“We had no choice other than to leave because it was not safe for our children. We left everything – our clothes, our furniture, even our food.”
Nafa Jihad, 40, father
More than 3 million Iraqis have been displaced across the country since the start of 2014 and over 260,000 are refugees in other countries. Mass executions, systematic rape and horrendous acts of violence are widespread, and human rights and rule of law are under constant attack. It is estimated that over 11 million Iraqis are currently in need of humanitarian assistance.
More than 1.5 million people have taken refuge in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where one in every four is either a refugee or an internally displaced person. Communities, authorities and infrastructure are at breaking point.
What is UNHCR doing to help?
UNHCR is on the ground in Iraq and surrounding regions, providing protection and life-saving aid such as tents, mattresses and other basic essentials. But as the situation worsens our supplies are running low.