GENEVA -- The International Organization for Migration says nearly 350,000 displaced Iraqis have returned to their homes but are now suffering from widespread unemployment and lack of resources.
The group says the returnees represent a small percentage of Iraqis uprooted since the 2003 U.S. invasion. But spokeswoman Jemini Pandya said Tuesday they face a "new set of challenges that are almost as daunting as those when they were displaced."
Most are returning to Baghdad, and half of them lack health care. A third of the families have no wage earners and another third have returned to partially or completely destroyed homes.
The group said only 39 percent of the surveyed returnees say they have received a one-time $840 assistance grant from the Iraqi government.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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