Iraq – Emergency Tracking – Displacement and returns to Sinjar and Al-Ba'aj districts (8 - 26 June 2020)

Between 21 and 26 June 2020, DTM tracked 2,282 individuals (415 families) returning to Sinjar and Al-Ba’aj districts in Iraq’s Ninewa governorate. This brings the total number of individuals that have returned to these districts to 3,829 (687 families) since data collection commenced on 8 June.

Of those who moved back between 21 and 26 June, 1,482 were recorded as returnees, having returned to their location of origin (65%), while 800 were recorded as out-of-camp IDPs (35%). 2,112 were recorded in Sinjar (93%) and 170 in Al-Ba’aj (7%).

The most common sub-district of arrival was Markaz Sinjar with 982 individuals (43%)—almost triple the number that arrived there in the previous period. Additionally, 928 individuals arrived to Al-Shamal sub-district (41%)—more than double the previous period. Together, these two sub-districts comprise 80% of all individuals that arrived to Sinjar and Al-Ba’aj since data collection commenced on 8 June.

Between 21 and 26 June, a total of 1,757 individuals departed from Dahuk governorate (77%), especially from Sumel and Zakho districts. In addition, around one in four individuals departed from Ninewa, while a small number departed from Erbil. Since 8 June, most returnees have departed from Sumel (45%), Zakho (33%), and Al-Shikhan (16%) sub-districts.

To provide an element of comparison and better understand the scale of these returns, note that for the reporting period of May-June 2019, DTM had recorded 236 families having returned to Sinjar (204 as returnees and 32 as IDPs) and 16 to Baaj (11 as returnees and 5 as IDPs)