ICC Note: Across Iraq more than 3 million people were forced to flee their homes and are now living in temporary shelters or rented apartments, with almost no access to income. They survived the brutality of ISIS, but now as they face the struggle to just put food on the table they face a new kind of enemy. The need for continued aid, for the support of the church remains critical.
08/19/2015 Iraq (Christian Post) For more than a year, Iraqis and Syrians have lived with the violence and persecution wrought by ISIS following the terror group’s declaration of a caliphate in the region. Thousands upon thousands of Christians and other minorities have fled their homes and are now living as refugees.
When the situation first developed, several international groups came to the aid of these refugees. But now, a little more than a year later, barely any of the aid groups remain and the refugees are facing another potentially deadly foe: food shortages.
Refugees from the terror of ISIS are, for all intents and purposes, trapped in refugee camps. Even if refugees wanted to work or leave the country, many cannot access visas due to their lack of finances and inability to speak the local language. Most lost their life-savings because they either had to quickly flee or it was confiscated at ISIS checkpoints. As a result, these refugees are left with nothing, and are unable to do anything to feed their families. Even if food is available, they cannot afford to purchase it. All of this is contributing to a frightening new reality for a group that has already endured so much. Having survived the terror of ISIS, are they now to succumb to hunger and malnutrition? Does the world still care now that the spotlight has shifted?
Unfortunately, the quick departure of aid groups isn’t entirely uncommon after an international crisis. A year after the Haitian earthquake of 2010, the only groups that remained were primarily the ones who had already been in Haiti long before the quake and were dedicated to being there for the long haul.
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