Press Releases, 27 December 2013
Geneva – The UN refugee agency strongly condemns last night’s attack on the Baghdad International Airport Zone, during which a number of rockets landed on Camp Hurriya – reportedly killing three and injuring many more in the camp. At least four camp residents who sustained serious injuries were reportedly rushed to hospitals in Baghdad by the Iraqi authorities.
Camp Hurriya has already been hit on multiple occasions. Camp New Iraq (formerly Ashraf), where residents were previously staying, was also target of an attack in the past. UNHCR has consistently deplored such unacceptable attacks.
UNHCR remains deeply concerned for the safety of the residents of Camp Hurriya and is calling on the government of Iraq to urgently scale up security measures in the camp to ensure the safety and security of its residents. We are also urging the government to launch a full scale independent investigation into all the incidents.
UNHCR urgently reiterates the need to find solutions for the camp’s residents, and is appealing to countries to act urgently on 1,400 cases from Camp Hurriya that have already been submitted for relocation. Since 2011, UNHCR, together with UNAMI, has been engaged in an effort to find relocation opportunities outside Iraq for some 3,200 residents of the Camp. So far, the international community has managed to secure the relocation to third countries of 311 residents, clearly demonstrating that more relocation places are urgently needed.