Arms loaded with household appliances, Nourredine, 59, walks through the narrow alleys of the old city of Mosul, part of which has recently been rebuilt. After eight years of absence, he finally settles back at home, with his family. “I don’t have the words to describe my happiness today. It’s just an amazing feeling to be back in your city and in your home.”
At the beginning of July, Iraq celebrates five years since the liberation of Mosul. The second city of the country had been occupied by the Islamic State group from 2014 to 2017. A nine-month battle had then reduced its districts to fields of ruins, in particular the historic center. Five years later, families are only beginning to resettle.
His home had been completely destroyed during the war. It was rebuilt recently by Unesco, which pledged to do the same for 124 houses in the city center. Surrounded by his two sons, Nourredine, in a small inner courtyard, has moist eyes. “You know, the government was supposed to compensate us, but the procedure seems to take a long time!”
“Without the help of Unesco, we would still be in displaced persons’ tents!”
On site, a representative of Unesco supervises the work. White helmet on his head and fluorescent yellow vest on his shoulders, Mustafa Nadhem explains why the reconstruction phase only started a few months ago: “First, we had to bring in a specialized team to remove all the debris, then we had to remove the explosive devices from all the houses. It was very dangerous to work… When we removed debris in a house, we even found a body!
Today, thanks to the work of the UN agency, the rebuilt part would almost make you forget the surrounding destruction. This would forget the many families who were not helped by the organization and who had to rebuild their homes by themselves. “No one really helped us and everything was destroyed here”, sighs a Mossouliotte met in an adjacent alley. Like his friend who helps him carry sandbags, he is covered in paint.
“The government told us that it was not up to them to do this work but to the NGOshe continues. When NGOs came here, they rebuilt part of it, but not the rest. We had to rebuild with our own money.” In total, these Iraqis have had to save 4,000 euros in recent years. Five years after the liberation, it is above all the inhabitants themselves who are rebuilding the city, the historic heart of which is still mostly in ruins.