Gorilla’s Guides

They “live surrounded by garbage”, the report said. “As a result, cases of typhoid have recently been reported.”

BAGHDAD, 17 August 2008 (IRIN) - While the rate of people fleeing their homes in Iraq has decreased during the first half of 2008, daily life for the thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in tent camps remains grim, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in an assessment issued on 15 August.

“Tent camp residents have little or no access to basic services, cannot protect themselves against the elements or extreme weather, and are located far away from medical care, education and other services,” the IOM statement said. “These harsh conditions, combined with a cultural aversion to living without familial privacy and personal dignity, make tent camps a last resort for Iraqi IDPs.”

Photo: Click photo to see full size: Iraki Red Cresent Society staff hand out supplies to displaced families in Babil Province.
Photo Credit: Iraki Red Crescent Society.

The assessment, which was carried out in conjunction with Iraq’s Ministry for Displacement and Migration and the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, also said that although the number of IDPs living in tent camps remained very low compared to the overall number of IDPs nationwide - some 2.8 million – they were often the most vulnerable and in constant need of humanitarian assistance.

Unbearable camp conditions

Mogadishu, Grozny, Kabul and Baghdad have all been affected by the violence of an armed conflict at one time or another. For humanitarian organizations, which often work more in rural areas, these places present particular challenges. Are other towns in countries which are at peace but experiencing uncontrolled growth the breeding ground of new forms of violence between armed groups which will be of concern not only to development agencies but also to humanitarian organizations?

More than half the planet’s inhabitants are town-dwellers. According to UN-HABITAT’s State of the World’s Cities Report 2006/7, urbanization trends indicate that the largest towns will be found mainly in developing countries. Whereas megacities of more than 20 million inhabitants already exist in Asia, Latin America and Africa, most urban migrants will be drawn to smaller towns with less than one million inhabitants. Towns in the developing world will absorb 95% of urban growth over the next two decades.

More than half the planet’s inhabitants are town-dwellers. According to UN-HABITAT’s State of the World’s Cities Report 2006/7, urbanization trends indicate that the largest towns will be found mainly in developing countries. Whereas megacities of more than 20 million inhabitants already exist in Asia, Latin America and Africa, most urban migrants will be drawn to smaller towns with less than one million inhabitants. Towns in the developing world will absorb 95% of urban growth over the next two decades.

The aim of this text is to share some thoughts on the subject of urban violence from the specific – but not sole – perspective of armed conflicts. The thoughts will be organized as responses to seven questions.

Is it appropriate to analyse violence in relation to the place where it occurs?

Mogadishu, Grozny, Kabul and Baghdad have all been affected by the violence of an armed conflict at one time or another. For humanitarian organizations, which often work more in rural areas, these places present particular challenges. Are other towns in countries which are at peace but experiencing uncontrolled growth the breeding ground of new forms of violence between armed groups which will be of concern not only to development agencies but also to humanitarian organizations?