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Iraqi women denied their property by relatives, tribes and militias

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi women displaced by war remain unable to return to their homes because of systemic injustices that prevent them from proving or claiming ownership of their property. New research by the Norwegian Refugee Council reveals that displaced women are much worse off than men: they are 11 per cent more likely to face barriers impeding them from going back home after years of suffering in displacement camps since the end of the war against Islamic State group in their areas of origin. The barriers include inability to regain access to their property, re-establish

Israel’s destruction of Palestinian property undermines efforts to curb Covid-19

Israel’s recent targeting of homes and even water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in the occupied West Bank violates international law and undermines efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic.Ongoing demolitions and threats of forcible transfer, amid plans for Israel’s next government to unilaterally annex large parts of the West Bank, jeopardises the health and safety of thousands of Palestinians. A land grab would not only disenfranchise Palestinians and erode their hopes for genuine self-determination, but also sever coordination between Israeli and Palestinian Authorities necessary

Yemen: Five years of war cripple coronavirus preparedness

· Civilian casualties spike again in deadly escalationFive years of war has crippled Yemen’s ability to prepare and face a possible outbreak of coronavirus, leaving millions extremely vulnerable under a decimated health system. Although Yemen does not have any confirmed COVID-19 cases as yet, the Norwegian Refugee Council is extremely concerned that any outbreak could have catastrophic consequences for displaced families. Five years of war have damaged and destroyed thousands of hospitals, and water and sanitation systems have collapsed. Yemen is already reeling from the impact of other

Refugees fleeing Turkey’s north east Syria operation say they can’t go back – NRC survey

The majority of refugees fleeing from Turkey’s military operation in north east Syria say they won’t return to their country, and plan on settling in Iraq. A survey conducted by the Norwegian Refugee Council in Bardarash Camp in northern Iraq, where the majority of refugees are hosted, found that 95 per cent of them say they don’t think they will return and plan to remain in Iraq. They cite ongoing fighting and uncertainty as the main reason not to return, at 69 per cent, while 17 per cent of them say they have no home to return to after it was destroyed or occupied. Another 10 per

Yemen: NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland's reaction to Saudi-led coalition's move to open Sana'a airport for medical patients

"For the last three years the Sana’a airport closure has been a death sentence for thousands of women, children and men who died prematurely because they were unable to get treatment abroad. Today’s move comes too late for them, but will hopefully save the lives of other Yemenis caught in the conflict and with no available treatment in the country.”  "We hope all warring parties and their sponsors seize this moment to turn the tide against this war. The blockade must end: restrictions on humanitarian goods, commercial imports of food, fuel and medicine, and the closure of sea ports, have

Syrian refugees fleeing to Iraq as ceasefire about to expire, others are trapped in the country

Increasing numbers of refugees from North East Syria are fleeing for safety in the Kurdish region of Iraq, afraid of what comes next in their home towns as the ceasefire brokered by the US is about to end. More than 7,140 Syrians have crossed into Iraq since Turkey started its military operation, displacing around 165,000. In the last 24 hours, around 1,736 refugees crossed into Iraq according to Kurdish authorities – the highest number to cross in one day, since the beginning of the military operation. Newly arrived refugees told the Norwegian Refugee Council that many more are

Airport closure amounts to death sentence for thousands of sick Yemenis

Three years of restrictions imposed on Yemen’s airspace by the Saudi-led coalition is preventing thousands of sick Yemeni civilians from seeking urgent medical treatment outside the country, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and CARE said today. Sana’a airport has been closed to commercial flights since August 9, 2016. In the three years since, as many as 32,000 people may have died prematurely because they were unable to travel abroad for treatment, according to the Ministry of Health in Sana’a. NRC and CARE International have called repeatedly on the Saudi-led coalition to lift

Congolese refugees fleeing to Uganda nearly double to 8,000 in past month

Thousands are crossing Lake Albert by boat to Uganda, escaping horrific inter-ethnic violence. Refugee reception centres are being overwhelmed, as emergency aid is running short.“More refugees are arriving into Uganda from DR Congo, and there appears to be no end in sight. This has caused a shortage of emergency aid, which threatens the health and lives of refugees in the settlements. Uganda cannot, and should not, bear this burden alone,” says Melchizedek Malile, Acting Country Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Over 29,000 refugees have crossed from DR Congo into Uganda

Displaced Iraqis forced to return to destruction left in wake of war on IS group

Displaced face desolation, reprisal and even death in home areas, others have no home to return toBAGHDAD – The majority of Iraqis currently displaced in Anbar by the war against the Islamic State group (IS) feel safer in camps than back home aid agencies warned today, amid moves by Iraqi authorities to return thousands of families to their places of origin, at times with fatal consequences. “It’s tragic to think that people feel safer in camps than in their homes when this conflict has supposedly ended,” said Country Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Iraq, Petr

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians risk being pushed to return in 2018 despite ongoing violence, warn aid agencies

For every Syrian who returned home last year, three more were newly displacedHundreds of thousands of refugees are at risk of being pushed to return to Syria in 2018, despite ongoing violence, bombing and shelling that are endangering the lives of civilians, leading humanitarian agencies warn in a report released today. The warning comes amid a global anti-refugee backlash, harsher conditions in neighbouring countries hosting Syrians, and Syrian government victories in the conflict that have fuelled misleading rhetoric suggesting Syria is safe for refugees to return. The report by the

Leading Humanitarian Organisations Object to Trump Administration’s Decision to Cut U.S. Contributions to the UN Relief Agency for Palestinians

Washington, D.C. – Today, the leaders of 21 leading organisations involved in international humanitarian response sent a letter to the Trump Administration objecting “in the strongest terms” to the U.S. decision to withhold US$65 million of the planned contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. In the letter (reproduced further down), the humanitarian leaders write: “We are deeply concerned by the humanitarian consequences of this decision on life-sustaining assistance to children, women and men in Jordan, Lebanon,

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