MPC and NFI distribution for returning IDPs in Ninewa After the conclusion of Mosul operation, the fall of Talafar and Hawija, the only area still under control of Islamic State in Iraq is a stretch alongside the western border with Syria, in Al Anbar region, where military operations are currently ongoing. After seizing the town of Tal Afar, the coalition forces, focused their efforts on Hawija, in Kirkuk district. The first phase of military operations to retake Hawija and east Shirqat from ISIS began on September 19th , followed by the start of the second phase 10 days later. The operations displaced over 7,000 people in the first week, out of the 78,000 estimated to be trapped inside the city. Most of the people that left the area fled west towards Salah-al Din governorate, with smaller numbers moving north to Kirkuk. Most people had to walk for up to 12 hours and some had to swim or wade across the Little Zab river on their journey to safety. Return movements to villages in east Shirqat began almost immediately after the villages were retaken from ISIS. The provision of basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation and waste removal, the ability to generate income, access to food and healthcare have been reported as important push factor to determine people’s return to their place of origin, as well as, assistance with home repairs, access to education, psychosocial services and legal assistance for home and property issues. Fighting are still on going in the province of Anbar, where Iraqi forces launched an operation to retake control of the districts of Rawa and al-Qaim, the last stronghold of ISIS militants located on the border of Iraq and Syria.

Over the last month there have been reported of several clashes as the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) took control of disputed areas in Ninewa, Kirkuk and Diyala governorates. An estimated 165,780 individuals (27,630 families) have been displaced after Iraqi forces began moving into the disputed areas on October 16th. However, IDP movement is fluid and returns are occurring alongside displacement. Due to recent clashes in disputed territories up to 2,000 individuals fled from areas in Ninewa Governorate to camps and urban areas in Dahuk Governorate. An estimated 61,000 individuals fled to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, following the military operations in and around Kirkuk. Over 90% of the individuals were reportedly displaced from Kirkuk, while the remaining fled from the nearby governorates of Salah al-Din and Diyala. Several thousand families have also fled Makhmur and Gwer areas in Erbil and Ninewa governorates respectively, as ISF gained control of additional districts in disputed territories in these governorates. No significant population movement has been observed in the north of Ninewa (Sinjar, Zummar, Rabea). To improve immediate access of the most vulnerable recently/newly IDPs and conflict and natural disaster affected returnee populations in districts of Ninewa Governorate through MPC transfers/NFI distributions to avoid the utilization of negative coping mechanisms. 

Specific objective: Men, women and children in the target population have increased access to basic services through MPC or HH kits. The beneficiaries of the action are the direct conflict-affected IDPs, host families, and returnees in Nineva. Based on assessment findings, priority will be given to the affected population according to severity with regards to loss and damage to lives and household assets and to prioritize highly vulnerable groups (women-, child-, and/or persons with disabilities-headed households; PLWs and households with children more than 4 children). Where newly accessible and underserved areas have very high level of need, and where vulnerability-based exclusion of parts of the population in the targeting could create tensions and conflict within the community, do-no-harm principles will take priority and blanket coverage will be considered as the most appropriate method. Cordaid will selected both cash-based interventions (CBIs) and NFI activities depending on the market assessment to cover the most essential urgent needs of IDPs, returnees and local families lives in newly liberated areas.