Photo by Ben Allen, June 16, 2014.
Action Against Hunger is urging the international community to act quickly to mount a coordinated humanitarian response to the hundreds of thousands of people currently fleeing the escalating violence in Iraq.
Hundreds of thousands of people—mainly families escaping violence in Mosul, in northern Iraq—have fled to the border of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The United Nations has reported 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Governorate of Erbil, and another 200,000 people in Dohuk.
To prevent health conditions from worsening, an appropriate response should be implemented as soon as possible, both in host communities in Iraqi Kurdistan and in the camps where the IDPs are finding refuge.
A team of emergency reinforcements from Paris is on the ground assessing needs and supporting staff of aid organizations already working in the affected areas.
Action Against Hunger’s teams will provide immediate assistance, including access to water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as psychological counseling for those who have been traumatized by the attacks. We are opening an additional base in Dohuk to support regional authorities’ efforts to take in more displaced people.
Given the great extent of the need, we call on the international community to coordinate and mobilize a response to provide aid to displaced families and their host communities as quickly as possible.
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