No aid, no care: Iraq's camps reel after US aid cut
The abrupt suspension of US foreign aid to Iraq in January 2025 has triggered the near-total collapse of humanitarian and psychological services in displacement camps across the Kurdistan Region and disputed territories, forcing international and local organizations to shutter operations, lay off staff, and abandon thousands of vulnerable residents with untreated trauma and acute mental health conditions.
With no alternative safety net in place, aid workers warn that a "silent humanitarian disaster" is unfolding, leaving traumatized populations — including Yazidi and Syrian refugees — without access to basic support, further compounding the damage of years of war, displacement, and social isolation.
US Aid Withdrawal Impact
According to USAID and corroborating field reports, the Trump administration's realignment of foreign policy priorities in early 2025 led to the withdrawal of funding from Iraq and Syria in favor of other strategic regions. As a result, critical protection, education, and mental health programs in Iraq were abruptly halted.
Organizations like SEED Foundation, the WCHAN organization, and the Barzani Charity Foundation — all of which depended heavily on US and European funding — were unable to continue operations. Their closures left a vacuum in essential services, particularly in camps where the Iraqi government plays a minimal or nonexistent role.
Mental Health Services Collapse
Ronaz Ali, the psychosocial support coordinator at SEED Foundation, explained to Shafaq News that the main donors for mental health and psychosocial support programs were the US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), and the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), and 'once funding was cut, we had to shut down all refugee camp operations.'
Prior to the funding cut, SEED provided psychological care to over 100 people per month. 'Camp life is incredibly stressful,' Ali noted, adding that families live crammed into single tents with no privacy.
SEED retained only a handful of staff in Duhok to manage the most severe cases — primarily among Syrian and Yazidi populations. In total, the foundation laid off nearly 300 workers across Dohuk, Erbil, and Al-Sulaymaniyah — many of whom were displaced persons themselves.
Similarly, WCHAN, a key provider of mental health services in four Syrian refugee camps, was forced to close its operations. 'We provided 105 individual and 120 group counseling sessions every month,' stated Hasan Khalid, senior clinical supervisor at WCHAN, in an interview with Shafaq News, adding that WCHAN's work extended from the MHPSS Program (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support,) launched in 2013.
Now, all high-risk cases are referred to Erbil's psychiatric hospital — but at the patients' own expense. Khalid estimates that just 5% of referred patients can afford the hospital and transport costs. 'WCHAN was the only organization inside these camps capable of handling suicide attempts and severe mental health crises,' he clarified.
Khalid also warned of rising suicide rates and domestic violence in the camps as social pressures mount. 'We're seeing more cases of gender-based violence, anxiety, depression, and trauma,' he added.
Camps Face Legal Barriers
While the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) continues to provide water and limited electricity, federal ministries have largely withdrawn from camp service provision. 'There are no clinics or medicine, no hygiene supplies, and the Ministry of Migration and Displacement has only delivered two food baskets since the beginning of 2025,' said Botan Ahmad, head of displaced persons camps at the Barzani Charity Foundation.
He affirmed that many residents face legal or security barriers to movement. 'They cannot work in the Kurdistan Region due to restrictions, and they fear arrest if they try to return to Mosul. So they are stuck — abandoned in disputed territories with no support.'
Additionally, Hasan Sham, one of the largest camp clusters near Erbil, is now running without any federal presence despite housing large numbers of displaced people from Nineveh. 'The Ministry of Migration is supposed to supply fuel for generators. It hasn't. KRG provides 8 to 9 hours of electricity per day, but that's not enough,' Ahmad detailed.
Trust in Government Erodes
The collapse of the humanitarian aid network has coincided with a sharp decline in public trust toward government institutions. 'Residents have relied on NGO services for years. They don't trust the public hospitals, which lack the capacity to provide psychiatric therapy or medication for free,' said Hasan Khalid.
Following the NGO exit, no government agency — including the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs or KRG's child protection bodies — has resumed those services. 'Only camp administration remains,' Khalid remarked. 'Legal aid, psychosocial support, and child protection have all disappeared.'
For his part, Botan Ahmad expressed concern about a growing health and hygiene crisis. 'With no hygiene kits, we're already seeing scabies outbreaks. People are getting sick. And now, they must travel to cities like Duhok or Erbil not only for treatment, but also just to survive.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rudaw Net
25 minutes ago
- Rudaw Net
Turkey wants to use full capacity of pipeline with Iraq: Minister
Also in Middle East Turkey calls on SDF to expedite integration with Damascus Turkey says SDF must prove commitment to integration deal with Damascus Turkey accuses Israel of trying to 'divide Syria,' vows to intervene Iraq says Turkey ready to renew, expand oil export deal A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey's energy minister said on Wednesday that his country has notified Iraq that it is willing to extend the decades-long oil agreement with Iraq but with modifications that ensure the full use of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline. Last week, the Iraqi oil ministry said Ankara had officially expressed its willingness to renew and expand the 1973 oil export agreement with Baghdad. Turkey has confirmed sending a letter to Baghdad that included a draft of a broader energy cooperation deal covering oil, gas, petrochemicals, and electricity. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Tuesday that his country expects neighboring Iraq to use the full capacity of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, telling the state-run Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that they are also seeking the export of oil from southern Iraq, in addition to Kurdish oil. "We are telling Iraq, 'Iraq has a daily oil export of 4 million barrels. All of it goes through Basra. Here, however, there is a different route with 1.5 million barrels. You can easily present almost 40 percent of your oil to the world through a different route. Moreover, you can reach different geographies and markets such as Europe and the Mediterranean,'" he said. He reiterated Ankara's willingness to extend the 1973 deal with Iraq but with modifications, blaming the deal for 'legal impasse' since 2014, referring to Kurdistan Region's independent oil exports through Turkey since 2014. A Paris-based arbitration court in 2023 ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated the 1973 agreement. This immediately halted the Kurdish oil exports, which have yet to resume due to unresolved tensions between Erbil and Baghdad. 'Therefore, we said this agreement is not commercially or legally beneficial. Let's not extend this,' the Turkish minister said. He noted that the proposed agreement asks Iraq to export more oil through the pipeline. 'At the core of that agreement is this: let's use the full capacity of this pipeline in a way that there won't be any legal disputes between us. Let 1.5 million barrels of oil flow from here. This is our goal,' Bayraktar stated. "To reach 1.5 million barrels, this pipeline needs to go south. Because in the north [Kurdistan Region], with production including Kirkuk, you can perhaps fill it up to half capacity." An energy advisor to the Kurdistan Region's prime minister said on Tuesday that the Iraq-Turkey pipeline has surpassed its lifespan and will require 'costly' renovation if the Kurdistan Region's long-stalled oil exports are to resume. 'Normally and under international standards, the lifespan of oil pipelines is between 40 to 50 years. After that period, it becomes very old and needs special maintenance, which entails very high costs. Basically, the contract was for 50 years and has expired for that pipeline,' Kamal Atroshi explained. Noting that the line is not beyond use, Atroshi said that any future operation would require extensive repair and favorable terms for both Iraq and Turkey. 'If an agreement is made to renovate that pipeline again, it has the capacity to work and its maintenance and repair costs and transit fees… are economically suitable for both sides, then it's possible. It's a very strong possibility,' he said. 'Certainly, this also has great benefits for Turkey.'
Memri
36 minutes ago
- Memri
Urgent Appeal - Support MEMRI In Our Time Of Need
Following the 12-day Israel/U.S.-Iran war, and to the continued war in Gaza for nearly two years, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) continues to provide vital research, primary source translations, original analysis, and vital early warnings to the governments of the U.S. and its allies and to their counterterrorism officials, law enforcement agencies, militaries, and other authorities. As the region resets, with never-before seen changes as well as increased tensions, MEMRI's work is more important and more needed now than ever before. Meanwhile, the last Iranian proxy standing, the Houthis, are renewing their disruption of shipping in the Red Sea and their launching of drones and missiles at Israel; China continues efforts to expand to the South China Sea and Taiwan; and civil wars continue in Sudan and Libya. MEMRI is working around the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, monitoring and translating, providing cutting-edge research and open-source intelligence (OSINT). As always, our wide-ranging work focuses on the most recent and most critical events and developments in these regions. No other organization does the work that we are doing. But this work is resource intensive, and we need your help today. Since MEMRI's establishment nearly 30 years ago, we have become one of the world's most productive nonprofit think tanks focusing on the Middle East and South Asia and on threats from these regions to the U.S. and the West. Our research output equals or surpasses that of similar organizations many times our size with many times our budget. In the past decade, not one day has passed without new MEMRI research being posted on our website and sent out in emails to hundreds of thousands of subscribers. MEMRI research is filling a major void; in our 27th year, we again prove ourselves leaders in this field. But during these eventful times, our research and translation teams remain stretched to the limit. There is so much more of this primary source material that MEMRI needs to monitor, translate, and distribute. As we face so many more challenges this year, we continue to produce ever more research and distribute it to governments, legislatures, media, and you, our readers. We are appealing to you, our donors and readers, to help support our work. Areas we are closely monitoring, with a focus on statements by governments, terrorist and rebel groups, and their leaders, include: Iran: Following the war, Iranian regime officials and clerics ramp up their assassination threats against President Trump, as they withdraw from all international nuclear oversight organizations and vow to double down on the country's nuclear program, moving toward nuclear ambiguity. At the same time, Iran's non-Persian ethnic groups call for the downfall of the Islamic regime and for a new democratic future for the country. Qatar: Qatar, the foremost sponsor of terrorism worldwide that pretends to be a U.S. ally continues to position itself also to be an "honest broker" in negotiations, amid its ongoing efforts to buy influence in the West, including in U.S. higher education. Gaza and Lebanon: As Hamas continues to attempt to thwart the distribution of humanitarian aid that it once exclusively controlled – thus forcing Gaza's civilian population to stand by it – the Lebanese government, under U.S. pressure, demands that Hizbullah disarm, but Hizbullah's compliance is not assured. Syria : Amid President Trump's lifting of all remaining U.S. sanctions on Syria, and removal of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham – the organization led by Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa that took over the country in December – from the list of designated terrorists, Syrian forces unleash brutal attacks on the Druze region in southern Syria. Yemen's Houthis: Ansar Allah (the Houthis), the last Iranian proxy left standing, resumes its disruption of shipping in the Red Sea and missile and drone launches toward Israel. Jihadi activity: There are increased threats and chatter about lone wolf attacks in the West, from ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and other jihadi organizations. Russia-Iran-China Alliance: The 12-day Israel/U.S.-Iran war laid bare the limits of Russia's and China's support for Iran, and Iran now seeks to acquire Chinese military technology, including 40 advanced fighter jets for its airforce. Extremist imams and Islamist organizations in the U.S. and West: In addition to all these regions, MEMRI focuses on exposing the continuing extremism emanating from mosques and Islamist organizations in the U.S. We continue our mission to "bridge the language gap" and to make it possible for U.S. officials and the public to understand what is happening both outside the U.S. and inside it (such as in extremist sermons in mosques). We are appealing to you, as a reader and donor who is aware of our vital work, to continue with a greater effort to support our work. Your donation will also support these special projects: MEMRI TV – The MEMRI TV project scours hundreds of channels and online broadcasting outlets – Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Turkish, Russian, Chinese, and Korean – for relevant, important content to record, translate, subtitle, and publish. To date, MEMRI TV clips, numbering nearly 12,000, have had over 350 million views across the web. No other research like this is being carried out by any intelligence community anywhere in the West. Lantos Archives on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial – Named after the late honorable Congressman and Holocaust survivor Tom Lantos, this project exposes Muslim antisemitism in the Arab and Muslim world and the West, and also monitors online propaganda, incitement, threats, and recruitment activity by violent neo-Nazi groups and individuals. It maintains the world's largest archives on these subjects. Our linguists and analysts – experts in the field – have been exposing extremism, antisemitism, and jihadi threats for over a quarter of a century, helping law enforcement agencies all over the U.S., and have thwarted numerous actual planned attacks. We ask you today to help us continue our essential, unique, and vital work. We cannot do this without you. With gratitude,
Shafaq News
an hour ago
- Shafaq News
Palestinian Journalist killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza
Shafaq News – Gaza Palestinian journalist Ibrahim Hajjaj was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting eastern Gaza City on Wednesday, according to local media sources. Hajjaj's death adds to the growing toll on media workers in the conflict. Since the beginning of Israel's military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, at least 230 journalists and media professionals have been killed, with 46 reportedly targeted in connection with their reporting, according to press watchdogs. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based media freedom organization, and the Costs of War project at Brown University's Watson Institute have consistently ranked Gaza as one of the most dangerous environments for journalists worldwide. Beyond fatalities, many journalists in Gaza have lost family members, homes, and access to necessities. With Israel barring international reporters from entering the enclave, Palestinian journalists remain the only source of on-the-ground coverage from within the war zone. Major international news organizations, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Associated Press, BBC News, and Reuters, issued a joint statement expressing grave concern for their Gaza-based colleagues. They warned that many are 'increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families' amid mounting food insecurity and infrastructure collapse.
