Iraq needs $1.56 billion for humanitarian response to ISIS in 2016

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes amid the ongoing war against Islamic State.

Iraq needs $1.56 billion this year to finance its emergency response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war against Islamic State, according to a government report released on Sunday.

Baghdad, strapped for cash amid a plunge in oil prices and higher military expenditure associated with the fight against the Sunni jihadist group, will manage to fund less than 43 percent of those needs from its budget, the report said.

"The international community is necessary for bridging the deficit or financing gap," it added.

The conflict has displaced more than 3.3 million people since 2014. The Iraqi government allocated around $850 million last year for efforts to shelter such families and help them return to recaptured areas, but it ended up funding less than 60 percent of that, the report showed.

Islamic State seized about a third of Iraq's territory in the north and west in 2014, but has slowly been pushed back by Iraqi forces, Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias and Kurdish peshmerga fighters - backed by US-led coalition air strikes.

Most of the displaced people, living in makeshift camps, disused buildings and homes in Baghdad, the northern Kurdistan region and other areas, are from Iraq's Sunni minority.

related articles
Bishops' Middle East tour highlights plight of Iraqi refugees

Bishops' Middle East tour highlights plight of Iraqi refugees

Open Doors: Syria and Iraq are 'the tip of the iceberg' – there has never been a worse time to be a Christian

Open Doors: Syria and Iraq are 'the tip of the iceberg' – there has never been a worse time to be a Christian

Islamic State bulldozes oldest monastery in Iraq
Islamic State bulldozes oldest monastery in Iraq

Islamic State bulldozes oldest monastery in Iraq

120,000 people are starving in Syrian city besieged by ISIS
120,000 people are starving in Syrian city besieged by ISIS

120,000 people are starving in Syrian city besieged by ISIS

Syrian opposition to go to Geneva as peace talks open
Syrian opposition to go to Geneva as peace talks open

Syrian opposition to go to Geneva as peace talks open

News
Being people of peace
Being people of peace

It would be fair to say that the pace and complexity of life works against us finding any peace.

Christians and religious nones alike object to AI-generated social media videos
Christians and religious nones alike object to AI-generated social media videos

Evangelicals, nones and non-denominational Christians reject AI-generated videos, a new study has found.

What we don’t know about Christmas
What we don’t know about Christmas

Every Christmas people are bombarded with images of the Nativity in Christmas cards, the lyrics of songs and Nativity plays. Yet many of the images embedded in our minds are pure tradition. In fact, there is a lot that we do not know. This is the story … 

Richard Moth appointed as new Archbishop of Westminster
Richard Moth appointed as new Archbishop of Westminster

Bishop Richard Moth has been confirmed as the new Archbishop of Westminster, the most senior post in the Catholic Church in England and Wales.