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Iraqi women have repeatedly been victims of armed conflict in recent decades. Today, as their dependence on a crumbling social structure grows, many find themselves struggling to make ends meet. The ICRC is helping them get back on their feet.

A great many women in Iraq are facing challenges in the task of caring for their families, earning income and taking part in community and professional life. Since widespread violence erupted in 2003, they have been increasingly caught in the crossfire, killed, wounded or driven from their homes. As their menfolk have been killed or taken away in large numbers, the entire burden of running the household has been suddenly thrust upon them.

"Regardless of the circumstance of loss, the mere fact that there is no traditional breadwinner directly affects the family’s financial situation," said Caroline Douilliez, head of the ICRC’s Women and War programme in Iraq. "The ICRC’s observations across Iraq have led us to the distressing conclusion that the lack of regular and sufficient income over the years has cast a huge number of families into severe poverty."

According to ICRC estimates, between one and two million households in Iraq today are headed by women. This figure includes women whose husbands are either dead, missing (some since as far back as 1980) or detained. Divorced women are also taken into account. All these women were wives at one time, and today remain mothers to their children and daughters to their parents, and sometimes ultimately breadwinners and caregivers for all these people. Without a male relative, they lack economic, physical and social protection and support. Often they struggle with harrowing memories of the circumstance of death or disappearance of their husband. Displaced women face the added challenge of coping with the loss of a home that they had to leave because of threats to their safety, or for lack of income.

"With no job opportunities, with no help from relatives themselves too poor to provide it, and with no assistance from the State social-security system, these women’s daily struggle revolves around putting food on the table and paying for shelter, schooling and medical care," said Ms Douilliez. "Sometimes their only option is to take their young boys out of school and send them out to earn a few dinars for the family. As a result, future generations pay the price of today’s difficult times. Without a proper education, today’s youth will not be equipped to face their own challenges once they have families of their own."

In response to this emergency, the ICRC has launched programmes aimed specifically to assist women heading households alone. Since 2008, the organization has focused on finding ways to help women attain self-sufficiency.

At the same time, the ICRC closely monitors the effects of efforts made by the State to improve social-welfare benefits for women facing particular hardship. The ICRC can attest to the struggle required to increase budgetary allocations and other resources for this vulnerable group. Ms Douilliez stresses the scale of the problem and the need for a comprehensive approach by the Iraqi government.

The ICRC is engaged in dialogue with parliamentarians and other central and provincial policy-makers to ensure that the social-welfare system for vulnerable women receives the resources it needs.

Assistance: Between 2009 and 2010 the ICRC assisted around 4,000 women heading households who have been displaced from their homes. Food parcels and hygiene items were distributed to women in Baghdad, Diyala and Ninawa governorates.

Micro-economic initiatives: The ICRC provides in-kind grants to help finance income-generating projects. The grants are extended to women who are willing and able to run such projects, which are often home-based businesses such as small shops, trade projects or food production. The projects, which have been initiated in Najaf, Basra, Missan and Baghdad since 2009, are conducted in partnership with local NGOs and monitored for several months to ensure sustainability.

Social welfare benefits: The ICRC, working in partnership with local NGOs, helps women handle the formalities associated with applying for social-welfare benefits. As the cost of travel to gather documents is high, especially for women who have very limited resources, it reimburses the travel expenses incurred by women in Baghdad, Anbar, Basra and Missan who have not previously applied for the allowance. In addition, the ICRC has provided the agency in charge of administering the benefit with technical support.

Bringing aid to people facing hardship

The ICRC has maintained its support for people struggling to earn a living, such as women heading households, people with disabilities and the displaced. During the months of January and February, the ICRC:

• provided emergency winter assistance for more than 44,000 displaced people in Ninawa, Kirkuk, Diyala, Baghdad, Wassit, Babil, Anbar, Salah Al-Din, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya;
• awarded 82 grants to disabled people and women heading households in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Ninawa, Sulaimaniya and Erbil to enable them to start small businesses and regain economic self-sufficiency. Around 900 households headed by women and the disabled have received such assistance since 2008. The grants have benefited over 5,000 people.

Assisting hospitals and physical rehabilitation centres

Because health-care services in some rural and conflict-prone areas are still struggling to meet the needs of the civilian population, the ICRC continues to help renovate the premises of health-care facilities and train staff. To help disabled people reintegrate into the community, the ICRC also continues to provide limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation services. In January and February:

• 192 new patients were fitted with prostheses and 1,010 with orthoses at 10 ICRC-supported centres throughout Iraq;
• 17 doctors and 44 nurses took part in a course on emergency services given in Sulaimaniya and Najaf for medical personnel from Koya, Erbil, Dohuk, Khanaqin, Sulaimaniya, Kirkuk, Babil, Muthanna, Diwaniya, Kerbala and Najaf.

In 2010 the ICRC began providing on-site support for eight primary health-care centres in Diyala, Ninawa, Kirkuk, Babil and Diwaniya. By agreement with the local authorities, the ICRC visits the centres on a regular basis to maintain and, where necessary, upgrade water supply networks. The ICRC also provides advice for emergency stabilization and referral services. In addition, it helps local health administrations to ensure that stocks of medicines and vaccines are adequate and that these items are always readily available.

Over 280,000 people, including internally displaced people, now have better access to basic health-care and emergency services in the eight primary health-care centres. By mid-2010, the ICRC was providing the centres with enhanced support for various services. Local health authorities appointed additional female doctors to work in some facilities and provided additional ambulances and beds.

Providing clean water and sanitation

Access to clean water remains difficult in much of Iraq. ICRC engineers continue to repair and upgrade water, electrical and sanitary facilities, especially in places where violence remains a concern and in rural areas to improve the quality of services provided in communities and health-care facilities. In January and February, these activities included:

Emergency assistance:

The ICRC delivered water by truck:

• to al-Sadr City (sectors 52 and 53), Husseinia and Ma’amil area in Baghdad governorate to over 4,840 internally displaced people;
• to al-Zeidan primary health-care centre in Abu Ghraib, Baghdad governorate.

Support for health-care facilities:

The ICRC completed the following works:

• upgrading the water storage capacity in al-Shirqat General Hospital (100-bed capacity) in Salah al-Din governorate;
• renovation of the sanitary facilities in three buildings (Zainab, al Kindy and al Razi) in al- Rashad Psychiatric Hospital Phase 2 Stage 2 (1,300-bed capacity) in Baghdad governorate;
• renovation of a primary health-care centre in al-Sadr City (300 patients per day) in Baghdad governorate. The area served by the centre has a population of 50,000;
• installation of specialized equipment in al-Sadr Teaching Hospital (200 bed capacity), Najaf governorate.

Drinking-water supply:

The ICRC completed 10 main projects benefiting over 612,250 people throughout the country:

• renovation of Qaim water treatment plant in Anbar governorate, serving about 170,000 people;
• renovation of a compact unit in Za’faraniya, Baghdad governorate, serving about 200,000 people;
• transfer and reinstallation of a compact unit from al-Quds to al-Rasheed in Baghdad governorate, serving about 15,000 people;
• upgrade of five compact units in Abu Ghraib district, Baghdad governorate, serving about 74,000 people;
• renovation of a compact unit in al-Shirqat, Salah al-Din governorate, serving about 20,000 people;
• renovation of a compact unit in Diyala governorate serving about 40,000 people;
• supply of a generator for Mendili and Qaratapa water treatment plants in Diyala governorate, serving about 42,000 people;
• upgrade of water supply system in Qosh villages, in Ninawa, serving about 45,000 people;
• upgrade of water supply system in Khanaqin, Diyala governorate, serving about 6,000 people;
• renovation of a compact unit in Missan governorate serving about 250 people.

Renovation of infrastructure in places of detention:

● electro-mechanical works completed in Kadhimiya maximum security prison in Baghdad governorate;
● improvement of the women’s yard in Hilla Prison (No. 2), Babil governorate, serving about 50 detainees.

Visiting detainees

In January and February, ICRC delegates visited detainees held by the Iraqi Correctional Service under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, various branches of the Kurdish Regional Government and the United States government in 27 places of detention in 14 governorates. The delegates monitored the conditions in which detainees were being held and the treatment they received.

The ICRC shared its observations and recommendations with the detaining authorities with a view to bringing about improvements where needed.

In some of the places of detention, the ICRC gave detainees mattresses, blankets and recreational items such as books and games.

The ICRC makes a special effort to restore and maintain ties between people held in detention facilities and their loved ones. In January and February over 350 Red Cross messages were exchanged between detainees and their families in Iraq and abroad. The ICRC also responded to over 750 enquiries from families seeking information on detained relatives or requesting other types of information, for instance on missing relatives. In addition, in Iraq, Iran and Kuwait, the ICRC issued close to 1,000 certificates of detention to former detainees and prisoners of war from previous international armed conflicts. The voluntary repatriation of two released detainees took place under the auspices of the ICRC. The organization also issued travel documents to 13 persons, mainly refugees, to enable them to resettle abroad. In February, the ICRC made arrangements for a three-day visit for seven Iraqi families (19 persons) to visit their loved ones detained in Kuwait Central Prison.

Clarifying the fate of missing people

During the months of January and February, the ICRC, in its role as a neutral intermediary, chaired a meeting between Iraq and Iran during which joint field work undertaken with a view to recovering the remains of soldiers killed during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War was discussed. It also chaired one meeting of the Technical Sub-Committee dealing with missing persons from the 1990-1991 Gulf War, and participated in technical meetings with the parties concerned with a view to preparing joint field exhumations.

The mortal remains of 38 persons, presumed to be Iraqi soldiers killed during the Iran-Iraq War, were handed over by the Iranian to the Iraqi authorities under ICRC auspices.

The ICRC continued to provide the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights and Baghdad’s Medical-Legal Institute with the technical support they require to exchange information and build up their capacity in the area of forensics. In January, the ICRC provided training in forensic anthropology for 27 members of the Medico-Legal Institute.

Promoting compliance with international humanitarian law

Reminding parties to a conflict of their obligation to protect civilians is a fundamental part of the ICRC’s work. The organization also endeavours to spread knowledge of international humanitarian law by organizing presentations for various audiences, including military personnel, prison staff, students and professors.

Iraq: women struggle to make ends meet

LONDON, 29 September 2010 (IRIN) – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has expressed concern about the growing number of deportations of Iraqi asylum-seekers from Western Europe in the last two months.

Special charter flights to take failed asylum-seekers home have increased in frequency, and Iraqis are being returned to parts of the country which are still unsafe, in contravention of UNHCR guidelines for the handling of Iraqi asylum applications, it says.

The deportations are handled by Frontex, a Warsaw-based agency set up to coordinate operations between European Union (EU) member states in the field of border security, and their planes can carry returnees from several different countries. The most recent (on 22 September) had failed asylum applicants from Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK.

One of the UNHCR’s complaints is that the information provided by those countries is usually sketchy, varies from country to country and is given only very late in the process. In the case of last week’s flight, Sweden told the UNHCR the names and dates of birth of those being sent home, but not their destinations. The UK provided details of where its rejected claimants were going but not their identities.

No country told the UNHCR how many of the passengers being put on board the plane were going home voluntarily, and how many were being deported against their will, but reports from Baghdad say police had to be called to escort some of them off the plane.

A spokesperson for the UNHCR, Sybella Wilkes, called for states sending home asylum-seekers to be more transparent. “We are aware when a flight is leaving,” she told IRIN, “but we don’t know until the last minute who is on board or which countries they are coming from.”

The organization does not oppose people being sent back to Iraq in every case. “It’s possible that some people on the plane were going back voluntarily,” Wilkes said. “It’s possible that some were going to areas where we don’t have issues about security. But we don’t know. Having full information would be in everybody’s best interests.”

What they do know is that among the passengers leaving Sweden were two women and four children. The British government said all those it was sending last week were single adult males, but their destinations included Baghdad, Ninawa, Kirkuk and Salah ad-Din – all areas the UNHCR considers unsafe.

Five governorates unsafe

“We are very clear in our guidelines,” said Sybella Wilkes. “Baghdad, Diyala, Kirkuk, Ninawa and Salah ad-Din are still not safe, in view of serious human rights violations and continuing security incidents in those areas. We specifically ask governments not to return people to those five governorates, and we are disappointed they are ignoring our guidelines.”

The general secretary of the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees, Dashty Jamal, blamed the rise in forced removals on the electoral success of right wing parties in a number of European countries. He told IRIN: “Most of the EU countries’ right-wing parties have united together to change their immigration policy, and deport back all Iraqis who apply for asylum in their country.”

He said that as well as the charter flights run by Frontex, individual refugees are being sent back almost every night on scheduled flights to Jordan. “I believe that no part of Iraq is safe, even Kurdistan. It is like the UN saying that Berne in Switzerland is safe but Zurich is not safe. This is not the time to send people back. They are playing with the lives of innocent people.”

Contacted by IRIN, the UK’s border agency denied there had been any overall policy recently to deport more Iraqi asylum-seekers. Detailed figures of deportations over the past two months are not yet available, but a spokesperson insisted that every case is looked at individually and considered on its merits. “We only ever return those whom the Border Agency and the courts are satisfied are not in need of our protection, and who have failed to comply with a request to leave.”

Are the Agency and the courts ignoring the UNHCR guidelines on safe and unsafe areas? “A whole range of factors are taken into account,” the spokesperson told IRIN. “And from the UK’s point of view we have to be satisfied that they don’t need our protection.”

The UNHCR has been lobbying since June against the forced removals to Iraq, but says so far they have not seen any shift in position by Western European governments. Sybella Wilkes says she is disappointed. “I would like them to consider that they have a minority of Iraqi asylum-seekers in their countries. And this is not a very positive example when Iraq’s neighbours have much greater numbers, and have been much more generous and welcoming.”

Dashty Jamal told IRIN on 28 September that a number of Iraqis in the UK had received tickets for a flight back to Iraq on 6 October, and that a demonstration was being planned that day outside the Iraqi embassy in London to protest at the way returnees are treated when they get to Baghdad.

Source: IRIN Global | REFUGEES: UNHCR concerned over Iraqi deportations | Global | Iraq | Refugees/IDPs

MADRID, 20 June 2010 (IRIN) – Refugee officials and rights groups have urged a number of European countries not to forcibly repatriate Iraqi asylum seekers, particularly members of minority communities, because of prevailing insecurity in the country.

These demands were made in response to recent announced repatriation plans by the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway. The UK has already begun deporting some Iraqis, with some 40 asylum-seekers arriving in Baghdad on 17 June – the UK’s third deportation in that week.

“Our position and advice to governments is that Iraqi asylum applicants originating from Iraq’s governorates of Baghdad, Diyala, Ninewa and Salah-al-Din, as well as from Kirkuk province, should continue to benefit from international protection,” Melissa Fleming, a spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said at a press briefing on 8 June.

“Our position reflects the volatile security situation and the still high level of prevailing violence, security incidents, and human rights violations taking place in these parts of Iraq,” she said.

While its deportations have been criticized for being highly secretive, the British government has insisted the people it was repatriating were from safer parts of Iraq. UNHCR has expressed concern that the forced returns send the wrong message to host countries neighbouring Iraq, namely Syria and Jordan.

Minority attacks

Iraqi minorities – including Christians of various denominations, Yazidis and the Shabak – living in third countries are particularly fearful of any forced returns.

A Chaldean Christian Iraqi refugee who has lived in the Netherlands since 2006 told IRIN on condition of anonymity that he feared being singled out for deportation because of the many attacks against his community in Iraq.

"Kidnappings and politically motivated killings continue to take place in what seems to be an attempt to resettle or eradicate Iraq’s indigenous population," he said.

He is one of more than half a million Iraqi Christians who have fled since the US-led invasion of the country in 2003. According to the US-based Brookings Institution, an estimated 500,000 Christians remain in Iraq since numbering between 1 million and 1.4 million before 2003.

“Christians continue to be targeted and there is no protection from the Iraqi authorities,” said Dr Ghazi Rahho, a Christian Iraqi who fled the country several years ago and now works as a professor in Jordan.

Rahho’s cousin, Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, a leading Christian authority in Iraq, was kidnapped and killed in February 2008, an incident that led to some 12,000 Christians fleeing Mosul, about 400km northwest of Baghdad. “To date, kidnappings and assassinations are taking place. And other tactics are used to terrorize Christians. Our churches, for instance, are being bombed," said Rahho.

According to an April 2010 Amnesty International (AI) report, more than 100 people were killed between mid-July and mid-September 2009 in attacks targeting Christians, Sabean-Mandaeans, Yazidis, Turkoman Shias, Shabaks and Kaka’is.

AI has called on the international community to “end all forcible returns to any part of Iraq; any return of rejected asylum-seekers should only take place when the security situation in the whole country has stabilized.”

NGO Minority Rights Group International has detailed evidence of violence against Iraq’s minority communities in a June 10 report and expressed an urgent need for legislation implementing minority rights in the country to address an “ongoing climate of impunity that exists in relation to attacks on minorities”.

Iraqi refugee landmark

Meanwhile, UNHCR announced on 18 June that a landmark 100,000 Iraqis had been referred for resettlement from the Middle East to third countries since 2007. About 45 percent of that number lives in Syria, UNHCR said, adding that the referrals acceptance rate by host countries was 80 percent, of which 76 percent were accepted by the US.

Iraqis are the second largest refugee group in the world, according to UNHCR’s 2009 Global Trends report, with an estimated 1.8 million seeking refuge primarily in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey.

The report, released in advance of World Refugee Day on 20 June, said voluntary repatriation worldwide in 2009 was the lowest for 20 years, with around 251,500 returns, of which only 38,000 were Iraqi.

IRIN Middle East | IRAQ: Forced repatriation puts minorities at risk | Middle East | Iraq | Human Rights Conflict | News Item

Millions of people in Iraq cannot get clean water or water in sufficient quantity. The ICRC is doing its best to improve access to safe water. This is an update on ICRC activities carried out in Iraq in March and April.

The Tigris and the Euphrates, which supply the bulk of Iraq’s water, are slowly dwindling and in some areas can no longer be used as a reliable source of drinking water. Across the country, the shrinking of the rivers is having serious consequences on the functioning of water treatment plants. It also affects underground aquifers, where the salt content of the water is increasing. This water is often unfit for human consumption or even for agricultural use.

The volatile security situation in some areas and the rising price of fuel have put additional strain on already scarce services, as have population growth and displacement. In many places, the strain is further compounded by a lack of qualified engineers and staff able to maintain and repair water and sanitation facilities. Many farming communities were hard hit by the drought that struck northern Iraq in 2008. Average rainfall over the past 10 years has been far lower than in previous decades. In the north, water supply systems fed by springs and shallows aquifers have been depleted and often have less water available to meet demand. Although rainfall has been better in many places during 2009 and 2010, low water-levels continue to affect agriculture production, meaning Iraq needs to import more rice and wheat. With less water of sufficient quality generally available, management of the existing resources is key.

Because large suburban residential areas have sometimes developed without adequate infrastructure, and certain sewage treatment plants are bypassed, wastewater is discharged untreated into rivers and lakes. Ditches and ponds filled with foul-smelling polluted water blight many neighbourhoods. The United Nations recently estimated that around 83% of sewage is being let into rivers and waterways.

Water treatment and distribution facilities are also disrupted by persistent power shortages. Iraq is currently producing around 6,000 megawatts of electricity a day, while demand is estimated at 10,000 megawatts. Health, water and sewage facilities and other infrastructure in many parts of the country still rely on back-up generators to meet their need for electric power.

Water distribution systems that are old or badly maintained are further weakened by illegal connections and substandard plumbing within households. Leakages cause large amounts of wasted water and frequent contamination. According to the United Nations, nearly half of Iraqis in rural areas are without safe drinking water. The Iraqi government estimates that 24% of Iraqis in the country as a whole, or nearly one in four, do not have access to safe water.

"Reliable access to enough water of sufficient quality remains a major challenge for large parts of the population", said Julien Le Sourd, the ICRC’s water and habitat coordinator in Iraq. "The ICRC is doing its utmost to improve this by repairing and upgrading water supply and sewage systems. We do this in partnership with the authorities and we are also providing training for maintenance staff working in water treatment plants."

In March and April, ICRC water engineers:

• completed work at the Ashty water station, in Erbil governorate, which provides safe drinking water for around 10,000 people living in nearby villages;
• built an emergency unit in the 50-bed Qala’t Salih Hospital in Missan governorate;
• upgraded the storage capacity for drinking water and for water used in the cooling system in Medical City Hospital, Baghdad. The hospital can accommodate 1,400 patients and treats around 10,000 outpatients per day;
• renovated a primary health-care centre serving around 400 patients in Sadr City, Baghdad;
• connected the school of al Rahma camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Najaf City, which has 1,000 pupils and teachers, to the municipal water and electricity supply networks;
• supplied and installed a new mortuary refrigerator with a capacity of 12 corpses in Beiji General Hospital, in Salah Al Din governorate;
• delivered water by truck to 4,500 displaced people in Sadr City and to 340 in Husseinia and Ma’amil, Al Imam Ali General Hospital and Fatma al Zahra Hospital, all in Baghdad governorate, and to 360 in Qalawa Quarter camp in Sulaimaniya;
• installed equipment used to fill water bags for distribution during emergencies at Al Wathba water treatment plant in Baghdad;
• repaired the Hindiyah water treatment plant in Karbala, which supplies water to around 125,000 people;
• installed a large-capacity pump in al Fadhliya water treatment plant, Thi Qar governorate, providing drinking water for 82,000 people.
• assessed, in cooperation with Iraqi Correctional Services engineers, 11 detention facilities under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, evaluating needs and recommending improvements for the delivery of essential services (water, electricity, sewage).

Bringing aid to vulnerable people

The ICRC maintained its support for people facing special difficulty earning a living and supporting their families, such as women heading households, people with disabilities and displaced people:

• more than 2,300 displaced families headed by women in Diyala, Salah Al-Din and Ninawa governorates were given monthly food parcels and hygiene items;
• around 2,100 people displaced in March from Mosul to Hamdanya and Tilkaif were given food parcels and rice;
• 61 disabled people in Erbil, Dohuk and Ninawa governorates were given micro-economic aid enabling them to start small businesses and regain economic self-sufficiency. A total of 459 disabled people have now received such aid in a programme that started in 2008.

Assisting hospitals and physical rehabilitation centres

Iraqi health facilities still benefit from ICRC support. To help disabled people reintegrate into the community, the ICRC provides limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation services. In March and April:

• six hospitals and three primary health-care centres received medical supplies and equipment;
• 25 doctors and 28 nurses successfully took part in a training course on strengthening emergency services given at Al Sadr Teaching Hospital in Najaf and at Sulaimaniya Emergency Hospital;
• two people from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research involved in the teaching of prosthetics and orthotics went to the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics in the United Kingdom under ICRC sponsorship for advanced training.

Visiting detainees

ICRC delegates continued to visit detainees in order to monitor the conditions in which they are being held and the treatment they receive. In all cases, the ICRC shares its findings and recommendations in confidence with the detaining authorities. In March and April, the ICRC visited detainees held:

• in Counter-Terrorism Directorate and Tasfirat Najaf, in Najaf governorate;
• in Mina and Samawa prisons, Basra governorate;
• in Counter-Terrorism Directorate, Kirkuk governorate;
• in US custody, in Remembrance II, Baghdad governorate;
• in four prisons and one police station in Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya governorates.

Around 1,550 detainees held in Hilla I & II Correctional Facilities were given mattresses and recreational items such as ping-pong tables, soccer balls and volleyballs.

The ICRC makes a special effort to restore and maintain ties between detainees and their families. In March, it arranged for six Iraqi families to enter Kuwait and visit their relatives detained there since 1991. In addition, around 10,500 Red Cross messages were exchanged between detainees and their families in Iraq and abroad during the month of March.

During March and April, the ICRC responded to more than 3,600 enquiries from families seeking information on detained relatives. It also issued 220 certificates to former detainees making them eligible to receive social welfare benefits.

At the request of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the ICRC issued 73 travel documents for Palestinian refugees in Iraq to enable them to resettle abroad.

Clarifying what happened to missing people

The ICRC supports the authorities in their efforts to clarify what happened to those who went missing in connection with the Iran-Iraq War and the 1990-1991 Gulf War. It also helps train forensic professionals in the identification and management of mortal remains and regularly supplies equipment. In the past two months:

• the Technical Sub-Committee of the Tripartite Commission, handling cases of persons missing in connection with the 1990-1991 Gulf War, held its 64th session in Kuwait, which was chaired by the ICRC and attended by representatives from Iraq, Kuwait and the 1990-1991 Coalition (the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Saudi Arabia). Nine samples of human remains were handed over by the Iraqi to the Kuwaiti delegation for DNA analysis in an effort to determine if they belonged to missing Kuwaiti nationals. The sub-committee will hold a special meeting on forensics in Kuwait in May;
• mortal remains of Iraqi soldiers were repatriated from Kuwait under ICRC auspices.

Promoting international humanitarian law

In line with its mandate, the ICRC promotes compliance with international humanitarian law and reminds parties to a conflict of their obligation to protect civilians. In March and April, the ICRC organized a series of seminars and presentations on international humanitarian law for various audiences all over Iraq.

The Day In Quotes:

• 35 year old man on the experience of being tortured by British troops in Basrah:

  “The main problem is that my reputation is ruined. The people in our area, when they hear I have been arrested by the British Army, assumed I had been abused by British soldiers. People associate the British Army with sexual abuse.” 

  Source: Britain faces payout shame as hundreds of detainees claim soldiers abused them – Times Online:

• Qassim al-Abbudi, an official with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), to reporters:

  "We will count 600 boxes today,"

  Source: Al Arabiya.net | Middle East News | Baghdad begins vote recount requested by PM:  

Human Rights:

Reporters Sans Frontières – Forty predators of press freedom:

In Iraq, journalists who do their job face real dangers from the conflicts that keep erupting but the situation is slowly improving and the violence is affecting the general population more than journalists in particular. That is why Reporters Without Borders has withdrawn Islamist groups from the ranks of the predators.

Britain faces payout shame as hundreds of detainees claim soldiers abused them – Times Online:

The cash-strapped Ministry of Defence faces the prospect of further compensation payouts as hundreds of Iraqis held in British custody file complaints of abuse, described to The Times by former detainees.

snip

The family of Baha Musa, an Iraqi who died in British custody in 2003, shared a £2.83 million MoD settlement with nine others. An inquiry into his death saw evidence suggesting that the illegal treatment of prisoners, such as hooding and sleep deprivation, was widespread.

Substantial out-of-court settlements have also been reached with nine men who made allegations of violence and sexual abuse at the hands of British soldiers in 2003 at a base known as Camp Breadbasket.

The MoD admitted in 2008 that Iraqis were unlawfully assaulted at the base in Basra.
Leigh Day solicitors, who represented the nine men, said that a further 14 have since come forward. The law firm also represents about 100 other Iraqi citizens in claims against the MoD for alleged maltreatment by British forces, mainly relating to arrest and detention. “Fresh allegations continue to come forward, so the number of cases will undoubtedly rise,” a spokesman for the firm said.

snip

He said: “The main problem is that my reputation is ruined. The people in our area, when they hear I have been arrested by the British Army, assumed I had been abused by British soldiers. People associate the British Army with sexual abuse.”

Military court hears Graner’s Abu Ghraib appeal | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com:

The U.S. military’s highest court is considering whether a "Catch-22" prevented the alleged ringleader of detainee abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq from getting a fair trial in 2005.

In arguments today in Washington, Army Spc. Charles Graner’s lawyer told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces that the defense was wrongly denied access to classified documents indicating that some of the harsh treatment of detainees reflected "enhanced interrogation techniques" approved by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

One of the five justices questioned whether the secret nature of the documents made it impossible for the defense to request specific memos — a situation he called a Catch-22.

The court is expected to rule by August on Graner’s request for a new trial.

SEAL accused of assault in Iraq goes to trial in Norfolk | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com:

The last of three U.S. Navy SEALs to face court-martial in connection with the alleged abuse of a suspected terrorist in Iraq is scheduled to stand trial this week at Norfolk Naval Station.

snip

The SEAL who will stand trial beginning today, Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, is the only one who is accused of physically harming Abed. The charges against him include assault for allegedly punching Abed in the midsection; dereliction of duty for not protecting Abed; and making a false statement to an investigator who later interviewed him about the matter.

Military defends prosecution of SEAL – Washington Times:

The U.S. military is issuing an extensive defense of its decision to prosecute three Navy SEALs on charges of abusing a terrorism suspect they had captured in Iraq, after two of the servicemen were found not guilty during courts-martial.

Politics and Security

Monday: 6 Iraqis Killed, 16 Wounded — Antiwar.com:

At least six Iraqis were killed and 16 more were wounded as a manual recount of ballots begin today in Baghdad. The contentious recount was not without its own controversy as the prime minister’s party found fault with the procedures that could help them win more seats in the new parliament.

كونا : Three explosions kill three Iraqis, injured 13 – الدفاع والأمن – 03/05/2010:

BAGHDAD, May 3 (KUNA) — Three Iraqi civilians wer killed and 13 others injured by explosions at Al-Zafarania, New Baghdad and Al-Kesra, Iraqi military sources said on Monday.
The first explosion took place near Al-Kbaisi cafe at the main road of Al-Zafarania town. The booby-trapped car blast resulted in the wounding of four Iraqis, as well as the destruction of the cafe.
The second explosion occured in Al-Darwesh Bakery in New Baghdad resulted in the death of one Iraqi civilian and the injurey of six others.
At Al-Kesra town, northern Baghdad, an explosive device attached to a parked car killed two civilians, and injured three others.

Three killed in two separate attacks in Iraq – Monsters and Critics:

An unidentified group of gunmen attacked two employees of the court of first instance in Toz, just south of the city Kirkuk, leaving one dead and the other injured.

In a separate incident, an Iraqi soldier and a police officer were killed while walking along a road when a remotely controlled bomb exploded in a parked car in the province of Salah al-Din, security forces said.

كونا : Iraqi electoral commission: manual re-counting starts officially in Baghdad – الشؤون السياسية – 03/05/2010:

The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced launch of the manual re-counting and sorting of ballots at Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad, IHEC Spokesman Qassim Al-Abodi said on Monday.

It is expected that recount and sorting of 600 ballot stations would be done today and that 800 ballot boxes a day would be counted within the upcoming few days, he told reporters.

Recount process is expected to last between 11 to 15 days, he said.

Al-Maliki’s coalition calls for halt to vote recount (1st Lead) – Monsters and Critics

Baghdad – Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of law Coalition Monday called for halting the recount of votes cast in Baghdad, saying ‘it does not comply with the court’s decision’.

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission started earlier on Monday recounting votes of the March parliamentary elections in the capital, as ordered by a court last month.

The coalition said it filed a new complaint to the court to say that the ‘commission insists that the results would not reflect the true will of the voters.’

snip

Al-Shahristani said that the process should have started by comparing the number of voters with the number of votes, and if they match, then they would start the manual recount.

Iraq locked in two-man power struggle after vote : The Peninsula On-line: Qatar:

BAGHDAD: Two months after a general election that produced no outright winner, Iraq has become locked in a battle between two men fighting for power that threatens its fragile security and hopes for stability.

Whether or not Shia Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki and ex-Prime Minister Iyad Allawi are putting personal ambition ahead of the nation’s good, their battle could stoke sectarian tensions and invite foreign interference, analysts say. “The battle in many ways boils down to the personal antipathy between the two, something which is now threatening political stability,” IHS Global Insight Middle East analyst Gala Riani said.

Election Victories Help Kurds in Iraq Push for More Sovereignty – NYTimes.com:

As the deadlock in Baghdad has deepened with the recent disqualification of some winning Sunni candidates and the coming vote recount in the capital, important bloc leaders like the Kurdish president, Massoud Barzani, have been heavily courted for support in forming coalitions.

But no one has been more openly aggressive in the jockeying for position than Mr. Barzani, and he is being closely watched because the issues he seeks to influence all have stark ramifications for Iraq’s stability. In particular, his demands for a federalist approach to governing Iraq — a weakened national government and stronger regional control — have revived fears that his Iraqi Kurdistan region may eventually try to secede.

An unlikely Iraqi leader emerges – latimes.com:

Among all the candidates being touted for the prime minister’s job in the next Iraqi government, one stands out for his near-total lack of political experience.

snip

But Sadr’s heritage puts him in the ranks of aristocracy, at least by Iraqi Shiite Muslim standards. He is the only son of the revered Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir Sadr, who was executed by Saddam Hussein in 1980 and whose portrait looms large on billboards in almost every Shiite community across the country. And he is a second cousin and brother-in-law of the radical cleric Muqtada Sadr, who commands a vast following among poor Shiites.

Jaafar Sadr’s pedigree alone was enough to ensure that when he ran from Baghdad on Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s State of Law list, he received the slate’s most votes after Maliki — albeit with a huge gulf. That secured him a seat in parliament. He also came in second in an advisory referendum Muqtada Sadr supporters held on the prime minister’s post, and he was named one of their two candidates for the job.

Society and Economy:

Scania is back in Iraq | Business Wire:

Scania has a presence in Iraq again, including both production and sales. Trucks ordered by government customers are being assembled locally there, while an independent distributor is supplying the private sector market with imported vehicles. This distributor is also responsible for the reconstruction of Scania’s sales and service network in the country.

“If the situation in Iraq continues to stabilise, within a few years the country can regain its position as Scania’s most important market in the Middle East,” says Martin Lundstedt, Executive Vice President and responsible for the company’s sales and marketing.

In the early 1980s, Iraq was one of Scania’s largest markets. At the peak, sales totalled 3,900 trucks in one year (1981).

Late in 2009, Iraq’s State Company for Automotive Industry (SCAI) began production of the first of 500 trucks ordered under the terms of an agreement between Scania and Iraq’s Ministry of Industry & Minerals. Production is taking place at the government’s Iskandariyah industrial complex south of Baghdad.

“Creating jobs in the country’s industry has been an important aspect of the agreement between Scania and the Iraqi government,” Lundstedt says.

Today the SCAI facility in Iskandariyah employs about 300 people in its Scania operations, which not only includes final assembly of truck chassis but also bodywork for delivery of ready-to-drive trucks.

So far, SCAI has delivered some 150 fully equipped trucks to various public sector customers, for example tank trucks to the Ministry of Water Protection and Supply.

Dissent Magazine | Seven Years–And There’s Still No Labor Law in Iraq:

Seven years since the invasion and Iraq still does not have a labor law. Workers in the public sector are denied the right to organise and join trade unions and collective bargaining is almost impossible. It’s a disgrace. The good news that the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has set up an Iraqi Labour Campaign: For a Fair and Just Labour Law.  For a short history of the Iraqi unions before and after the invasion order this rather splendid pamphlet from the TUC.

Gulf Times – Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper – Qatar:

The Iraqi Cultural Week got under way on Saturday as part of the ‘Doha, Capital of Arab Culture 2010’ celebrations. The week, featuring exhibitions and folk performances, will run until Wednesday at the Qatar National Theatre.

Commentary and Analysis

Intimidating the Iraqis Asharq Alawsat Newspaper (English):

It is not strange for al-Maliki to try to hold onto his position – for this is the case with most Arab rulers – but by doing so he is threatening the political process and putting all of Iraq in danger. Al-Maliki is today trying to scare the Iraqis with the prospect of UN interference; however the UN is the chief election monitor and observer, and Iraq remains under the purview of Chapter VII of the UN Chapter which gives the UN Security Council the final say in this matter. Al-Maliki is right that there is no need to involve the UN, but the problem is that by trying to change the announced election results he has caused the elector bloc that originally won the most number of seats to call for help from the authorities in charge of supervising the elections. Al-Maliki has also called for a recount without first guaranteeing that this will take place in a transparent atmosphere and under the supervision of a party that is acceptable to all electoral blocs, not just his own. We do not understand what has afflicted al-Maliki to cause him to raise all of these obstacles, especially as there is no clear victor that would be able to form a government on their own, and al-Maliki or Allawi or anybody else cannot form a government or become Prime Minister without first allying with other parties.

• "All the ingredients that led to the creation of Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1982 exist in Iraq today. There are Shi’ites, plenty of arms available for everyone, political and security chaos, a weak central government and occupation to justify the carrying of arms."

  Source: Sami Moubayed on Muqtada al-Sadr and the new improved Mahdi Army 

• "What has the government brought us in the past four years except prisons and new graves?"

  Source: Sadrisdt leader Hazem Al-Araji  on the revelation of torture in the "secret" prisons run by Maliki’s Office

Iraq’s IHEC to start votes recount on Monday: Xinhua

Editor’s Note: al-Haidari, also said that there will be a decision on a Kurdish call for a recount in the northern town of Hawija on Monday.

BAGHDAD, April 29 (Xinhua) — Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said Thursday it will start manual recount of all ballots for Baghdad province on Monday and would continue for around two to three weeks.

"The electoral commission decided to start the recount for the ballots of Baghdad province next Monday," Faraj al-Haidari, head of the IHEC told press conference here.
Haidari also said that his commission would call on representatives of political bloc which ran in March 7 elections, along with media and international monitors to attend the recount process.

Hamdiyal al-Hussieni, a female commission member told reporters in the press conference that her commission estimated the recount process to take two to three weeks.

She said that the recount would take place in the al-Rasheed Hotel in the Green Zone that houses some Iraqi government offices and foreign embassies, including the U.S. one.

Read in full:

Human Rights:

Iraqi human-rights worker killed by roadside bomb – Monsters and Critics:

Baghdad – An Iraqi human-rights worker was killed by a roadside bomb in the disputed northern city of Kirkuk Thursday, police told the German Press Agency dpa.

Police Colonel Salah al-Din Taha said the man was critically injured by a roadside bomb as he drove down al-Quds street in Kirkuk.

Emergency responders rushed the injured man to hospital, where he died of his wounds, Taha said.

Read in full:

See also: Shirwan Ubaid Murdered In Kirkuk | Gorilla’s Guides

Political Coverage:

Baghdad vote recount to take 2 to 3 weeks – Conflict in Iraq- msnbc.com:

Iraq’s election officials said Thursday that a recount of the Baghdad ballots could take up to three weeks as a car bomb killed eight people in the capital, highlighting again the tenuous security situation while the chaos arising from the March 7 parliamentary vote drags on.

The timeline — possibly even longer than it took to count the whole country’s ballots after the March 7 election— means another delay for an election process that has already dragged on for weeks and threatens to undermine the country’s fragile stability.

Read in full:

New twist in Iraq election crisis: Maliki’s enemies latch onto torture allegations – CSMonitor.com:

Key political bloc pummels Maliki over torture

The Sadr movement, the most powerful member of a Shiite political bloc that had contemplated joining forces with Maliki’s State of Law coalition, lashed out over the torture allegations.

"What has the government brought us in the past four years except prisons and new graves?" Sadr official Hazem Al-Araji told Al-Sharqiya television network.

Read in full:

Iraq: Allawi’s List Threatens Civil Disobedience Asharq Alawsat Newspaper (English):

Salih al-Mutlak, the leading figure in Al-Iraqiya List that is led by the former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, has threatened the withdrawal of their coalition, which won 91 seats in the next Iraqi parliament in the recent legislative elections, from "the entire peace process and to take to the streets to side with the Iraqis and lead massive demonstrations and sit-ins and to call for a general civil disobedience if the arbitrary measures against the List, its members, and its supporters were not stopped."

Read in full:

Clinton urged to protect ‘fragile’ Christian minority in Iraq:

Church leaders from various denominations have urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to work with Iraqi authorities in protecting the persecuted Christian minority.
The National Council of Churches and its partners throughout the world on Monday sent a letter to Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates expressing concern about "the ongoing situation of violent attacks on minority groups in Iraq."

Read in full:

Security Coverage:

Civilian killed, 8 injured in Iraq’s violence: Xinhua

A civilian was killed and eight people wounded in separate bomb attacks in Baghdad and Iraq’s eastern province of Diyala on Thursday, police said.

A roadside bomb went off in the morning near a police foot patrol in southeastern neighborhood of Mashtal in Baghdad, wounding four policemen and two civilians,

In Diyala province, a civilian was killed and two injured in a roadside bomb explosion near their vehicle close to the town of Wajihiyah, near the provincial capital city of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, an anonymous provincial police source told Xinhua.

In a separate incident, Iraqi security forces captured five al- Qaida militants while they were planting three roadside bombs at the residential area of al-Gatoon in western Baquba, the source added.

During the day, Iraqi security forces arrested 12 more suspects in separate search operations across the province, which stretches from the eastern edges of Baghdad to the Iranian border east of the country, the source added.

Source: Xinhua

Car bomb near Baghdad liquor store kills 8 – Monsters and Critics:

Eight people were killed Thursday evening when a car bomb exploded near a liquor store in Baghad, Iraqi news agencies reported.

Another 20 persons were injured by the blast, which completely destroyed two stores located right next to each other.

The attack came in the Al-Shurta Al-Rabia district in the south- western part of the city.

Source:  

كونا : Car bomb in Baghdad kills 6, injures 18 – الدفاع والأمن – 29/04/2010:

Six people were killed in a car bomb explosion in western Baghdad on Thursday, an Iraqi policy source said.

Source: KUNA:

Qaeda ‘postman’ dispatched Iraq chiefs to deaths:

BAGHDAD – An Al Qaeda messenger unwittingly dispatched two top Islamist commanders to their deaths this month, when a US-backed force tracked him to their den and killed them, investigators told AFP on Thursday.

Abu Omar Al Baghdadi and Abu Ayub Al Masri, who had direct links with Osama bin Laden, were killed in a shootout when a joint Iraqi-US force raided their safehouse north of Baghdad on April 18.

Baghdadi was the political leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) while Masri, an Egyptian militant, was the insurgent group’s self-styled ‘minister of war.’

The pair, according to investigators, did not use cell phones or the Internet but relied on their own postman who relayed messages between them and other insurgents.
Once a week the man, whose identity was not revealed, sat in a Baghdad cafe where he discreetly made contact with insurgents, delivering messages from Baghdadi and receiving others for the top Al Qaeda operative.

Iraqi officials learned of the messenger’s existence on March 11 when security forces captured Munaf Abdul Rahim Al Rawi, the Al Qaeda chief in the Iraqi capital who was known as the ‘governor of Baghdad.’

Read in full:

Al-Shabaab responds to AQI killings – UPI.com:

MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 29 (UPI) — Somali al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabaab said it carried out a suicide attack on peacekeepers in Mogadishu in retaliation for the deaths of Iraqi al-Qaida leaders.

Al-Shabaab said it targeted the base for peacekeepers with the African Union in Mogadishu in response to the killing of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leaders of al-Qaida in Iraq. The two were killed last week in Tikrit during a joint raid by Iraqi and U.S. forces.

Al-Shabaab responds to AQI killings – UPI.com:

Health Coverage:

Iraqi doctors use acupuncture during drug shortage | Reuters:

Iraqi doctors faced with a shortage of anaesthetic drugs in a capital city hit by years of conflict have successfully used acupuncture to treat mothers during caesarean section births.

Reporting on Thursday on a small study of 200 cases at a Baghdad hospital, the doctors said their results suggested the ancient Chinese technique could also be a useful addition to standard medical practice in fully equipped hospitals.

The doctors used acupuncture, where fine needles are inserted into certain points on the body, to see if they could replace or reduce the need for a drug called oxytocin which is often given to mothers just after a c-section delivery to help the womb contract and to cut the risk of bleeding. Oxytocin is a hormone that also occurs naturally in the body during labour.

The study covered emergency caesarean section at the Red Crescent Hospital for Gynecology and Obstetrics in Baghdad between 2004 and 2006, when oxytocin stocks were low.

Read in full:  

Economic Coverage:

FT.com / Iraq – Iraq in talks to buy BAE Hawk jets:

The Iraqi government is in talks to buy Hawk trainer jets from the UK in a deal that could be worth up to £1bn and would be a boost for BAE Systems, the defence contractor that manufactures the aircraft.

It would be Iraq’s biggest arms purchase from Britain for more than two decades. It is understood that officials from the Iraqi Air Force will be visiting the UK next month to test the Hawk, which is used to train fast-jet pilots.

Read in full:

Kuwait: UN pays $590 mln in damages for 1990 invasion – Adnkronos Security:

A United Nations commission has paid 590 million dollars to nine successful claimants in connection with Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The latest round of payments brings the total amount of compensation disbursed by the UN Compensation Commission to individuals, corporations, governments and international organisations to nearly 29.5 billion dollars, the UN said on Thursday.

Read in full:

Iraq’s air dream to London turns into a nightmare:

The first commercial flight between Baghdad and London in 20 years has turned into a nightmare for Iraq after its national airline boss had his passport seized and a chartered plane was impounded.

The transport ministry in Baghdad on Thursday confirmed that Iraqi Airways chief Kifah Hassan’s travel document was taken after papers were served by lawyers acting for Kuwait Airways, which says it is owed 1.2 billion dollars.

The dispute dates back to now executed dictator Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, when, according to the oil-rich emirate, 10 of its planes were plundered after its airport had been seized.

Read in full:

Commentary and Analysis

Muqtada unleashes new, improved army : By Sami Moubayed : Asia Times Online:

All the ingredients that led to the creation of Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1982 exist in Iraq today. There are Shi’ites, plenty of arms available for everyone, political and security chaos, a weak central government and occupation to justify the carrying of arms.

Muqtada has been working hard for two years to transform the Mahdi Army into another Hezbollah, personally inspired by Hassan Nasrallah. That is why he froze all activities of the Mahdi Army, so he can take a long hard look at membership and filter out the undisciplined, the reckless and the corrupt (of which there were plenty in 2003-2007).

That is why he went back to the seminary, so he could elevate his academic credentials and rise from the rank of sayyed to that of an ayatollah (which enables him to issue fatwas) and grants him greater authority within the Shi’ite community at large. And that explains why, against all odds, he has insisted on refraining from any sectarian rhetoric, copying the Nasrallah model in Lebanon, who always speaks of Lebanon, not of Shi’ites.

Muqtada also copied Hezbollah’s massive charity network, monopolizing education, hospitals and fund-raising within the Shi’ite districts of Iraq to make sure that no family goes to bed hungry and all receive a monthly stipend from the Mahdi Army. Much like a modern Robin Hood, Muqtada is suiting himself to become spokesmen, defender and leader for the poor of Iraq.

Now is the time to unveil the new Mahdi Army. It will look, sound and act like Hezbollah. No more street violence or sectarian tension triggered by the Sadrists. On the contrary, the Mahdi Army – this time with strong Iranian support – will replace the failed state of Maliki. It will extend an arm to the Sunnis and Kurds willing to work with it, making sure that no prime minister is brought to power, without full consent of Muqtada.

Read in full

The beginning of 2010 was marred by acts of violence that claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians, mainly in Baghdad, the central governorates and Najaf. In Mosul, families fled violence and sought refuge in safer areas. Although recent violence-related displacement has been sporadic, there remain some 2.8 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Iraq who had to leave their homes over recent years in search of safety.

Many Iraqis, especially those worst affected by the effects of the conflict and the ongoing violence, such as displaced, elderly and disabled people and women heading households, continued to struggle to feed their families. Their inability to buy enough of the essential goods they require remains a major concern.

Agriculture, formerly an important part of the economy, has been declining for the past decade. Individuals who have lost agricultural machinery to damage, age or disrepair often cannot replace it owing to a lack of financial wherewithal. In addition, the water supply has been hard hit by a failure to properly maintain pumping stations and irrigation and distribution canals, by the unreliable electricity supply and by higher fuel costs. The massive increase in the price of seed and fertilizer, and cheap imports from neighbouring countries, also play a role in making farming difficult, if not impossible, in many parts of Iraq. Many farmers try to survive by cultivating smaller patches of land, but as they are forced to use low-quality supplies the result is often poor harvests. Others have migrated to cities in search of other ways of earning a living.

The situation was exacerbated by the 2008 drought – the worst in the past 10 years – which had an especially severe impact on rain-fed agriculture in central, west-central and some northern parts of the country. In some areas, agricultural production was wiped out. After years of poor rainfalls, pastures were reduced and prices of fodder soared. According to an ICRC survey, breeders were forced to cut down their herds by more than 60 per cent in some parts of the country, which had a drastic effect on their livelihoods. "Before, we used to move to neighbouring districts. Now, everywhere is dry and we lost our crops and animals. How can we go on?," said one local farmer in Ninawa governorate.

For households that have lost their main wage earner, the economic situation is especially hard to endure. Most people who went missing in connection with recent wars or the ongoing violence, and most people behind bars, are adult males – usually breadwinners. The women and children they left behind often became isolated and therefore extremely vulnerable, despite the strong cultural solidarity among Iraqis.

The ICRC is helping the Iraqis who are worst off to cope with their hardships, and Iraqi communities to support themselves unaided. It is distributing seed and fertilizer, and fodder for livestock. In addition, it is vaccinating cattle and cleaning and improving irrigation canals. In 2009 alone, some 195,000 people benefited.

In January and February 2010, according to the ICRC’s own independent assessment carried out by the organization’s staff all over Iraq, more than 20,000 people benefited from its humanitarian assistance:

• almost 15,500 displaced people (families headed by women) in Baghdad, Diyala, Salah Al-Din and Ninawa governorates were given monthly food parcels and hygiene items;
• around 5,400 people recently displaced from Mosul to Hamdanya and Tilkaif received emergency food parcels, rice and ready-to-eat meals;
• over 1,900 farmers in Diyala governorate received 491.5 metric tonnes of urea fertilizer to help them improve their harvest and make their farming sustainable;
• 43 disabled people in Erbil, Dohuk, Sulaimaniya and Ninewa governorates benefited from micro-economic aid enabling them to start small businesses and regain economic self-sufficiency.

The ICRC also endeavoured to respond to other needs of the Iraqi population in January and February.

Providing clean water and sanitation

Access to clean water remains inadequate in several parts of the country. Only 45 per cent of the population, on average, have clean drinking water and 20 per cent proper sewage disposal. ICRC water engineers continue to repair and upgrade water, electrical and sanitation facilities all over Iraq, especially in areas where violence remains a concern, to enhance access for civilians to clean water and to improve the quality of services provided in communities and health-care facilities.

• Baghdad governorate: Samadiya water compact unit for about 20,000 people, Al Mahmodiya General Hospital serving some 400,000 people living in the area, Ibn Al Khateeb Infectious Diseases Hospital, Medico Legal Institute, Tabat al Kurd water boosting station for over 3,500 people and Al Mada’in water treatment plant for 470,000 people (including displaced people) plus three hospitals and eight primary health-care centres.
• Anbar governorate: Heet water treatment plant for 45,000 residents and 250 displaced people, Habbaniya water treatment plant for 30,000 residents and 1,500 displaced people, and Al Qaim Hospital providing health care for around 350,000 area inhabitants.
• Salah Al Din governorate: al Dor clinic and Dijail compact unit supplying water to almost 25,000 people.

Other water-related works were carried out that will benefit nearly 100,000 people in Missan, Diwaniya and Diyala governorates, and in Ninawa governorate where 3,000 inmates held at Badoosh prison will be among those benefiting.

Water was delivered by truck to:

• 4,500 displaced people in Sadr City and 340 in Husseinia and Ma’amil, and in Baghdad Teaching Hospital, all in Baghdad governorate;
• Qalawa Quarter camp in Sulaimaniya, hosting around 360 displaced people. Two damaged tanks of 5,000 litres each have been replaced.

Assisting hospitals and physical rehabilitation centres

Health-care services are still inadequate. In some areas, it is difficult to reach health facilities because of the prevailing lack of security. Iraqi health facilities still benefit from ICRC support. Limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation services are provided by the ICRC to help disabled people reintegrate into the community. In January and February:

• 12 hospitals and three primary health-care centres received medical supplies and equipment;
• 34 doctors and nurses successfully took part in a training course on strengthening emergency services given in Sulaimaniya Emergency Hospital and in Al Sadr Teaching Hospital in Najaf;
• 26 managers working in the field of primary health care in Ninawa, Kirkuk, Erbil and Diyala governorates participated in a forum, held in Erbil, on improving the quality of health care services in rural primary health-care centres;
• two physiotherapists from Najaf, two from Hilla, one from Sulaimaniya and one from Erbil attended a three-week training course in Erbil, where the ICRC runs a physical rehabilitation centre.

Visiting detainees

Visiting detainees remains a top priority for the ICRC in Iraq. In January and February, ICRC delegates visited detainees held:

• in Fort Suse Federal Prison, Sulaimaniya governorate; in Nasiriya Prison, Thi-Qar governorate; in Mina and Maaqal prisons, Basra governorate;
• in Tasfirat Kirkuk, Emergency Police Station and Juvenile Police Centre; in Assayesh KDP Station, Kirkuk governorate;
• in Brigade 54, 6th Division, Baghdad governorate;
• in six prisons and two police stations in Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya governorates;
• in Camp Taji (US custody), Baghdad governorate. This was the last visit to the detention facility prior to its handover to Iraqi authorities.

Around 5,200 detainees held in Fort Suse, Chamchamal, Khademiya, Adhala and Amarah prisons received blankets, mattresses and clothes to help them cope with the cold winter season. In Chamchamal Federal Prison, 34 disabled detainees were given crutches as part of a follow-up carried out by ICRC health delegates of health care in the prison.

More than 7,800 Red Cross messages were exchanged between detainees and their families in January and February. In addition, 626 detention certificates were issued to former detainees or internees to make them eligible for social welfare benefits.

Clarifying what happened to missing people

The ICRC supports the authorities in their efforts to clarify what happened to those who went missing in connection with the Iran-Iraq War and the 1990-1991 Gulf War. It also helps train forensic professionals in the identification and management of mortal remains and regularly supplies equipment. In January and February:

• the mortal remains of nine Iranian soldiers were repatriated from Iraq under ICRC auspices;
• the Technical Sub-Committee of the Tripartite Commission, handling cases of persons missing in connection with the 1990-1991 Gulf War, held its 63rd session in Kuwait, which was chaired by the ICRC and attended by representatives from Iraq, Kuwait and the 1990-1991 Coalition (the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Saudi Arabia);
• two days of training by an ICRC forensic specialist were provided for staff of Al Zubair centre to help them better manage the files of thousands of missing persons.

Promoting international humanitarian law

Reminding parties to a conflict of their obligation to protect civilians is a fundamental part of the ICRC’s work. The organization also endeavours to promote international humanitarian law within the civil society. In this framework, a series of presentations were organized for various audiences, which included military personnel, prison staff, students and professors

Iraq: coping with violence and striving to earn a living