Even when schools and markets begin to reopen in the wars of the devastated eastern Mosul, entire neighborhoods of the western part of the Iraqi city have been destroyed, and almost a quarter of a million people have no where to return “in due course”, says the United Nations High Representative Lisa Grande.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said the contrast between the eastern and western parts of the city could not be made clearer. In fact: “Everyone went home to East Mosul, except 20,000 people.”
Mosul is really a story about two cities in one, where East Mosul is a city that is recovering, people are home, schools are open, businesses are open, markets are open. Conditions are not great, but the city is recovering, she said.
However, the situation is very different in western Mosul, explained Mrs. Grande, who is also the deputy special representative of the UN for assistance to Iraq (UNAMI).
There are 15 completely destroyed squares, and 230,000 civilians come from these districts. They will not return home any time soon.
Mosul was the center of the biggest urban battle since World War II, testified to the largest successful evacuation in modern history, with nearly a million civilians who left the city. “It is remarkable that humanitarian agencies were not near the front line, but they were on the front line,” Grande said.
In total, about 3,3 million people across Iraq remain outside their homes, including those who have recently been displaced from Mosul. Following a military campaign to remove the “Islamic State” (ISIL / Da’esh) from Mosul, three more military operations are expected: in Tal Afar, in Hawaii and in the Euphrates Valley – in the western province of Anbar.
We believe that by the end of these military operations, several hundred thousand civilians will probably be displaced. When the military campaign in Iraq is completed, the main task ahead is to return 3,5 million civilians to their homes, said Grande.
