Gorilla’s Guides

Latest report on ICRC activities in the field

Situation in Sadr City

“Almost a month after the outbreak of armed clashes pitting Coalition and Iraqi forces against the Mehdi Army, the situation in Sadr City, in eastern Baghdad, is putting further strain on the civilian population,” says Patrick Youssef, head of the sub-delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Baghdad. “The clashes that began on 25 March did not let up until they eased briefly on 12 April. However, the lull in the fighting did not give the population enough time to stock up on food and water or to seek appropriate medical care.”

Al Jamila market, one of the largest in Sadr City, was severely damaged by the fighting. The market used to provide enough supplies to cover everyday needs in Sadr City. People are now short of food, especially as prices of fresh vegetables have increased considerably.

According to ICRC staff in Baghdad, who are in permanent contact with hospitals and health officials, several hospitals have exhausted their stocks of medical supplies as a result of the ongoing fighting.

The ICRC has had difficulty transporting food and medicines where they are needed because of the ongoing fighting.

ICRC assistance in Sadr City

Earlier today the ICRC managed to distribute some three tonnes of medical items to Sadr City General Hospital, Al Imam Ali General Hospital and Ibn Al Baldi Paediatric Hospital in Sadr City. The items included equipment for intravenous infusion, injection and dressing materials, and anaesthetics.

The ICRC also delivered 24,000 food tins to cover the needs of around 1,000 families for one week. The tins contained ready-made meals of beef, lamb, chicken and rice.

On 20 March, the ICRC delivered 700 food parcels containing enough oil, sugar, salt, beans and rice to last a family two weeks, 25 tonnes of rice and 700 hygiene kits to the Social Committee of Sadr Office, which then distributed the items to needy families in Sadr City.

The ICRC continues to transport nearly 10,000 litres of drinking water to Sadr City every day.

Elsewhere in Baghdad

The ICRC delivered 350 family food parcels, 1,750 blankets and 350 hygiene kits to families in the western Baghdad neighbourhoods of Al Amirya and Hay Al Adel today.

Between 17 and 19 April, the ICRC distributed 400 family food parcels, 2,000 blankets and 400 hygiene kits to families in Al Adamyah and Taji, west of Baghdad.
The ICRC is committed to pursuing its efforts to bring aid to the people of Sadr City and other areas affected by the conflict.

Source International Committee of The Red Cross: Iraq:ICRC helps victims of Sadr City fighting

The International Red Crescent/Red Cross is a major contributor of humanitarian relief in Irak. They are the only humanitarian agency working everywhere in Irak and are completely non-sectarian.,You can donate to their Iraq program here and selecting “Iraq” in the drop down box.

BAGHDAD, 10 April 2008 (IRIN) - A humanitarian crisis is looming in two sprawling Shia suburbs in Baghdad, as clashes continue between government forces (backed by US soldiers) and Shia militants, members of parliament and residents said on 10 April.

“Sadr City and Shula are in a very tragic humanitarian situation as residents are suffering acute shortages of food and medicines,” Iraq’s parliamentary committee on human rights said in a statement.

Throughout the country by 21:30 the GZG authorities admitted to 25 dead and 57 wounded. There is very heavy fighting going on in Sadr city. The Americans have it under siege and are refusing all access to the city. American helicopters have bombed the city repeatedly. American snipers are being deployed on the roof tops. Imam Ali spokesmen say they are now desperately short of medical supplies. The Red Crescent attempts to get emergency medical supplies to the city which we reported yesterday have failed because the Americans will not let them through.

There are reports that the fires caused by the American bombing of the Jameela market are spreading and that there is no water being pumped to the city.

Note: Follow this link to see the postings on Jameelah market (Sadr City) in particular see this posting Jameelah market (Sadr City) Bombing In Context posted on 23rd July 2006, A not very short excerpt:

But what I, or any other westerner, think is irrelevant. What’s relevant is how the vast majority of al-Sadr’s constituency see things. And how they see the situation is:

• Al-Sadr’s movement is led by people who didn’t flee Iraq but who stayed and resisted Saddam.
• Al-Sadr has consistently resisted attempts to split up Iraq.
• Al-Sadr is consistently critical of Iranian efforts to increase their influence in the country.
• Al-Sadr has flown in the face of the price rises in fuel, food, clothing, and the ration reductions imposed by the green zone government at the behest of the American led occupation.
• They see and hear the green zone government talking of dividing up Baghdad.
• They see Nouri al Maliki going to Washington to be feted by the very people whose racist and brutal occupation has unleashed a tide of blood upon their homeland (and are now trying to pin the blame upon them.)
• They see their hero, and his followers:
  • Visiting the wounded in hospital.
    
  • Providing comfort to the afflicted.
  • Seeing to it that the families get some food and money to tide them over.
  • Doing their best to protect them and their homes and children.
• They see that al-Sadr and his followers are doing the things that citizens expect a real government to do in an emergency.

If you lived in Sadr city or the South who would you believe? Would you believe a pack of murderous foreigners and their puppets or would you believe what you see with your own eyes day in day out?

Jameelah is essential for the people of Sadr city if this was an attempt at pacification then it failed miserably and there will be serious repercussions for those who carried out the attack.  There are also reports of fighting in al-Shula. Our correspondents say that reports that Basrah is quiet are a flat out lie.

Analysis: Both my colleague Saba Ali and I were wrong. We simply could not believe that Maliki would be foolhardy enough to expand the attacks on the Sadrists.

We were wrong. We hope that this demon can be put back into its bottle but we doubt it. Throughout the Southern governorates there are a series of inter-tribal raids and skirmishes going on. We do not see that this can be contained.

Omar Khdhayyir, Saba Ali Ihsaan.

اكد مصدر طبي في مدينة الصدر شرقي بغداد ان 14 عشر شخصا لقوا مصرعهم واصيب اكثر من 140 اخرين اثر اشتباكات مسلحة جرت بين قوات الامن وملي شيات مسلحة خلال ليلة امس الثلاثاء واليوم الاربعاء .
واضاف المصدر ان هذا الاحصاء جاء من مستشفى الصدر ومستشفى الامام علي ومستشفى الكندي وسط بغداد.
واوضح ان الضحايا بينهم نساء واطفال وقد حوصروا وسط اطلاق النيران في الاشتباكات مشيرا الى ان المستشفيات تعاني من نقص في الاطباء لأن القوات الامريكية لا تسمح لهم بدخول مدينة الصدر.

English:

Medical sources in Sadr City confirmed that at least 14 Ten people were killed and more than 140 others wounded following armed clashes between the green zone government security forces and Soldiers from the American army still trying to subjugate Irak and Mahid militia fighters through the night yesterday, Tuesday, and today Wednesday.

The statistics came mainly from al Sadr hospital and the Imam Ali hospital as well as central Baghdad hopsitals.

The victimss, including women and children were trapped in crossfire in the clashes.

They also pointed out that hospitals suffer from a shortage of doctors because the American forces would not allow them to enter Sadr City.

Editor Note:

The two photos are of the result of the American bombing of Jameela market in Sadr city.