IOM Rapid Assessment Report

Transcription

1 IOM Rapid Assessment Report Tal Yabes and Najmok Villages, Tilkaif District, Ninewa Assessment Date: January 2017 Loca on: Tal Yabes and Najmok villages, Tilkaif district, Ninewa Coordinates: Tal Yabes: Lat.: , Long.: ; Najmok: Lat.: Long.: Descrip on of loca on: Tal Yabes and Najmok villages belong to Tilkaif administra ve district and are located 5 kilometers north of Tilkaif city. Before ISIL took over the two villages, 40 families (200 individuals, 30 houses) resided in Tal Yabes and 22 families (110 individuals, 17 houses) lived in Najmok. Because of their small number, all local residents, almost all Arab Sunnis, are reportedly related to each other. The popula- on depended on agriculture (mainly wheat and barley crops) and ca le breeding as a source of livelihood with few employed in the civil service. During ISIL s occupa on, livelihood opportuni es in the village deteriorated which affected the socio-economic standing of the village. Now that the village has been retaken its economic situa on con nues to stagnate with limited opportuni es to work in agriculture and government salaries con nue to be cut off. Reportedly, unemployment rate is 95% which is in part due to it being a militarized zone which limits movement and creates access issues for goods and people, addi onally agricultural lands north of the two villages and next to Al Khosar River remains contaminated by explosives. Although the Iraqi military forces have some mes carried out clearing opera ons, further support is needed. Reportedly, the villages main needs are kerosene, gas and food assistance, in this order of priori es. Map of Tal Yabes and Najmok showing displacement

2 ACCESS ROUTES The team departed from Dohuk and traveled towards Sharya complexes, Al Kosh, Baathara and then Al Shikhan. In Al Shikhan, an Asaaj checkpoint belonging to that district asked for an official le er from Dohuk s governorate before allowing passage. A er crossing the checkpoint, the team con nued southwards to Al Noran, where another checkpoint manned by KRG forces also requested an official access le er from Dohuk s governorate and from Asaaj before allowing access towards Mosul. The KRG forces manning the checkpoint asked to keep the official IDs of the staff, to make sure that that the staff would leave Mosul and use the same road to go back. Reportedly, currently the same access le er procedure applies to IDPs who used to live in Mosul and want to go back to check on their houses. If IDPs want to return to their houses in the retaken areas, the KRG forces require an official le er to allow access. This le er is usually granted on the condi on that the families who have returned to their places of origin do not displace again out of Mosul. Allegedly, the checkpoint is stricter towards Arabs than towards minority groups in the region such as Kurds and Turkmen. The team con nued towards Khor Sabat, in Baashiqa sub-district, which is under the control of the Iraqi Security Forces, military division 16. At the entrance checkpoint, manned by the ISF, the same procedure is applied: staff were only allowed access a er producing an official access le er from the Ninewa governorate and the Ninawa Opera onal Command. The checkpoint also kept the vehicle s registra on documents and gave the team an access card to be able to recuperate the vehicle s documents on the way back. The team con nued towards Baybokht village and then west towards Al Khawsar Bridge, which leads to Tal Yabes and then Najmok. On the entrance of Tal Yabes village, there is another ISF checkpoint that also requires an official access le er and official IDs (or any kind of official iden fica on documents); some of these documents were kept at the checkpoint and were returned on the way back. Entrance to Tal Yabes village

3 IDPs / Returnees Before ISIL occupied Tal Yabes, 40 families resided there. The local popula on has now increased because some people got married and started their own families; there are also reports of unregistered marriages. The current number of local residents is around 60 families. Since ISIL s occupa on and the beginning of the libera on opera ons, the village witnessed three types of movements: 1) Displacement: 10 families displaced from Tal Yabes northwards to Dohuk governorate on 1 August 2014, when ISIL occupied the village, and they have not returned since. Another 30 families displaced from Tilkaif and Mosul city towards Tal Yabes and are s ll living with the host community thanks to their family connec ons. 2) Stayees: 30 families stayed in the village throughout ISIL s occupa on and the libera on opera ons. 3) Government-Assisted Displacement: Since the village was retaken from ISIL on 31 October 2016, there has been a surge in displacement, affec ng between IDP families who live in Tal Yabes. These families do not stay more than 24 hours in the village, where they usually stay in unfinished buildings. They are then transported to nearby villages, especially Baybokt, a er the screening processes, and are driven to camps including Hassansham, Khazir and Zalikan camps by the MoMD. It has been reported that these families are residing in unfinished buildings and their numbers fluctuate frequently. As to Najmok village, it had around 22 families before ISIL s occupa on and they all stayed throughout the libera on opera ons. A er the village was retaken, 15 families displaced to Najmok and are staying with the host community thanks to their family es; these IDP families are mainly from Tilkaif. Discussions with Najmok community representa ves

4 NEEDS Shelter Tal Yabes has around 30 residen al houses; two were reportedly damaged but could be rehabilitated. Najmok has 17 houses, with one par ally damaged and another completely destroyed and is poten ally contaminated with UXOs. them. All IDPs are hosted by the local community and pay no rent, thanks to the family bonds between Some of the destruc on in Najmok residen al shelters Some of the destruc on in Najmok residen al shelters

5 NEEDS Water, Hygiene and Sanita on (WASH) The two villages had water pipes connected to Al Rashidiya water sta on. The pipes used to go through Baawiza and Tilkaif before reaching Tal Yabes and Najmok. Now water is only available for a few hours per month because ISIL cut off the supply from Al Rashidiya water sta on, which remains under their control. Moreover, the pipes and connec ons were damaged during the libera on opera ons. Local residents now depend on Syrian wells which give salty water, although residents use it as household and drinking water. Water is pumped with small generators since there is no public electricity. The fuel for these generators is expensive because it is bought in the black market due to restric ons on official trade routes and has limited availability. The water well that both villages depend on

6 Electricity The villages electrical grid feeds off the electrical sta on in Al Zahraa neighborhood in Mosul city, which depends on the waterfalls located 2 to 2.5 kilometers away. The sta on is reported to be func oning but the wires, transformers and connec ons in Tal Yabes and Najmok are damaged, and hence the villages have no public electricity supply. The community now depends on small private generators that are only opera onal for a few hours per day because of the limited access to fuel. Infrastructure Other than the damages to the water and electrical networks, there are no significant damages to the villages infrastructure. One of the warehouses that used to store agricultural crops in Tal Yabes is damaged, in addi on to two houses in Tal Yabes and two houses in Najmok. The buildings were damaged by an air strike. Food Government food assistance through the ra on cards system has been interrupted since October From 2014 un l 2016, while under ISIL control, local residents received food assistance from ISIL but it was mainly limited to flour from the ISIL-controlled mills. A er the village was retaken, people depend on food assistance from humanitarian agencies including the Iraqi Red Crescent, which has distributed a one-off food basket, the Sunni Endowment, which has also distributed a one-off food basket that includes 20 liters of fuel, and the Barzani Founda on, which distributed food baskets and clothes for children on three occasions.

7 One of the warehouses that was damaged in Tal Yabes Non Food Items Ac on Against Hunger distributed comprehensive NFI kits including blankets and heaters to the local community, but fuel is s ll needed for electricity and water pumping. Economic Situa on and Livelihood Opportuni es There were no significant markets in Tal Yabes and Najmok. People depend on the markets in Baybokht and Gogjali and on a small market next to the waterfalls. The local community is using savings to buy goods but these are gradually deple ng. People are using their savings because there are limited livelihood opportuni es, which were affected by the restric ons imposed on the village, although to the extent possible, residents are trying to restart their tradi onal agriculture and husbandry ac vi es.

8 Agricultural land close to Najmok and Tal Yabes Health Before the villages were retaken, residents depended on the PHC in Tilkaif or on Mosul s hospital for health consulta ons or emergencies, because there were no PHCs in the villages there is only an unfinished medical caravan that is not opera onal in Tal Yabes. A er the villages were retaken, residents have been depending on the PHC in Baybokht, and for medical emergencies they go to Shikhan s hospital. In Baybokht, the PHC is supported by the military and Doctors Without Borders. In Shikhan s hospital, medical assistance is provided with the support of the Interna onal Medical Corps, and in case of emergencies there is an ambulance provided by the Shikhan hospital and sta- oned in Baybokht s PHC.

9 Educa on A primary school for boys and girls in Tal Yabes used to serve the children of Tal Yabes and Najmok; it is s ll structurally intact but lacks educa onal material. It has been reported that the school will be opening soon, and teachers and staff are already present in the villages. The inner playground of the school is s ll structurally intact but needs support Protec on No major protec on concerns have been reported in Tal Yabes. People reported that ISIL s presence in the village was limited, in addi on to limited exposure of ISIL doctrine to children since they did not have to follow ISIL s curriculum. In Najmok, there are injured people who need medical assistance.

10 Addi onal Remarks Distribu on site: There are large open and closed sites for poten al distribu ons around the village, on the condi on that local authority members be present to ensure the safety of staff and beneficiaries. The people in Tal Yabes requested a solu on for the fuel and electricity problems. In Najmok, the main concern was medical assistance for those who were injured during the air strikes. Some of the warehouses in Tal Yabes that could be used for poten al distribu ons