(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Government of Iraq's Kurdistan has appealed to the international community to offer aid to the displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees whose numbers in the northern region have dramatically grown recently.
Minister of Planning Ali Al-Sendi, in remarks to KUNA, said the local administration has given a lot of assistance to the relocated Iraqis and Syrian refugees, however their numbers have drastically grown, thus government of Kurdistan could no longer be able to meet their needs.
The region needs substantial support from the international community to secure basics for these refugees, said Al-Sendi, warning that their number is expected to grow further.
There two groups of displaced Iraqis; the batch that came to the region after fall of Saddam's regime, number of which was estimated at 230,000, he said, noting that they were registered by the official departments in Dohuk, Al-Sulaymaniyah and Arbil. The second wave, estimated at 450,000, fled to the region due to security conditions early 2014, Al-Sendi said.
Many of the refugees have taken up refuge at shanty towns, set up by the
local authorities in Dohuk, Al-Sulaymaniyah and Arbil.
Local officials have previously indicated that the four million population of Iraq's Kurdistan has grown by some 28 percent due to the refugees' massive influx.
The World Bank says the local government needs some USD 1.4 billion to secure necessities for the refugees, presently settling in the region, provided no more waves of relocated people come to the northern area.
According to figures of the World Migration Organization (WMO), Kurdistan hosts more than 1.8 million refugees, namely Iraqis who moved to the region for safety and Syrians fleeing wide-scale violence at home.
A Kuwaiti delegation grouping eminent media figures, including Saad Al-Ali, the second man in command of the Kuwaiti news agency, KUNA, paid a visit to the region last week, exploring the area, discussing with local figures prospects of enhancing mutual cooperation at various levels, namely business. Local leaders, during the talks, underlined need for greater Gulf and Kuwaiti investments in the region for sake of shoring up the ailing economy.
In a related development, President of Iraq's Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani, along with an accompanying delegation, wrapped up a two-day visit to Kuwait on Sunday during which he met senior officials.
Kuwait has recently opened a consulate in Arbil, marking tangible development in the bilateral ties between the country and the Kurdish region.
In terms of relief efforts, Kuwait had hosted three international
conferences for Syria during which billions of dollars worth of aid had been pledged for the refugees. The Kuwaiti assistance had drawn wide scale applause from various regional and international quarters.
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