Less violence, life difficulties bring Christian families back to Mosul

NINEWA / IraqiNews.com: Christian families that recently fled Mosul city started returning home “after violence grew less and life difficulties grew more,” but still a number of displaced Christian families that returned to Mosul are a way less than those still in displacement. Jawdat Ismail, the manager of Ninewa immigration and emigrants’ department, told IraqiNews.com, “Since the beginning of this week, my department registered Christian families’ return to Mosul city.” He called on all of them to “register their names at the department to receive the donation endorsed by the Iraqi cabinet – $800 per family – to help them to re-settle down”. “A total 1,884 Christian families fled Mosul, but so far not more than 80 of them have returned, with only 25 of those that returned have been registered at my department,” he added. For their part, displaced Christian families said that security improvement is one of the key reasons that convinced them return to Mosul. Firass Mekha told IraqiNews.com that “the reduction in violence, especially against Christians, due to security forces deployment in Mosul’s neighborhoods, made me return home”. “My kids need to go to school. They need to be back to Mosul to do so,” he said. Narmeen Haso said, “It is winter. Being refugees with no place to live in, or to share living with another family is a difficult issue”. “We returned to Mosul so that we can work again; otherwise, we would consume our deposits,” she added. “My husband is a taxi driver. He is the sole supporter for our family,” she explained. Um Sameer said that they returned to Mosul, but concerned to venture outdoors because they are not sure that they would not be targeted again”. “We leave our house only to get our kids to school, while our Muslim neighbors are providing us with living requirements and protection,” she said. Meanwhile, adult males of other Christian families are making exploratory trips to Mosul to check their houses and the situation in general, and then they return to bring their families from displacement back home in Mosul. MH (S)/AmR 1