“The United Nations has received allegations of the burning of about 150 houses in Tuz Khurmatu on 16 and 17 October, by armed groups. There were also allegations that up to 11 houses which reportedly belonged to Kurdish families and officials of Kurdish political parties were destroyed by explosives in the city. There were also reports of attacks against political offices of Turkmen parties in the Kirkuk Governorate,” read a statement from the UN in Iraq, UNAMI, on Thursday.
The UN urged Baghdad to take action to prevent such violence, protect all civilians, and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Tens of thousands of civilians fled Kirkuk as Iraqi forces took control of the city on Monday. On Tuesday the UN reported 61,200 had been displaced but the majority had already begun to return. In subsequent days, however, a second wave of civilians has fled the city, fearing violence and looting at the hands of the Shiite forces.
The body's refugee agency, UNHCR, stated on Thursday that "most families fled to Erbil, Sulaimani, and Duhok governorates" and "the majority" are being hosted by relatives and the host community.
Up to 1,000 families from Zummar arrived in Duhok city, Sumel, and Zakho, according to the UNHCR which added its staff oberserved "large numbers of families returning home."
In Sulaimani, two displacement camps distributed non-food items to IDPs in the Garmiyan district. Additionally around 200 families received distributions in Surdash camp with many of those IDPs coming from Tuz Khurmatu after "reports of buildings being set alight and looted."
UNHCR added that some IDPs have also gone to the Kifri district in Diyala governorate.
“There has been considerable displacement in the past few days as people fled pre-emptively, fearing clashes. We anticipate that the majority of families will return to their homes in the coming days, however, there will be groups who are likely to remain displaced and will need ongoing help”, said UNHCR’s deputy representative, Leila Jane Nassif.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday urged all sides to refrain from the use of force and engage in dialogue.
