Fallujah: “People say they are starving to death”

The Norwegian Refugee Council has heard horrifying stories of starvation and despair from the few families who have managed to escape, but the fighting makes it difficult to know the full extent of the dire situation inside the city.

Traumatised families who have escaped said they were afraid they would starve to death if they did not get out. "They were faced with two impossible choices," said Becky Bakr Abdulla of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who is on the ground in Iraq. "If they stay in Fallujah they face possible starvation, if they try to escape they risk being killed getting out."

Bakr Abdulla met some of the families who escaped and are staying in displacement camps in Amiryiat Al Fallujah, 30 kilometres away. Their testimonies reveal the real nightmare of the people trying to survive inside the warzone.

We hid in drainpipes

"One woman told me that she and her family escaped under the dark of night," recalled Bakr Abdulla. "They took off their slippers to make less noise. They hid in big drainage pipes, before running to the border raising white flags made of cloth."

Fear of starvation

Another woman told Bakr Abdulla that she heard of a mother who drowned herself and her three children to avoid starving to death. While NRC has not been able to verify her story, it is indicative of the desperate situation faced by the people trapped inside. Another mother told how her family survived by eating only dried dates and drinking river water.

Fallujah has suffered food and medical shortages over the last months due to the conflict, and now there is reportedly little or nothing left in the town. "There is no electricity, no water and no fuel," amother of four told NRC.

Caught in the crossfire

Civilians trapped inside the town risk being caught in the crossfire, so many are too afraid to attempt leaving. "Parents told me that they lived in constant fear of being killed. They hid their children from bombs and rockets every day. Only after they managed to flee have they been able to sleep," said Bakr Abdulla.

Although the camp is only 30 kilometres from the ongoing fighting in Fallujah, people feel safe there. "The conditions in the camp are basic, but the families arriving are happy to finally feel secure. Many didn't believe they would ever make it out alive. That is, despite the fact that they are still in Anbar province, which for many is not considered a safe space."

Safe passage urgently needed

"It is critical that conflict parties grant civilians safe routes out of Fallujah immediately, so they can evacuate now before the crisis gets any worse," warned Bakr Abdulla.

"As we speak we are preparing water bottles, food parcels and hygiene kits for new families, should they escape. But we cannot help civilians if they are not granted safe passage out of the fighting. The fate of tens of thousands of civilians depends on this."

NRC and other aid organisations are assisting people fleeing Fallujah. Tents, water, food and hygiene kits are being distributed to new arrivals.