The International Organization for Migration (IOM) conducts a periodic survey of so-called “internally displaced persons” in Iraq – aka refugees who did not cross an international border – providing an excellent profile of their situation. In their most recent report this month, IOM finds that 130,000 persons have returned to their homes in the Nineveh region, from the refuge they took in the Kurdistan Region.
Most of these returnees are going to the Sinjar (19,542) or Tel Afar (90,432) subdistricts of the Nineveh province, and so undoubtedly are disproportionately Yazidi. But 18,594 returned to the Tel Keppe subdistrict, which was home to many Christians. Are Christians represented among the returnees?
SPC’s contacts among priests and bishops-in-exile from this region do not report a substantial number of Christians going home, but this IOM report chronicles the progress being made in liberating lands from the Islamic State. Hence our optimism that this year will see a substantial Christian migration back home.
For a better look at the region, see the map below:
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