could not return to their homes as the environment lackedÌýsecurity and services.
By January 2021, the migration and displacement ministryÌý.
TheÌýmove left more thanÌý they could return home safely or find another camp to live in, according to Human Rights Watch.
Iraq stillÌýhas more thanÌý20 camps housing tens of thousands of displaced families, most of them in the Kurdistan region.
However, mostÌýdisplacedÌýIraqis reside in informal sites, includingÌýabandoned or unfinished buildings.
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