Refugees of Iraq

Iraqi Kurds fleeing to Turkey in April 1991, as part of Operation Provide Comfort during the Gulf War

Throughout the 20th century, Iraq witnessed multiple periods of instability and conflict that prompted the creation and flight of many refugees. Earlier examples include the exodus of Iraqi Jews and the flight of Iraqi Kurds. The Iraqi invasion of Iran in 1980 and the ensuing Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988) triggered a deterioration of ties among the country's various ethnic and religious communities, and also exacerbated in violent events like the Ba'athist Arabization campaigns in northern Iraq (1968–2003), which led to the killing and displacement of thousands of minorities. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (1990) and the ensuing Gulf War (1990–1991), which ended with Iraq's defeat and the application of United Nations sanctions (1991–2003), also resulted in the creation of many Iraqi refugees. It was not until the beginning of the ongoing Iraqi conflict, however, that sustained waves of Iraqi refugees would be created, numbering in the millions: the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the ensuing Iraq War (2003–2011) killed and displaced hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, both internally and externally, and the later War in Iraq (2003–2017) forced even more people to flee from the country. Many Iraqi refugees established themselves in urban areas of other countries rather than in refugee camps.[1]

In April 2007, there were approximately four million Iraqi refugees around the world, including: 1.9 million within Iraq; two million in neighbouring Arab countries, as well as in Iran and Turkey; and approximately 200,000 outside of the Middle East entirely.[2][3][4][5][6] The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has led the humanitarian efforts for Iraqi refugees.[5] The number of displaced persons and refugees from the Iraqi conflict is considered to be the largest in the Middle East, though this figure may now be lower than that of the refugees of the Syrian civil war.[5][7]

As of 2024, Iraq is experiencing relative stability, but still faces significant humanitarian, development needs, and security challenges. The country has approximately 1.14 million internally displaced persons (IDP) after seeing 5 million IDP returnees. In 2024, the UNHCR enhanced the transitioning from emergency response to a longer-term development approach, emphasizing durable solutions and strengthening national systems to provide essential services like child protection and aid and assistance against gender-based violence.[8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lischer (corrected title) was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Chatty, Dawn (December 2010). "Iraq Refugees: Seeking Safety". The World Today. 68 (12): 22–23. JSTOR 41963034.
  3. ^ "Iraq refugees chased from home, struggle to cope". CNN.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  4. ^ "Statistics on displaced iraqis around the world" (PDF). United Nations High Committee for Refugees. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Fagan, P.W (2009). "Iraqi Refugees: Seeking Stability in Syria and Jordan". Institute for the Study of International Migration.
  6. ^ Mowafi, H; Spiegel, P (2008). "The iraqi refugee crisis: Familiar problems and new challenges". Journal of the American Medical Association. 299 (14): 1713–1715. doi:10.1001/jama.299.14.1713. PMID 18398084.
  7. ^ Makbel, M (2007). "Refugees in limbo: the plight of iraqis in bordering states". Middle East Report. 244 (244): 10–17. JSTOR 25164797.
  8. ^ "Iraq situation". Global Focus. Retrieved 2024-03-17.