Iraq Displacement Crises 2014-2017

FOREWORD

Since January 2014, Iraq’s war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has caused the displacement of nearly six million Iraqis – around 15% of the entire population of the country.

Four years later, on 9 December 2017, the end to the country’s war against ISIL was declared.

The war against ISIL has precipitated the worst displacement crisis in the history of Iraq. To better understand the overall impact of the crisis, this publication sets out to examine and explain the critical population movements in the last four years.

First, the report provides a full overview of the population movements during the crisis using consolidated data gathered through the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). The DTM has been tracking population movements since the start of the ISIL crisis by an extensive network of 9,500 key informants across Iraq. Subsequently, the study uses in–depth information on identified displacement hotspots to analyze specific geographical areas that have been affected by the crisis.

These area overviews depict the evolution in the number of hosted IDPs, intra–governorate displacement, and highlight the burden of displacement in specific areas as well as the priority needs of the population.

It is my hope that this publication - Iraq Displacement Crisis 2014–2017 - will not only serve as a reminder of the impact of Iraq’s war against ISIL on population movements throughout the country, but also as a base to facilitate assistance to conflict-affected communities.

Gerard Waite

Chief of Mission