ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdish officials on Wednesday called on the Iraqi federal government to contribute to the aid effort mobilized to support Syrian refugees fleeing the Turkish offensive.
Baghdad has been steadily cutting its humanitarian funding for its own internally displaced persons (IDPs) hosted by the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for several months.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said it will do its best to help those Syrians who have recently entered Region, but stressed it needs the help of international aid agencies and the federal government to cope with the new influx.
KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani told a Council of Ministers session on Wednesday that recent events in Syria will have a “negative impact” on the Kurdistan Region and that “more than 8,000 refugees have entered Kurdistan Region so far”.
His cabinet “will use its utmost effort to help them but we need the help of [Iraqi] federal government and the international community,” he said.
Important cabinet meeting today. On Syria, KRG stands committed to supporting those in the most need and we have a response plan in place to accommodate over 1,000 refugees crossing each day. This is an international crisis and we call on our partners to support.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrour_barzani) October 23, 2019
This is the first time the KRG has called on the Iraqi government to assist them with the refugee response since the crisis began.
The Kurdistan Region has been carrying the burden of supporting more than a million Iraqi IDPs and around a quarter of a million Syrian refugees since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011 and the Islamic State (ISIS) insurgency in 2014, despite crippling financial problems.
Baghdad cut the budget the KRG’s share of the federal budget in 2014 from 17 percent to zero in response to the Region’s independent oil sales. Payments have since resumed at a cut rate of around 12 percent.
Shortfalls in the KRG’s humanitarian aid budget have been met by the international community and aid agencies.
Hoshang Mohammed, director general of the KRG’s Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC) told Rudaw English on Tuesday they expect a further 250,000 Syrian refugees to enter the Region “in the worst case scenario”.
“As the situation continues to escalate and worsen in this region, we expect a quarter of a million people will be fleeing into the Kurdistan Region in the worst case scenario. This is an additional burden to our already depleted capacity,” he said.
The KRG will struggle to manage such huge numbers without international assistance, he added.
The United Nations and aid agencies are laying plans to accept 50,000 Syrians into the Kurdistan Region in the coming months, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
US President Donald Trump withdrew US troops from northern Syria to make way for Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring, launched on October 9.
Washington brokered a pause in the operation last week to allow Kurdish fighters to withdraw. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia’s Vladimir Putin made a separate deal concerning control of the Syria-Turkey border.
That agreement dictates the SDF pull back 30 kilometers from the border within six days. Joint Russian-Turkish patrols will control the border with a depth of 10 kilometers into northern Syria, with the exception of Qamishli.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which was not a party to the talks, has said it is reviewing the deal but not yet commented further.
At least 200,000 civilians have been displaced from their homes by of Turkey’s incursion, according to the Kurdish Red Crescent.
Trump told a press conference at the White House on Wednesday he is lifting all sanctions on Turkey after Ankara said the five-day ceasefire brokered last week will now become permanent, marking an end to Operation Spring Peace.
According to a series of tweets from SDF press chief Mustafa Bali, SDF commander Mazloum Kobani Abdi said: “I just spoke with President Trump and explained to him the Turkish violations of the truce that would not have been possible without his great efforts.”
“We THANK President #Trump for his tireless efforts that stopped the brutal Turkish attack and jihadist groups on our people. President Trump promised to maintain partnership with SDF and long-term support at various spheres,” Abdi added.
