Baghdad, KRG, UN ink deal to avoid Mosul displacement

By Idris Okuducu

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) – Baghdad, northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and the UN on Thursday signed a tripartite protocol aimed at limiting the displacement of civilian populations during an anticipated operation to recapture Mosul from Daesh.

A signing ceremony held in Erbil (the KRG’s administrative capital) was attended by Iraqi Minister of Migration and Displacement Darbaz Mohamed; KRG Interior Minister Karim Sinjari; and Lisa Grande, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Iraq.

At a press conference held after the signing, Mohamed voiced his ministry’s concern regarding the upcoming Mosul operation’s "humanitarian dimension".

Describing Thursday’s protocol as a "significant step" towards limiting civilian displacement in Mosul, Mohamed said that a team of experts had been tasked with addressing the problem of Iraq’s growing displaced population.

Grande, for her part, said that all parties to the protocol were aware of the difficulties posed by the upcoming Mosul operation, calling for a "common mechanism" to avoid aggravating Iraq’s humanitarian crisis.

In mid-2014, the Daesh terrorist group captured the northern city of Mosul and overran vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq.

Recent months have seen the army, backed by a 60-nation air coalition led by the U.S., retake much territory. Nevertheless, the terrorist group remains in control of several parts of the country, including Mosul.

The Iraqi army and its allies are now gradually advancing on Mosul, which officials in Baghdad have vowed to "liberate" by year’s end.

According to the UN, more than 3.4 million people are now displaced in Iraq -- more than half of them children -- while more than 10 million are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.