Desperation has forced Syrian refugees onto the streets of Iraqi Kurdistan. Unemployment and dwindling savings have made the Syrian families live on Arbil’s streets.
The refugees chose not to live in Kurdistan’s Domiz refugee camp near the Syrian border. Domiz Camp is now home to over sixty thousand refugees.
Sixty five year old Sleman fled Syria with his neighbors. He says he’s grateful for the generosity of Arbil’s residents.
The United Nations Refugee Agency says hundreds of families are living rough on Arbil’s streets and in unfinished buildings. One-off cash payments are being given to the most vulnerable people. Arbil’s refugee camp was due to open in May, but funding and planning bottlenecks have delayed the camp.
Arbil’s deputy governor says the regional government underestimated the number of refugees that would flee to Kurdistan. Around one hundred and sixty thousand refugees are scattered across the region.
It's now becoming clear that Syrian people living outside of the refugee camp are just as vulnerable as those living in the camp. Aid agencies have warned that Arbil's urban refugee problem needs an urgent response. The pressure is now on to open the city's new refugee camp as quickly as possible.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/29 ... s-streets/
