DUHOK, Kurdistan Region — As the Iraqi government’s deadline of July 31 approaches for the closure of all IDP camps, including the Khanke camp near Duhok, refugees like Saeed Khidr from Sinjar are grappling with uncertain futures and profound desires to return home.
Saeed Khidr, a disabled refugee who has spent a decade in the confines of Khanke, expressed his longing to return to Sinjar, describing life in the camp as akin to being imprisoned. “We are compelled to return to Sinjar because it is our true home,” Khidr lamented, highlighting the challenges of living without a stable income or employment due to his disability.
Duhok province, home for 20 refugee camps, accommodates a significant number of Kurdish refugees from Rojava (northeastern Syria) and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Sinjar. These camps currently house 25,600 families, with an additional 37,800 families living outside their confines.
Birdaian Jaffar, Director of Duhok’s Refugee and Displaced Directorate, expressed skepticism regarding the Iraqi government’s timeline, doubting the feasibility of closing the camps by July 31. “As for the Kurdistan Region’s stance on the issue,” Jaffar asserted, “we do not compel anyone to leave. The camps will remain open, ensuring continued access to essential services such as schools and hospitals.”
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has pledged ongoing support to refugees, promising facilitation for safe and dignified returns whenever they choose to return to their hometowns. However, with only 1,500 refugees having returned to Sinjar thus far, questions loom over the readiness of both the government and the refugees themselves for this imminent transition.
As the Iraqi government's deadline of July 31 approaches to close all IDP camps in the Kurdistan Region, displaced people from Sinjar face significant challenges in returning to their homes.
Reporting by Ali Dewali pic.twitter.com/QAOmg60GC9
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Under the Iraqi government’s plan, families opting to return home are offered financial support of 4 million Iraqi dinars. Despite this incentive, uncertainties persist among refugees regarding the feasibility and safety of returning to areas still recovering from past conflict.
Iraqi Minister of Immigration and Displacement, Ivan Faiq Jabro, announced on Thursday the closure of Ashti camp in Sulaimani, marking the end of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the province as over 1,800 families returned to their hometowns in the Iraqi southern provinces.
With just over three weeks remaining until the mandated closure of the camps in other provinces, the future of Khanke and other camps hangs in the balance, symbolizing both the hope for return and the uncertainty that pervades the lives of Iraq’s displaced populations.
With reporting by Ali Dewali
