Ministry spokesperson Ali Abbas said that nearly 10,000 people have returned to the Yazidi heartland, with the latest convoy of 326 people departing Mam Rashan camp in Duhok province on November 6.
Each returning family will be given four million Iraqi dinars (about $3,050) along with some basic household items including a fridge, stove, and television, according to Abbas. This is provided by the Iraqi government to encourage internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return home.
Despite the incentives, many families are reluctant to leave because of continued violence in their homelands, 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, unable to piece together the basics.
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.
According to the United Nations International Organization for Migration, as of August there are 1,053,038 IDPs across the country, primarily in Duhok, Erbil, Nineveh, Kirkuk, and Sulaimani provinces. It has documented 4,897,129 people who have returned to their homes after the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS).
So far this year, about 70,000 people have returned to their homes, according to the UN figures.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this report.
