The Iraqi government has admitted it does not have the resources to cope with an increasing number of refugees returning to the country.

Iraqis have been returning to their homes from areas within the country and from abroad, primarily Jordan and Syria, as violence in the country has fallen over the last few months.

An average of 600 Iraqis are returning each day from Syria alone.

According to the Iraqi Red Crescent (IRC), nearly 110,000 Iraqis displaced within the country returned to their homes in October.

The IRC also says that the number of internally displaced Iraqis has fallen from 2.3 million to 2.19 million.

John Cookson, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Baghdad, says many of those returning are likely to remain refugees in their own country.

Security concern

The US military says the return could lead to renewed sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shias.

Government figures show 538 civilians killed in the country in November, a sharp fall from monthly tolls of nearly 2,000 at the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (Unami) said it will assist the government in its efforts to organise and implement a plan for the voluntary return of refugees.

Stefan De Mistura, the UN special representative to Iraq, told Al Jazeera that while the security situation has improved, it is still fragile, and may get worse.

Joint initiative

To achieve this goal, Unami, together with the Iraqi ministry of displacement and migration, has developed a Rapid Response Plan, to be launched on Thursday.

This plan aims to assist 5,000 families - approximately 30,000 people - with an immediate relief package, which will include a first support package and a repair kit for those in need, Unami said.

The response package will be delivered through the UNHCR and the International Organisation of Migration.

Abdul Samad Sultan, the minister of immigrants and the displaced, told Al Jazeera that progress is slow, but those internally displaced will be taken care of.

He said: "They will not return quickly, but they will return step by step."

Food rationing

In another development, Iraq's trade minister said in a statement on Wednesday that food rations might have to be cut due to a lack of budget funds.

Abed Falah al-Sudani also warned that such a move would pose hardship for the majority of Iraqis who depend heavily on the food rations.

The comments came as critics called for the costly system to be revised or eliminated. But al-Sudani said two-thirds of approximately 26 million Iraqis rely on the rations.

He said: "More than 60 per cent of the Iraqi people depend on the food distributed with the ration card ... any change in the ration items will create new problems that will add new burdens on families."

Al-Sudani also said his ministry had requested a $7bn for the programme in next year's budget but only received $3bn, a move that could force it to cut the number of items distributed from 10 to five.

PHOTO CAPTION 

Iraqi refugee children sit by their luggage after returning from Syria to Baghdad. [AP]

Al-Jazeera