Baghdad has plans to merge several IDP camps in the Kurdistan Region where “only a small number of families remain,” ministry spokesperson Ali Abbas told Rudaw.
“This process requires money to provide the necessary supplies, and currently, due to the budget schedule not being approved, this work has been suspended,” Abbas said.
The Iraqi parliament is yet to approve budget allocations for this year.
On Wednesday, Abbas told Rudaw that about 23,000 families remain in camps in the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil and Duhok provinces but that returns have slowed down. According to United Nations figures, about 109,000 displaced Iraqis are living in 21 camps in the Kurdistan Region.
Compensation promised by Baghdad for people who want to return to their homes has also been paused due to a lack of funds, which has slowed the return process.
The Iraqi government last year said it would give four million dinars (about $3,050) to each returning family, one of several measures to encourage people to leave the camps. Other incentives include providing job opportunities in both the public and private sectors, providing monthly social security stipends for low-income and needy individuals, and offering interest-free bank loans.
Many of the camps in the Kurdistan Region suffer from a lack of funds, as the humanitarian focus has shifted from emergency response to development and stabilization.
Human rights advocates have expressed concern about Iraq’s push to close the camps, stressing that all returns must be safe, voluntary, and dignified.
Despite the incentives from Baghdad, many families are reluctant to leave the camps because of continued violence in their home areas, a lack of reconstruction following the destruction of their houses, and little in the way of basic services. Some who voluntarily left the camps have been forced to return.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this report.
