As the crisis in Mosul, Iraq continues, the poorest families are suffering the most.
More than 69,000 people have had to flee their homes since fighting began last month, Christian Aid reports. "Everyone is affected, but the poor are the most vulnerable," said Madara Hettiarachchi, Christian Aid's head of humanitarian programmes Asia Middle East. "They are often the last to leave unstable places and will take the longest to recover.
"The families we met have lost everything – homes and livelihoods – some left family members behind and many have lost loved ones."
ISIS swept across Northern Iraq and seized Mosul two years ago, forcing many to flee and take sanctuary in the Kurdish north-east.
On October 17, the campaign to push the jihadists out of Mosul – their last major stronghold in Iraq – began. The campaign consists of a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi forces, with air and ground support from a US-led coalition, but hundreds of civilians have already been killed, and are often directly targeted by ISIS, in the conflict. A Department of Health official reports that the proportion of civilians among the wounded has reached at least 20 per cent.
Christian Aid is supplying food to the displaced, and has spoken to many of those in and outside camps. Hettiarachchi adds: "In the battle for Mosul some have been used as human shields, and many have lost loved ones through mortars, shelling and shrapnel. Every time an ambulance comes into a camp, they rush to see if it is family or friends. They said they have been through a lot in their lives but never been treated this badly before."
Rob Wainwright, Christian Aid's country manager for Iraq said: "We met people who have fled from Mosul, who report that ISIL positions such as arms depots or Sharia courts have been targets for airstrikes.
"If the people in areas surrounding these sites could move, they did. But those who could not afford to move to another area, or had no relatives stay with, had no choice but to stay put. This meant they could get hit. We were told an extended family of 17 – all of them civilians, children and elderly – were killed in this way. With fighting now on their doorstep adults and children are in the line of fire."
Wainwright added: "After losing their income and with homes destroyed in the fighting, all they can do is wait for the fighting to end and face an uncertain future. In the confusion and chaos of this conflict, one thing is painfully clear. The poor suffer the most."
The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by the sub-zero temperatures of Northern Iraq in the winter. There are concerns from many groups about lack of funding and resources to support the hundreds of thousands who are expected to flee Mosul. The UN projects 200,000 civilians may escape the battle, but there are currently only 60,000 places in camps for those fleeing.
Frances Guy, Christian Aid's head of Middle East, said: "The international community needs to step up and provide the necessary funding to help prevent another humanitarian catastrophe. We should also remember those who have been displaced for over two years. They still need support too.
"We reiterate the call for all sides to the fighting to ensure that the protection of civilians is guaranteed and respect international law to allow immediate safe passage for those trapped in the city and seeking to flee."
