Anbar Displaced Face 'Tragic Situation' in Deadly Heat
After a decade of displacement, over 3,000 families in Anbar's Bzeibiz camps face a humanitarian crisis in extreme heat, lacking water and electricity. They and activists plead for government action to return them home.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Thousands of displaced Iraqis who have been stranded for a decade in the Bzeibiz camps in Anbar province are enduring a severe humanitarian crisis, as soaring summer temperatures compound the misery of life without basic necessities and prompt urgent calls for the central government to finally resolve their protracted displacement.
With temperatures climbing past 50 degrees Celsius, the suffering for more than three thousand families has become unbearable. The camps lack the most fundamental requirements for a dignified life, particularly reliable access to water and electricity.
According to a report from Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Anbar, Mohammed al-Dulaimi, the harsh conditions have led to several recorded cases of fainting among children and the elderly, who are housed in worn-out tents that offer no protection from the intense summer heat.
Speaking to Kurdistan24, residents of the camp described their desperate situation and pleaded for intervention. "In this hot weather, there are no basic services like water and electricity, and the atmosphere is extremely hot," said Abu Aqeel, a man displaced from the Jorf al-Sakhar area. "We call on the government to find a solution and return us to our homes. The government hasn't even been able to provide us with an air cooler, and most families here don't have any cooling devices."
The dire circumstances have also mobilized human rights organizations, which are stressing the need for relevant authorities to find an immediate solution to return the displaced people from Jorf al-Sakhar and al-Oweisat to their home regions and rescue them from what one activist called a "devastating tragedy."
"The displaced people are facing a tragic situation," human rights activist Omar Hamed al-Jumaili told Kurdistan24. "We have repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to bring justice to these oppressed people. They are truly oppressed."
In a direct appeal, al-Jumaili challenged the country's leadership to address the neglect. "We have appealed to all political forces and to the Prime Minister. Today, through your channel, we send a message to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Migration and Displaced: Are these people Iraqis or not? I hope my question and my message reach the Prime Minister."
The Bzeibiz camp is home to a large community of children, adults, and elderly individuals who were forcibly displaced from their homes ten years ago and have been unable to return since.
