ICMCEUROPE WelcometoEurope.pdf (5.89 MB)

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Chapter III – Refugee Situations in Focus
family lives off the modest proceeds from the
sale of a small piece of land. Ahmed has not
registered with the government out of fear
he will be targeted again. Compounding this,
Ahmed is suffering from diabetes and has
chronic pain from being tortured. Although
medication and treatment are available at
health centres, Ahmed worries that should
he seek treatment, he will be targeted by
militias’.
Ahmed, former soldier, in International Rescue
Committee, A tough road home. Uprooted
Iraqis in Jordan, Syria and Iraq, February 2010
The first Iraqi refugees arrived in
Jordan, Lebanon and Syria in the
aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War.
Since the US-led invasion of Iraq in
2003, the three countries have again
become major destinations for Iraqi
refugees.
The number of Iraqi refugees registered
in Jordan has remained relatively
stable, with a current population of
27,814. 88 Numbers in Lebanon have
decreased to a current total of 6,500. 89
In both countries, Syrian refugees
fleeing conflict in their own country
currently outnumber Iraqi refugee
populations. 90
88 UNHCR Projected Global Resettlement Needs 2014.
Iraqi refugee population registered with UNHCR in
Jordan at January 2013.
89 Ibid. Iraqi refugee population registered with
UNHCR in Lebanon as of January 2013.
90 UNHCR, Syria Regional Refugee Response Interagency
Information Sharing Portal (http://data.
unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php). At July
2013, 505,347 and 639,982 Syrian refugees registered
in Jordan and Lebanon respectively.
Following the US-led invasion of Iraq
in 2003, Iraqi refugees in Syria were
offered protection by the Assad government.
In the context of the current
conflict in Syria many view Iraqi refugee
populations as potential supporters
of the Assad regime 91 , and they have
therefore been subject to targeted
attacks and discrimination. The civil
war and the particular insecurity of the
Iraqi population in Syria has led many
Iraqi refugees to be ‘twice displaced’
- from Iraq to Syria, and then from
Syria to neighbouring countries such
as Lebanon and Jordan. Although less
than 60,000 refugees returned to Iraq
during the last few months of 2012,
continued instability in Iraq and the loss
of land, houses and other assets means
voluntary repatriation is not a viable
option for the majority. Additionally,
many refugees fear religious or ethnic
persecution if they return. 92
Neither Jordan, Lebanon nor Syria are
signatories to the 1951 Convention. 93
UNHCR is responsible for conducting
RSD in all three countries. Both the
Jordanian and Lebanese governments
have signed Memoranda of
Understanding with UNHCR which
outline UNHCR’s responsibility to find
91 International Rescue Committee, Syria: A Regional
Crisis. The IRC Commission on Syrian Refugees,
January 2013
92 International Rescue Committee, A tough road
home. Uprooted Iraqis in Jordan, Syria and Iraq,
February 2010
93 Harper, A. Iraq’s refugees: ignored and unwanted, in
International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 90,
no.869, March 2008