Going Back or Staying Better: Processes of Return After Displacement due to ISIL

By Dr. Nesreen Barwari. 2018.

More than three years after the occupation of large parts of Iraqi territory by ISIL, over 1.7 million have returned to their places of origin as Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga retook areas. However, more than 3 million Iraqis remain displaced.

Duhok, a governorate with a population of 1.5 million, today hosts more than 750,000 refugees and IDPs. 30 percent of them are living in 27 camps and the rest are living among the hosting community across the governorate. Out of 5,235 dunams (1,309 ha) of land allocated by the Duhok governorate for establishing 27 IDPs and refugee camps, 3,765 dunams (941 ha) is agricultural land rented from farmers and landlords. Annually the government pays $1.75 million to the landowners. Until the end of 2017, the government had spent $24 million on camp construction.