Some 10,000 people are fleeing west Mosul in Iraq every day as a military offensive to retake the city from the so-called Islamic State continues.
The UN said on Friday that Iraqi Government figures showed the number of those fleeing peaked at a daily high of 16,100 on 18th May at the Hamam al-Alil screening site but that officials at the site said there were an average of 10,000 people arriving every day.
The Iraqi Government says that more than 742,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas since 2016 when the offensive to retake the region began including 566,000 who have fled west Mosul since February.
Stephen O’Brien, under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs at the UN, has expressed concern for those civilians trapped behind Islamic State lines in western Mosul.
“Although the UN is not present in the areas where fighting is occurring, we have received very disturbing reports of families being shut inside booby-trapped homes and of children being deliberately targeted by snipers,” he said in a statement. “Families in the city still lack access to clean water and medicine and many have only limited access to food.”
Following an Iraqi Government call for people still living inside Mosul’s ‘Old City’ and surrounding districts to seek safety across government lines, Mr O’Brien said this could see an additional 200,000 people attempting to leave in coming days.
“I remind all parties to the conflict of their obligation under international law to protect civilians against all forms of violence and to ensure people in need have access to the assistance they require,” he said. “Those who choose to flee their homes to access assistance must be free to do so without hindrance. In the context of Mosul, where ISIL fighters are known to be using human shields in densely-populated neighbourhoods, parties to the conflict must take all feasible precautions to protect civilian lives. International law is unambiguous. The protection of civilian lives is a legal and moral duty that stands above all other objectives.”
