Iraqi Kurdistan is just a bit smaller than Canterbury Province and is home to around four and half million Kurds (though no one has counted recently as a population census is a politically touchy topic).
In the past year 250,000 Arabs have moved here to escape the violence in Arab Iraq and more recently another 250,000 Syrians (mainly Kurds) have crossed the border as refugees. In the last month more than 100,000 Arabs from the adjacent Anbar province have also entered Kurdistan, fleeing the violence there. In addition to these 600,000 people, there are a huge number of Syrians who have moved here but are not official refugees. On top of this are ten of thousands of Iranian Kurds who have moved here to escape ethnic oppression and a disastrous Iranian economy.
While this has put enormous pressure on the Kurdish Government and economy, the tension between Kurds and the refugees has been minimal and so far there has been no violence. However, it is really uncertain how long the KRG can continue to cope.
In the past year 250,000 Arabs have moved here to escape the violence in Arab Iraq and more recently another 250,000 Syrians (mainly Kurds) have crossed the border as refugees. In the last month more than 100,000 Arabs from the adjacent Anbar province have also entered Kurdistan, fleeing the violence there. In addition to these 600,000 people, there are a huge number of Syrians who have moved here but are not official refugees. On top of this are ten of thousands of Iranian Kurds who have moved here to escape ethnic oppression and a disastrous Iranian economy.
While this has put enormous pressure on the Kurdish Government and economy, the tension between Kurds and the refugees has been minimal and so far there has been no violence. However, it is really uncertain how long the KRG can continue to cope.
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