When the Islamic State tore through Iraq’s Anbar province a year and a half ago, the extremist onslaught displaced thousands of Sunni Arabs, many of whom sought refuge in Shaqlawa, a sleepy tourist town in the foothills of the Kurdistan region.
Today, Shaqlawa has been transformed from vacation spot into a safe haven from terror. The transition has not been easy; the population has doubled, and jobs, services and accommodation are increasingly hard to come by.
In the process, the town has revealed to very different types of lives for the Iraqis who were forced to flee there: there are those who can afford rent, and those who cannot.
Beautiful houses and resorts cover Shaqlawa’s hillsides, complementing the picturesque city. Also scattered throughout the city, however, are dilapidated houses, shacks and abandoned buildings where thousands of Arabs are now squatting in makeshift housing.
The scenes expose the disparity of wealth among those living there, as well as the consequences of overpopulation and drastic demographic changes. As more Arabs trickle into Shaqlawa in search of peace and stability, the city’s infrastructure becomes more burdened and the fate of its inhabitants hangs in the balance.
Shaqlawa’s mayor Rezgar Hassan Nassir
There is no plan for the internally displaced people (IDPs), said Shaqlawa’s mayor Rezgar Hassan Nassir, and the problems are only growing.
“Before, we were providing services to 25,000 people and now we need to provide to 50,000 people,” Nassir told Rudaw. “This has created a big conflict in terms of being able to provide enough medicine and treatments to all the patients. It also makes it difficult for Shaqlawa people to get jobs.”
Hamdya Musabah, 65 years old refugee
Many Arabs, like Hamdya Musabah, sell fruits and vegetables on the street for their main source of income.
“There is no money, and the house rentals are too expensive,” said the 65-year-old who fled Fallujah a year and a half ago. “It costs thousands of dollars to live in a house. How can I afford it?”
Despite a decline in tourism and job opportunities, the growing population of Arabs is not hurting everyone.
Rizgar Shamoon, 48, owns a motel in Shaqlawa. The Kurd said business has never been better.
“Tourism used to be only three months a year,” he said. “Now there are always people in the streets.”
Arab refugees in Shaqlawa
Shamoon rents out all available rooms at his motel to 14 families at a 70-percent discount, he said. Families pay $650 per month, which is a reasonable rate comparatively, he explained. Having his rooms filled year round makes up for the discount, while the Arabs appreciate the accommodation.
“We Kurds have been refugees throughout history,” he said. “We are used to refugees all over Iraq. They are welcome here.”
Most of Shaqlawa’s refugees and IDPs came from Fallujah, but many from other areas in Iraq and Syria also live in the city. There are no camps for them, and any sort of humanitarian aid is spread too thin to make a difference, said Mohammad Hamood, 44, who leads an organization that assists IDPs from Fallujah.
“The new [IDPs] are living in very poor conditions,” Hamood said. “The economics are bad. They cannot afford rent. They are living in abandoned buildings.”
Hamood said families often consist of 15-20 people, making it even more vital to have steady income.
“We need to give people jobs in Shaqlawa because if they don’t have jobs, they have no money to live,” he said.
Still, the long-lasting impact of these refugees worries officials like Nassir who welcome them only temporarily.
“We are asking them and hoping they will return peacefully to their cities if the situation gets better in Iraq,” he said.
“If the situation in Iraq will last for 20 years as the US and the West countries claim, we will not be able to let the Arabs integrate with the Kurds. We need to distinguish between them.”
