The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation facing families in western Mosul, where more than 750,000 people are living in dire conditions.
While access to reliable information about the conditions inside western Mosul is limited, WFP’s monitoring team and partners have spoken to a number of families inside the city as they assess access and availability of food. Through telephone interviews, many distressed families said that food was unaffordable, while others said they could not access food at all. Due to increased fighting, people are afraid to leave their homes, making it even more difficult to search for essential food items.
“The situation is unbelievable,” reported a 46-year-old man from inside the city. “There is no food, no clean water, no gas for heating, no medicine and no services.”
“WFP is monitoring the frontlines and remains ready to provide immediate food assistance as soon as families can be reached safely,” said WFP Iraq Representative and Country Director Sally Haydock. “We are hearing from some families that food has drastically risen in price and is unaffordable. In extreme cases, people cannot access food at all. We appeal to all parties to the conflict to facilitate immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to all Iraqis in need of assistance.”
So far, WFP has provided ready-to-eat food for over 6,000 people who have fled villages to the south of western Mosul. Most have made their way to Hamam Al Alil, Qayyarah Jeda’a and Haj Ali camps. WFP has enough food in stock to cover the immediate needs of 770,000 people who reside in the western Mosul area.
A recent WFP survey has found that food in western Mosul has become scarce as supply lines have been cut, and that prices of all food items have gone up significantly. As most families have been without income for the past two-and-a-half years, many people are struggling to feed their families.
