IRAQ: More than 200,000 people who fled Falluja ahead of the US offensive have yet to return. Many are in desperate need of aid, with temperatures in Iraq heading towards freezing, a new UN emergency report says.
Figures compiled by the International Organisation for Migration show that 210,600 people, or more than 35,000 families, took refuge in towns and villages around Falluja in the build-up to the US assault, which was launched on November 8th.
Nearly all those people remain outside the city, where the population was estimated at 250,000-300,000 before the attack.
US forces are maintaining a tight cordon around Falluja as sporadic fighting continues, and are preventing refugees from returning, saying they want to stagger the return so that basic facilities can be restored before people go home.
Most areas of the city remain without power, water, sewage and other basic services, and it is expected to take much longer than previously thought to begin reconstruction.
"The return to Falluja may take a matter of months rather than days, as was previously suggested by multinational forces," according to the document called "Emergency Working Group - Falluja Crisis", which was distributed by the United Nations.
The report, compiled by various aid agencies and released this week, says access to the camps for internally-displaced people is sporadic because of insecurity and because of military operations.
"Some sites have received assistance, whereas others . . . are reportedly difficult to access, even by the Iraqi Health Ministry," it said.
It described shortages of fresh food and cooking oil and said there was serious concern about the cold.
Many families fled with the clothes they were wearing and a few personal items, unprepared for the change in weather.
Iraq's Ministry of Industry and Minerals reportedly delivered around 8,000 blankets to refugee camps on November 24th.
The only aid agency that has managed to get into Falluja to help the people who remained during the two-week offensive is the Iraqi Red Crescent Society. It arrived with three truckloads of food and medical supplies, eight ambulances and several doctors, about 10 days ago. The US military is also attempting to provide assistance.
At one aid distribution point, it recently delivered a supply of American snack foods, including frosted flakes, granola bars and bagel chips to needy families, many of whom were confused by the foreign food.
The offensive on Falluja was designed to rid the city of insurgents and put Iraqi security services back in charge in time for elections due on January 30th.
US forces crushed Falluja's insurgency, but there are fears rebels could filter back into the city and there are doubts that the city and its residents will be ready for January's poll.
President Bush said yesterday that elections should not be postponed and a 12,000-troop increase in the US presence there was aimed at bolstering security for the elections. "The elections should not be postponed.
"It's time for the Iraqi citizens to go to the polls and that's why we are very firm on the January 30th date," Mr Bush said.
There has been a push in Iraq among some politicians, especially Sunni Muslims, to postpone elections because of widespread unrest.