Baghdad, Erbil, UN coordinate ahead of Mosul humanitarian catastrophe

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurdish, Iraqi, and United Nations (UN) representatives established a joint committee on Thursday to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced people during the Mosul operation.

In a press conference, the Interior Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Karim Sinjari, Iraqi Minister of Migration and Displacement Darbaz Mohammed, and the UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq Lise Grande announced the creation of the joint committee in Erbil.

Sinjari stated the committee is part of the cooperation and preparation for the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) and implementing a plan for immediate humanitarian aid to the displaced people.

“According to the agreement, the provinces of the Kurdistan Region will supervise the aid to the displaced people wherever it is needed in coordination with the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement, and the UN,” he said.

Mohammed stated the humanitarian side of the Mosul operation is important to everyone. Therefore, understanding between Erbil, Baghdad, and the UN is aimed to give the “best responses” to any humanitarian catastrophe that might occur.

“We have a good coordination with the KRG,” he continued. “So far, 200,000 displaced families have returned to their area, which is equal to 1.2 million individuals.”

Mohammed mentioned that on a daily basis, they create documents for the displaced persons who decide to return from the Kurdistan Region to the liberated territories.

Kurdistan is home to 1.8 million refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who mostly fled from other parts of Iraq due to the threat of IS.

Iraqi security and Kurdish Peshmerga forces with the US-led coalition are preparing for an offensive to liberate Mosul from the jihadist group under their control since June 2014.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
(Hoshmand Sadiq contributed to this report)