Sulaimani Governor announces closure of all IDP, refugee camps in province

Now, with the closure of camps in Arbat, Ashti, Soordash, Barzanja, Quratu, and Taze De, there are no remaining IDPs or refugees within the province and the Garmian Independent Administration.

Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir, speaking at the Conference. (Photo: Kurdistan24)
Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir, speaking at the Conference. (Photo: Kurdistan24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Tuesday, Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir, speaking at the Conference on Promoting the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), announced the closure of all refugee camps in Sulaimani province.

The two-day Conference of Promoting Rights of Internally Displaced Persons According to International Standards has been organized jointly by the Office of Kurdistan Region’s Office of International Advocacy and International Organization for Migration (IOM)

He emphasized that all services provided to the refugees had been solely supported by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Abubakir revealed that since the 2014 ISIS attacks, 251,949 individuals (50,213 families) had sought refuge in Sulaimani.

Now, with the closure of camps in Arbat, Ashti, Soordash, Barzanja, Quratu, and Taze De, there are no remaining IDPs or refugees within the province and the Garmian Independent Administration.

However, 126,474 refugees continue to live outside the camps, facing significant challenges. The federal government and many organizations have suspended support, leaving the KRG to bear the full burden of providing humanitarian, health, educational, and basic services.

Abubakir criticized the lack of implementation of a federal budget allocation for assisting refugees residing outside camps in Sulaimani.

He emphasized the voluntary nature of refugee returns and highlighted the ongoing displacement of Kurdish communities in border areas due to the conflict between the PKK and Turkey.

He urged organizations to provide aid to these displaced people and pressure both sides to avoid using the Kurdistan Region as a battleground.

He said, “Every day along the border from Qandil to Garmk, Kurdish people's fields and gardens are burned due to bombings and their houses are destroyed, so we urge the organizations to come to the aid of these people. At the meantime, they ought to put pressure on both sides of this ongoing conflict to not use the Kurdistan Region as their arena to settle scores.”

Finally, Abubakir announced the opening of a new camp in Soordash, per the federal government's decision, to accommodate political refugees. He urged the international community to pay attention to the plight of IDPs and refugees in the region.

The Office of the Coordinator of International Advocacy, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), is hosting  a conference focused on internally displaced persons (IDPs) and human rights.

This event falls within the framework of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) comprehensive Human Rights Plan.

The Kurdistan Region, despite regional instability, provides a safe haven for over one million refugees and IDPs.