By Shadiya Rasul

SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – While most of the hordes of refugees in the Kurdistan Region from Iraq and Syria have been housed at camps in Erbil and Duhok, in Sulaimani they live in the city itself because regulations forbid camps.

“We are not authorized to set up camps because international laws and the Law of Displacement and Migration of Iraq do not permit it,” explained Osman Mustafa, the Iraqi director of Displacement and Migration in Sulaimani.

Refugees in Sulaimani are living in the towns and districts of the province, leading to a rise in rents and prices. “More than 200 Arab refugees come to us on a daily basis to register their names,” said Mustafa.

He said that refugees come to Sulaimani from three different directions due to its geographic location, and that Arab refugees in Sulaimani came in three different waves: the first after the US-led invasion in 2003; the second at the peak of sectarian fighting in 2006-2007; the third, last month, when Islamic State (IS) fighters launched an advance against Iraqi forces.

Last week, a campaign demanding the relocation of Arab refugees into camps outside the city was organized in Sulaimani.

But Mustafa said: “We need authorization from Baghdad, because without Baghdad’s authorization the international organizations will not help us.”

He added that they had formed a crisis center immediately after the latest upheaval in Iraq, and had appealed for international assistance.

“We could only provide a camp for refugees in Garmiyan. We asked for permission to set up a similar camp in Sulaimani, but we have not received a response yet,” said Mustafa.

There are currently 9,000 displaced families settled in the outskirts of Sulaimani, with 70 percent of them women and children, according to Mustafa’s office.

He explained that Baghdad’s economic embargo on Kurdistan, which includes a freeze on monthly budget payments for seven months, has caused “difficulties” for getting official help to the refugees. “Also, the international organizations deal only with the Iraqi government,” Mustafa added.

“We met with Baghdad’s Ministry of Displacement and Migration. They did not have a program and did not care about the refugees’ living conditions. They have done anything for Sulaimani province before,” complained Mustafa.

“The Iraqi minister of Displacement and Migration told us that they have allocated 21 billion Iraqi dinars for the refugees in Sulaimani, but only 50 million dinars have reached us so far,” according to Mustafa.

He said that the aid sent by the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration was laughable.

“In this hot summer where temperatures reach 43 degrees centigrade, the Iraqi government is sending blankets for the refugees. Forty percent of the refugees are infants and need milk urgently,” said Mustafa.

He mentioned what he told the Iraqi Minister of Displacement and Migration: “There are 16 refugee families living in a mosque in Chamchamal. A woman from a family of Anfal victims is helping those Arab refugees.”

Mustafa said the minister has not responded yet. “The Iraqi government has been sending us refugees since 2003, but it has never offered assistance.”

Rudaw