• An Iraqi boy sits in a bus transporting displaced families from a displaced persons camp in Habbaniyah in Iraq's Anbar province. AFP
    An Iraqi boy sits in a bus transporting displaced families from a displaced persons camp in Habbaniyah in Iraq's Anbar province. AFP
  • Iraqis sit in a bus transporting displaced families from the camp in Habbaniyah in Iraq's Anbar province. AFP
    Iraqis sit in a bus transporting displaced families from the camp in Habbaniyah in Iraq's Anbar province. AFP
  • Iraqi soldiers secure buses transporting displaced families from the displaced persons camp in Habbaniyah. AFP
    Iraqi soldiers secure buses transporting displaced families from the displaced persons camp in Habbaniyah. AFP
  • Iraqi soldiers escort buses taking displaced families from the Habbaniyah camp. AFP
    Iraqi soldiers escort buses taking displaced families from the Habbaniyah camp. AFP
  • Dismantled tents are all that is left after families were moved out of the Habbaniyah Tourist Camp. AFP
    Dismantled tents are all that is left after families were moved out of the Habbaniyah Tourist Camp. AFP
  • An abandoned tent at the Habbaniyah Tourist Camp, about 80 kilometres west of Baghdad. AFP
    An abandoned tent at the Habbaniyah Tourist Camp, about 80 kilometres west of Baghdad. AFP
  • A displaced Iraqi woman packs her belongings as she prepares to be evacuated from the Hammam Al Alil camp south of Mosul in Nineveh province. Reuters
    A displaced Iraqi woman packs her belongings as she prepares to be evacuated from the Hammam Al Alil camp south of Mosul in Nineveh province. Reuters
  • An Iraqi boy walks though the displaced persons camp in Habbaniyah in Iraq's Anbar province. AFP
    An Iraqi boy walks though the displaced persons camp in Habbaniyah in Iraq's Anbar province. AFP
  • A girl plays on a swing at the Hammam Al Alil camp as displaced Iraqis prepare to be moved out. Reuters
    A girl plays on a swing at the Hammam Al Alil camp as displaced Iraqis prepare to be moved out. Reuters
  • Displaced Iraqis load their belongings on to a lorry as they prepare to leave Hammam Al Alil camp. Reuters
    Displaced Iraqis load their belongings on to a lorry as they prepare to leave Hammam Al Alil camp. Reuters
  • An Iraqi man dismantles his tent as he prepares to leave at Hammam Al Alil camp south of Mosul. Reuters
    An Iraqi man dismantles his tent as he prepares to leave at Hammam Al Alil camp south of Mosul. Reuters
  • Displaced Iraqis ride on a lorry as they are evacuated from the Hammam Al Alil camp. Reuters
    Displaced Iraqis ride on a lorry as they are evacuated from the Hammam Al Alil camp. Reuters
  • Displaced Iraqis load a lorry as they prepare to leave the Hammam Al Alil camp. Reuters
    Displaced Iraqis load a lorry as they prepare to leave the Hammam Al Alil camp. Reuters

‘I can’t go back’: Iraq’s displaced families face yet more hardship as camps close


Sinan Mahmoud
  • English
  • Arabic

Facing threats in her home town, Nahida Wasmi Khalid had no choice but to cram into a small apartment with her 16-member family after authorities shut down a camp hosting internally displaced people.

"I can't go back because of security concerns," Ms Khalid, the wife of an ISIS militant, told The National over the phone from the northern city of Mosul.

“I can’t put my kids and the rest of my family in such risk.”

Last month, the Iraqi government began a campaign to close down camps erected for millions of internally displaced people (IDPs) since mid-2014 when ISIS swept through the country’s north and west.

Non-governmental organisations have criticised the move as hasty and warned that it could expose families to danger or pile on hardship amid the coronavirus pandemic and onset of winter.

More than 3.5 million people were displaced after the 2014 ISIS onslaught and the more than three years fight that followed, according to the International Organisation for Migration. That number has reduced to nearly 1.3 million now as the majority of them returned home after ISIS was driven out, according to IOM data.

The government has to offer accommodation for those who can't stay in their homes and can't rent properties

Ms Khalid was among those who chose to stay at Hamam Al Alil camp to the south of Mosul.

Her husband disappeared during the more than three-year fight to defeat ISIS.

Inside the camp, she had access to health services, food and education. To make ends meet, she worked as a volunteer inside the camp for 250,000 Iraqi dinar a month (about $200).

As news of relocating IDPs surfaced, residents of Qayyarah city to the east of Mosul, where Ms Khalid used to live, vowed to take revenge on returning ISIS families.

“There were threats on Facebook, warning us from returning to our home town,” said Ms Khalid who said her house has now been confiscated by the Sunni leader of a government-sanctioned militia.

“When they notified us, I asked the mayor that I just want my house back so that I can rent it in order to live in another safe area, but they refused,” she added.

As time was running short, she had to borrow money to rent a small floor in a house inside Mosul for her extended family for 125,000 Iraqi dinar ($100) per month.

“We have been here since Thursday, there’s no water and no more than five hours of electricity during the day,” the 38-year old mother of five said.

She is now hunting for any job to feed her family.

The latest drive by the government has faced criticism from the UN and NGOs.

In a briefing in Geneva on Friday, the spokesman of the UN High Commission for Refugees, Babar Baloch said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees was ramping up support “in an effort to mitigate some of the [move] adverse effects,” of so many camps closing.

Mr Baloch painted a chaotic picture of the situation.

“Government information about camp closures and timelines have changed rapidly, creating uncertainty for many IDP families,” he said.

“Many have objected to leaving camps now over concerns about conditions and destruction, tensions and insecurity in the areas of return. Some IDPs say they were given only two-days’ notice to leave their shelters,” he added.

UNHCR has shared its concerns with the government, stressing that some of the closures have been conducted without adequate notice and consultation with IDP representatives and aid agencies working in the camps, he said.

But the government has defended the move.

"We gave them notice to leave and all of them left voluntarily; none was forced to leave," Deputy Minister of Migration and Displacement, Karim Al Nouri, told The National.

“We helped some of them to solve their problems in their areas in co-operation with the tribes, while those who can't return to their homes can move to another camp,” Mr Al Nouri added, saying the government plans to end the process by the end of this year.

One of the reasons for the closure, he continued, is to “prevent manipulating their votes in the coming national elections” suggested to be held in June next year.

In 2018 national elections, displaced people voted from their camps for candidates in their areas, but the vote was marred by allegations of fraud, prompting authorities to cancel some of the ballots.

Since late October, 15 camps have been closed in different areas, while seven others will be closed in the coming weeks, according to the Ministry’s spokesman, Ali Abbas.

Twenty-six other camps in the northern Kurdish region hosting mainly Yazidis will remain open, Mr Abbas added.

Many IDPs have returned to obliterated homes

About 90 per cent of Mohammed Al Essa’s house in Al Baaj town, located south west of Mosul, was demolished in the fight to chase out ISIS from the area, leaving only one room to use. He fled the town in 2015.

To accommodate his family, he is using a small mud house which belonged to a neighbour. The hut is in poor condition; rainwater poured into the property a few days ago, forcing him to bodge a repair using plastic sheets.

“I have no objection to leaving the camp, but the government has to offer accommodation for those who can’t stay in their homes and can’t rent properties,” Mr Al Essa said.

“We have no problem with the security situation here, but there are no adequate services … we have no health services, we have to buy drinkable water while we have no more than 12 hours of electricity a day,” the 31-year old father of seven added.

"For emergencies in case the mud house collapses, I brought with me a tent from the camp and erected it inside my demolished house," he added.

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

 

 

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

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Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

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Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

Countries offering golden visas

UK
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Germany
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Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.

Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.

Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence. 

Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

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 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

 Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

 Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)

 Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

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The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).

Second leg

Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm

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PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers