SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Five displacement camps will be closed in Diyala and Baghdad in the near future, according to the Iraqi ministry of migration and displaced.
The Iraqi ministry said on Tuesday (October 20) that the camps would be closed according to a directive from Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
The ministry added that 1.5 million Iraqis dinars would be given to nearly 5,000 displaced families who return to their places.
Two of the camps are located in Khanaqin district, according to Ali Ghazi Agha, director of migration and displaced office in Khanaqin.
“We have a camp in Baqubah, called Saad Camp, and it will be closed this week. Alwand Camp-2 will also be closed,” Ghazi told Esta Media Network.
There are 527 families in Alwand-1 displacement camp and 160 others in Alwand-2, the local official said.
“We try to encourage those who are in Alwand-2 to their places, and if someone has a security dossier, we will transfer them to Alwand-1,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were displaced throughout Iraq during the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) militant group, which overran a large swath of Iraqi territory in 2014.
Many displaced people are still unable to return to their places due to a lack of security, infrastructure, or employment opportunities.
As of August 31, there were 1,299,987 Iraqi displaced persons in the country, including 263,355 living in the camps, according to UNHCR.
