The Iraqi Refugee Crisis

AFSC Spring/Summer 2008

Refugees, internally displaced persons, and casualties since the U.S. invasion

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The Iraq war and U.S. occupation are catastrophes for Iraqis. The violence has touched every corner of the country, killed hundreds of thousands, and displaced millions. Estimates of the war’s costs differ in magnitude but agree that the impact has been devastating.

Half of the Iraqis displaced by the war and U.S. occupation, more than 2 million men, women and children, have left Iraq. Most have moved to neighboring states ill equipped for the influx. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said, “The international community needs to provide more support to Iraqis themselves through the programs that assist Iraqi refugees in Syria, Jordan, and other host countries. Up until now the international assistance has been out of proportion to the challenges that these countries face.” (Feb. 28, 2008) Jordan, the country with the highest per-capita refugee population in the world, started to restrict access after one in seven of its residents were Iraqis. On September 10, 2007, after welcoming 1.3 million Iraqis, Syria announced that any additional refugees would require special visas.

Internal refugees

Internally displaced people (IDPs) are people who have been forced from their homes and are unable or unwilling to leave the country. There are approximately 2.7 million internally displaced Iraqis. Many of Iraq’s IDPs have left their homes because of violence from occupation troops, sectarian and political warfare, threats of abductions and assassinations, and need for food, water, healthcare, and education. “If the situation continues to deteriorate, we’re going to see hundreds of thousands more displaced,” said Andrew Harper for UNHCR.

Conditions for IDPs are not improving under U.S. military occupation. The security situation has forced NGOs to work outside of Iraq with poor information and inconsistent aid delivery. Iraq’s government, according to a report from the Refugee Studies Center, lacks the logistical, financial, and security resources to adequately address the needs of IDPs. With little support from NGOs, Iraq’s government, or the occupying forces, conditions for all those who remain in Iraq are quickly deteriorating:

It is estimated that 40% of Iraq’s professional class and 35% of doctors have left Iraq since 2003. This is what is frequently referred to as a “brain drain," making rebuilding efforts particularly difficult. (Nov. 2, 2006, Brookings Institution)
Nationwide class attendance in Iraq is close to 30%. Comparatively, only 55% of Iraqi refugees in Lebanon and 13% in Syria go to school. (June 2007, Forced Migration Review and Feb. 2008, Brookings Institution)
The collapse of infrastructure since the U.S.-led invasion has been devastating for basic government services. Only 32% of Iraqis have access to drinking water and just 19% live in areas with working sewers. (June 2007, Forced Migration Review)

A worldwide crisis

Despite tremendous visa restrictions, 100,000 Iraqis have moved out of the Middle East. In 2008, the United States offered to resettle 12,000 but has only admitted 2,000. Countries with large populations of Iraqis include: Germany - 36,200, U.K. - 22,000, Netherlands - 21,800, Sweden - 23,600, Australia - 11,100, and Denmark - 9,900. (September 2007, UNHCR, November 2007, Refugees International)

The violence they flee

Casualty figures will continue to grow as military operations, sectarian militia violence and a declining humanitarian situation prevail. A number of sources have attempted to estimate the death toll of Iraqi civilians:

Opinion Research Business, a British polling firm, conducted a survey of Iraqi homes to calculate the death toll. More than a quarter of Iraqi adults have had a family member murdered and 23% living in Baghdad have had a family member kidnapped in the last three years. They estimate that more than a million Iraqis have died due to the violence. (Sept. 2007, www.opinion.co.uk)
Using statistical methods tested in other conflict zones, a Johns Hopkins study published in 2006 estimated 655,000 war-related deaths since March 2003. That accounts for about 2.5% of Iraq’s population. (Oct. 11, 2006, www.lancet.com)
In November 2006, Iraq’s Ministry of Health put civilian deaths at 150,000 since the March 2003 invasion. The numbers were based on an average of 100 deaths a day as treated by hospitals and morgues. They have subsequently stopped reporting casualty totals. (Nov. 9, 2006, International Herald Tribune)
Iraq Body Count, a website that reports casualties based on news sources, places the total between 81,632 and 89,103. (March 4, 2008, www.iraqbodycount.org)

The Crisis in Quotes

“The aftermath of war in Iraq, where thousands upon thousands may die or spend the rest of their lives in pain and wretchedness, will be greater unrest in the Middle East and hatred of America for generations to come.”

Paul Lacey
AFSC Presiding Clerk

“The displacement of Iraqis from Iraq is now the fastest-growing refugee crisis in the world.”

Refugees International

“The needs of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced are enormous and growing by the day. So, too, is the strain on host governments and communities struggling to cope with the massive numbers of Iraqis who have fled their homes.”