ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraqi Minister of Migration and Displacement Evan Jabro reiterated her ministry's intention to close all Internal Displaced Person (IDPs) camps and accused “some parties” of using the camps for political and personal benefits.
There are 37,000 displaced Iraqi families still in the Kurdistan Region, according to Jabro, speaking to reporters during a visit to Arbat camp in Sulaimani. Returning these families back to their homes in Iraqi provinces will need cooperation between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), she said.
Last year, the Iraqi government began a push to close about 17 IDP camps around the country, three years after the defeat of the Islamic State group (ISIS).
"The most important obstacles to the return of the displaced to their areas, especially in Salahaddin governorate, are due to clan disputes,” Jabro said. Destruction of homes, businesses, and public infrastructure in the war against ISIS is also an impediment to people returning home, she added.
The ministry has allocated land to build houses at low costs and continues to negotiate with tribal sheikhs to secure the return of the displaced, the minister said.
Many IDPs are reluctant to return home because of continuing violence in their home areas, a lack of reconstruction following the destruction of their homes, and little in the way of basic services. Some who voluntarily left the camps to salvage their homes and livelihoods have been forced to return to the camps, unable to piece together the basics.
The government has received criticism for its policy. Rights monitors say returns of IDPs and refugees must be voluntary.
Jabro said that some of the criticism is coming from “some parties” who used the camps for political and personal gain.
The Kurdistan Region is currently hosting 671,238 displaced Iraqis. Baghdad has asked the KRG to close camps under its control, but Kurdish officials say they will not force IDPs to return home.
