The displaced are in their ninth Ramadan.. That is why their suffering has become a forgotten story in Iraq

Thousands of Iraqi families receive their ninth Ramadan in the displacement camps, amid poor humanitarian conditions and the absence of the most basic Ramadan rituals and traditions that Iraqis are accustomed to every year.

And every Ramadan, the displaced people from the camps recall their memories of the holy month, express their grief over the state of their situation, and hope that their tragic situation will improve in the coming years.

Organizations and volunteers take the initiative to distribute food baskets to camp residents during Ramadan (Al-Jazeera)

Ramadan Camps

Marwan Muhammad Hamid - a displaced person from Mosul since 2014 - says that they are accustomed to camp life, and that they can leave and enter it freely at any time.

Hamed shows to Al Jazeera Net that families in the camps subsist on food and aid sent by humanitarian organizations, pointing out that some of their youth go to work, some of them work in some companies, and some of them work in factories and factories or in simple shops and shopping centers, and some of them own carts. Tuk-Tuks are working on it.

Thousands of displaced people receive Ramadan in the camps, amid the absence of Ramadan rituals and traditions (communication sites)

As for the Ramadan atmosphere, Hamed says that it is normal, and people follow some customs and traditions in terms of exchanging suhoor and breakfast dishes, and despite their attempt to bring the usual Ramadan rituals, they are mixed with the pain and suffering of the tents in which they live.

Hamed recalls the memories of the month of Ramadan in his city of Mosul, describing it by saying, "The atmosphere was very wonderful, with family visits at breakfast and the gathering of the whole family on one trip, but now in light of this displacement, families have dispersed and began to face great difficulties during the years of displacement since 2014."

Regarding the reason for his continued displacement, he says, "We are looking for safety, stability, coexistence and non-discrimination, and all of these are still missing in our areas."

Alfa Ali: The needs of the displaced increase in Ramadan, and most of them are below the poverty line (Al-Jazeera)

Difficult conditions

For her part, Alpha Ali, director of the Baharka camp in Erbil, says that the life of displaced people is difficult, starting with the quality of housing that does not protect them from cold or heat, in addition to depriving most children of education due to poverty, and the loss of identification documents, and there are unremitting efforts to solve these problems. .

In her interview with Al Jazeera Net, Alpha indicates that the Corona pandemic led to the withdrawal of most organizations from the camps, and for government agencies, their role from the beginning was limited, but in the past two years almost, we have not seen any presence.

She pointed out that the month of Ramadan is different and its needs are more, and unfortunately many of the displaced who are below the poverty line are unable to secure these needs.

She called for the development of radical plans and durable solutions to help the displaced return to their areas of origin, a burden that the government must bear, as the displaced need the help of all governmental and non-governmental agencies.

Sobhi confirms the increasing suffering of the displaced during Ramadan in the absence of basic life requirements (Al-Jazeera)

Ramadan baskets

In turn, the Director of Bridge for Relief and Humanitarian Development, Ahmed Sobhi, points out that all the displaced families in the shelter camps are in a constant struggle to provide basic living requirements, and the problem lies in the lack of looming solutions, and this increases their suffering.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Sobhi confirms that the displaced families suffer from harsh conditions, whether health or economic, and with the advent of Ramadan, the suffering increases, amid the absence of government funding, lack of food and the loss of basic life requirements.

Regarding the atmosphere of Ramadan, Sobhi points out that there is a vast difference between a family receiving the holy month in their home, and another receiving it in a tent, but the displaced are trying to create hope and life by restoring some Ramadan atmosphere in the camp.

He points out that "the Iraqis used to provide Ramadan baskets to all those in need during the days of Ramadan, and there are humanitarian agencies and organizations that do this, and our organization is working to equip displaced families with the needs of the month of Ramadan, and there are many other organizations working on the same project."

Sobhi called for international cooperation to intervene and end the issue of displacement in Iraq by returning the displaced families to their original areas of residence, by providing a safe environment and improving the economic, service and living reality.

Al-Najjar pointed out that the displaced have been suffering for 9 years from deprivation and scarcity of food (Al-Jazeera)

deprivation and solutions

In turn, journalist and researcher Mahmoud Al-Najjar says that the displaced have turned into a forgotten story in Iraq, as this country has been subjected to many wars, attacks, setbacks and internal conflicts for many years.

In his interview with Al Jazeera Net, Al-Najjar indicated that there are more than 250 thousand displaced people living in Iraqi camps and some camps in Syria and others, and these displaced people lost their homes, property and all their rights there.

He points out that the displaced have been suffering for 9 years from deprivation and a severe shortage of food, and there are no good health and medical centers to receive patients in the camps, and there are widespread diseases among children and women, and there is a very high unemployment rate among the youth segment, with the absence of schools and educational centers that care for children and girls and young people to teach them to return to their areas one day and build their communities.

Al-Najjar said that "the Iraqi government deliberately keeps these displaced people in the camps, for reasons, most notably political deals in the elections."

He expresses his belief that the crisis of the displaced can be ended if it is resolved judicially and if their destroyed areas are reconstructed, and armed factions and clans that own weapons are removed from the areas of the displaced, and that they are held by a force of the Iraqi army, and that the displaced return to their areas according to a gradual plan related to educating the community, and implementing solutions Logical and societal reconciliation.