Mosul crisis | World Vision Australia

Mosul news

Latest humanitarian needs and how we're responding

World Vision is supporting children and families who are fleeing western Mosul as the military offensive to re-take the second half of the city gains pace.
The UN is warning that "the worst is still to come" with 400,000 civilians still trapped in the old city area of Mosul, where there are reports of dire food and water shortages.
Over 270,000 people have been displaced from in and around Mosul since 17 October 2016, according to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
World Vision has been supporting more than 66,000 people who have fled eastern Mosul through the provision of clean water and Child Friendly Spaces in displacement camps and through the provision of essential supplies to help families stay fed and warm during the winter.

Iraq conflict - mosul crisis explained

Widespread conflict erupted in Iraq in early 2014 and to date this has affected more than 10 million people.

Mosul is Iraq’s second largest city with a pre-conflict population of 3 million. In June 2014, Mosul and large parts of northern Iraq were seized by ISIL and other armed groups.

Since then the city has been under ISIL occupation and its trapped residents have endured ongoing violence, displacement, human rights abuses and disruption of basic services such as healthcare and education.

Iraqi Security Forces have been preparing to retake control of Mosul for some time and launched a military offensive on 17 October 2016. This is expected to displace around 700,000 people and a worst case scenario could see up to one million flee.

Families are making dangerous journeys to safety, facing risks from direct and indirect gunfire and homemade bombs. Many are travelling for several days with children and the elderly.

The Iraqi government, the UN and organisations including World Vision are working together to meet the needs of the growing exodus of people from Mosul and seven camps across northern Iraq are receiving new arrivals.

World Vision in Iraq

World Vision first worked in Iraq in the 1990s when our projects focused on rehabilitating schools and rural water and sanitation systems damaged during conflict.

Since 2014, we have been working in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to meet the needs of people who fled Mosul when it was first captured by ISIL.

So far we’ve reached over half a million people. Our focus has been on assisting those living outside of formal displacement camps, particularly those who’ve settled in unused buildings and non-camp structures who have access to less formal assistance.

With presence across most accessible areas of northern Iraq, World Vision is well placed to respond to the influx of people fleeing Mosul.

Fleeing Mosul the end of the beginning

Each day a steady stream of families fleeing Mosul arrive at Debaga camp in northern Iraq, where they begin to pick up the pieces of their lives and start again.

Each day more families arrive at Debaga Camp, south-east of Mosul.

Debaga Camp for displaced people in northern Iraq is now home to over 30,000 people, including new arrivals fleeing conflict in Mosul.

More than 20,000 children have been displaced since the operation to re-take Mosul began, many now live in camps like Debaga.

Many children who fled Mosul did so in the cover of darkness, with only the clothes on their backs across harsh terrain and in freezing temperatures.

A family waits for assistance in Debaga Camp, northern Iraq.

“Our lives have been very difficult, but the biggest difficulty has been for my children,” says *Sabri, who’s living with her family in Debaga Camp. “Under ISIL, they were not allowed to play with each other and they were not allowed to go outside.”

Sabri* and her family have been at Debaga Camp for a month, sleeping in the playground and corridor of a school.

The Debaga Camp has been set up on the outskirts of the city of Erbil in northern Iraq and it is now full to the brim with children and families who’ve fled conflict in northern Iraq.

Debaga Camp was built 18 months ago to house 30,000 people fleeing conflict in northern Iraq. With a new influx of people fleeing Mosul in recent weeks, the camp has reached capacity.

Children who have recently arrived at Debaga Camp after fleeing Mosul wait outside on mattresses. Without enough tents, many have been sleeping here and in corridors of a local school that is within the camp’s boundaries.

*Names have been changed to protect identities

Meet urgent needs

Your donation could help provide children and families with access to clean water and hygiene facilities, child friendly spaces, household items and winter clothing.

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Key Iraq figures

3.3 million

This is the number of people displaced in Iraq, which is roughly equivalent to two-thirds of Sydney’s population.

One in three

Close to one out of every three Iraqis –10 million people – need humanitarian assistance due to ongoing conflict.

50%

It's estimated that roughly half of all those fleeing conflict in Mosul are children.

404,000

World Vision is assisting this many people in northern Iraq, equivalent to four MCGs filled to capacity.

Help children and families fleeing Mosul

Your donation will help World Vision respond to those fleeing the fighting in Mosul, through providing essentials such as food, clean water, hygiene items, child friendly spaces and support for education.