UNHCR is cooperating with KRG to contain the IDP influx from Sinjar to its territory
"It is imperative that all measures be taken during such security operations to protect civilians and if required, offer safe passage to protection," UNHCR said in a statement, "UNHCR commends the KRG for their welcoming stand."
Some 701 families, 4083 individuals, have now left their homes with the confrontations soaring between the Iraqi army and the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS). Many of them had only but returned back to their homeland in 2020 after having been displaced following the invasion of ISIS in 2014.
"UNHCR continues to advocate for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to be hosted in urban and other settings than camps," the statement continued, "close to two-third of them have, however, moved to IDP camps in Duhok, mainly Chamishko, with a risk of overcrowding and limited access to basic services due to a reduction of humanitarian funding."
"For those in camps, UNHCR continues to advocate with the relevant authorities to authorize people to upgrade their shelters inside IDP camps in Duhok and across Kurdistan Region of Iraq ahead of the summer season, so that these temporary shelters may provide better protection from the elements and reduce the risks of fire hazards," the UNHCR statement concluded.
At least 3,000 people left Sinjar and its surrounding areas, military and local Iraqi Kurdish officials said following the eruption of the clashes.
They said they headed farther north toward the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region to seek refuge.
The residents left when clashes intensified on Monday between the Iraqi army and the YBS, a militia group with ties to the Turkish insurgent Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK).
Many were Yazidis displaced during the 2014 ISIS onslaught and are bracing for another round of violence after returning to their homes only a few years ago.
Most of the displaced were distributed across camps in the Kurdish region.
The violence erupted when the Iraqi military launched an operation late Sunday to clear the area of YBS forces.
By Monday, the fighting spread to other areas in Sinjar district.
In a statement, the Iraqi military said Monday the offensive was to dismantle YBS checkpoints erected in Sinjar that have prevented citizens from returning to their homes and undermined Iraqi state authorities.
When Iraqi military units confronted YBS forces, the statement said, they were met with heavy fire, snipers, and explosives-laden devices on the roads.
The YBS has controlled much of Sinjar since 2014 driving out ISIS from the district.
Their continued presence in the area has drawn the ire of Turkey, which has been battling the PKK since the 1980s. It has led to regular Turkish military offensives on Iraqi soil to root them out.
