Erbil displacement camp families: unpaid return grants and unfulfilled promises

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, displaced families at the Baharka camp in Erbil, Kurdistan Region (KRI), reported that they had not received the promised four million dinars ($3,057.53) grant per family for returning to their original homes.

Muhammad Abdullah, a displaced person who decided to return home, told Shafaq News Agency, "The Federal Ministry of Immigration and Displacement promised to provide cars for our belongings but failed to do so, forcing many of us to return at our own expense despite our hard financial condition."

Another displaced person, Marwan Hamid, affirmed to our agency, "The Ministry of Immigration promised 4 million dinars for each returning family, but we haven't received any funds or transportation."

Displaced Samira Ali stated, "After 11 years in Erbil camps, we decided to return but received no financial aid from the Ministry and have no homes to return to in Mosul."

Shafaq News Agency could not secure a permit from the Immigration and Displacement Department in Erbil Governorate.

Notably, the Ministry of Immigration and Displacement, following PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani's directives, had set July 30 as the deadline for closing displacement camps and offered 4 million dinars per family to encourage their return.

Since Iraq's victory over ISIS at the end of 2017, the Ministry has been working to close displacement camps, primarily in the KRI, where displaced people sought refuge after the 2014 ISIS attack.