Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.
Overview
Political: On Monday (May-18), Iraq’s deputy speaker of parliament Khalid al-Attiya announced the Iraqi government decision to hold legislative elections on January 30, 2010. Since the US-led invasion in 2003, this will be the second time Iraqis vote for a national parliament and correspondents say this election will be a key test for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Despite the scheduled date for next year’s elections, the decision to hold parliamentary elections was not without controversy, as some Members of Parliament demanded the legislative term be extended. (BBC, AFP, May-18)
Al-Maliki’s statement last week regarding his preference for the presidential system instead of the current parliamentary one have raised concerns and spurred much criticism among political blocs in Iraq. Al-Maliki considers “sectarian sharing” of power a catastrophe for Iraq and called on Iraq to embrace majority rule. The head of the Sunni bloc Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF), Adnan al-Duleimi, described al-Maliki’s call to change the rule of the current regime from parliamentary to presidential a “violation of the constitution.” Some observers think al-Maliki’s statement was an attempt to get the Iraqi people on his side. (Xinhua, Reuters, May-15)
The US House of Representatives approved a US$96.7 billion measure to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in addition to security and economic aid to the struggling government of Pakistan, through September 30 on Thursday (May-14). The Senate is currently working on its own version of the legislation totaling US$91.3 billion and could vote on the measure next week. (Reuters, May-14)
UN: According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday (May-5), the UN announced it had changed its guidelines for asylum seekers since the security situation in central and southern Iraq has improved. The UN refugee agency said instead of recommending the automatic granting of refugee status for people from central and southern Iraq, those asylum seekers will be individually assessed. Also, the UN said that if a country was overwhelmed by the refugee influx and was unable to conduct individual checks, it should grant asylum seekers the benefit of the doubt and grant them safety. (DPA, May-5)
Refugees/Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): Due to persistent violence, very few IDPs have returned as displaced Iraqis remain wary of renewed sectarian violence. Since the end of 2008, only 195,000 IDPs have returned to their homes, the UN reported. Officials hope the number will reach 400,000 by the end of the year if the security situation improves. Ahead of a full US troop withdrawal in 2012 and national polls set for later this year, many fear security will worsen as US combat troops withdraw out of Iraqi cities in June. (Reuters, May-12)
During a press conference on April 30, Iraqi Minister of Displacement and Migration Abdul-Samad Rahman Sultan said that improved security in most of Iraq has encouraged the return of about 65,000 displaced families since early 2008. This number includes 2,070 families returning from outside Iraq. However, budget cuts due to low oil prices may affect the ministry’s plans to help IDPs. Already, Sultan’s ministry budget for aid programs has been cut to US$44.8 million, from a request for 10 times this figure, and the ministry’s planned operational budget of about US$18 million is likely to be reduced by 40 percent. Sultan expects the budget cuts to create a number of problems in many fields. Iraq has the third largest number of IDPs in the world with 2.8 million. (IRIN, UNHCR, May-4)
Civil Society/Rule of Law: The number of deaths in Iraq since March 2003 is estimated by Iraq Body Count (IBC) as between 91,930 and 100,365 for civilians and 4,614 for coalition forces, including 4,296 US troops. While 4,900-6,375 Iraqi military personnel are estimated to have died during the 2003 war, reliable figures are unavailable for the new Iraqi security forces established in late 2003. (icasualties, May-20)
On the last day of April, two US Marines and a sailor were killed, making April the deadliest month for US service members this year. Eighteen US troops died in April and 16 of those troops died during combat. Also, April was the deadliest month for Iraqi civilians, as 290 lives were lost, compared to 185 in March, according to an Interior Ministry official. However, April’s civilian death toll was far lower than the 968 civilians killed in April last year. (CNN, Reuters, May-1)
Humanitarian Situation and Access: Despite Iraq’s improving security situation, the country remains in a fragile transition stage with at least 1.6 million Iraqis displaced inside the country, while hundreds of thousands are living in difficult conditions in neighboring countries. Recognizing the country’s humanitarian need, the European Commission has allocated US$27 million (20 million Euros) to address the needs of refugees, internally displaced people and other vulnerable populations affected by the conflict in Iraq, and to support coordination of the humanitarian response. The funding will provide food, water and sanitation, basic healthcare, psychosocial support and help for people on the move or returning home. (ECHO, May-15)
To support budget planning and the execution capabilities of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the UN Development Program in Iraq launched a three-year US$4.5 million project in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, on May 6. An essential part of the new project is the implementation of the Action Plan for Regional Public Finance Management aimed to strengthen the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of the regional ministries’ budget execution and enhance the delivery of public services in the northern governorates. (UNDP, May-7)
Economy/Oil: Iraqi crude oil production averaged 2.41 million barrels per day (MBPD) as of May 13, which is the same as the previous week. (USDOS, May-13) Iraqi crude oil exports averaged 1.41 MBPD as of May 13, which is a decrease of 0.15 from the previous week. (USDOS, May-13)
Austria’s gas giant, OMV and Hungary’s MOL have teamed up with two companies from the United Arab Emirates to revive a project to supply Europe with gas from fields in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region. This pipeline would reduce Europe’s dependency on gas from Russia and the oil companies anticipate that supplies will be enough to feed the long-planned Nabucco pipeline, which proposes pumping gas to Austria via Turkey. Iraq has the world’s tenth largest gas reserves and the world’s third largest supply of crude oil. (BBC, May-18)
Water/Power: The daily supply from the grid from May 6 – May 12 was 44 percent higher than the same time frame in 2008 and met 70 percent of estimated demand, compared with 51 percent during the same time frame a year earlier. (USDOS, May-13)
On Tuesday (May 12), Iraq’s parliament voted to compel the government to demand more water resources from neighbors in any bilateral deals. Iraqi lawmakers have agreed to deny any treaty or agreement signed with Turkey, Iran and Syria that does not include a clause granting Iraq a fairer share of resources. Turkey and Syria are accused of choking the Tigris and Euphrates by placing hydroelectric dams on them, restricting water flow. Relations with Turkey in the past year have improved as Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul visited in March. (Reuters, May-12)
Plummeting oil prices have forced the Iraqi government to make two cuts to the 2009 budget from an initial amount of US$80 billion to about US$62 billion. The most recent cuts approved by the Iraqi parliament are significantly affecting projects to improve water supplies and conserve consumption in the country. According to Radio Free Iraq (RFI), Water Resources Minister Abdullatif Rashid said that some 120,000 km of canals throughout Iraq need to be cleared using more than 200 dredgers, in addition to being lined with concrete. However, budget cuts have delayed this work. Despite the setback, Iraq received support by world leaders at the World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, in mid-March, after demanding more water from its neighbors. Turkey, Iran and Syria promised to allocate more water to Iraq. (RFI, April-2)
Food: On Thursday and Friday (May 16-17), Iraqi Trade Minister Abdul Falah al-Sudani appeared before parliament to acknowledge there had been some cases of corruption in his ministry and admitted, “some food items were bad.” His brother and another official were arrested, while seven other officials remain at large. According to a new survey by the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation of 120,000 families, which had qualified for state food handouts in 15 Iraqi provinces, 18 percent of families did not receive their nine-item food ration for 13 months; 31.5 percent for 7-12 months; 14.5 percent for 4-6 months; 22 percent for 2-3 months and 14.5 percent for one month. In addition, the survey raised concerns about the quality of food items. Surveyed families revealed that items such as tea, rice, flour and sugar had been received in bad quality. Sheikh Sabah al-Saidi, chairman of the parliament’s Integrity Committee said corruption in the Trade Ministry has been running high, mainly over imported food items unfit for human consumption. He added that billions of dollars have been wasted in the ministry. (IRIN, May-19)
NGOs have begun distributing extra food to struggling Iraqi families in Syria. Currently there are 8,334 Iraqi refugees registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Hassake Governorate, with 4,974 of them receiving food aid from UNHCR. The distribution targets 350 of the most vulnerable refugee families and provides them with food boxes worth US$25 each. A drought has spurred inflation, leaving even Syrian families in Hassake struggling. To meet shortfalls, an additional food distribution was launched in early April by the US-based NGO A Plate For All to aid refugees in Hassake. (IRIN, May-11)
Health/Medical: Due to the current measles outbreak in Iraq, which has nearly three times more cases than in all of 2008, 1 million doses of measles vaccines, procured with funds from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, arrived by plane into Baghdad on Saturday (May-16). The Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will use these vaccines during an emergency vaccination campaign to prevent the spread of a major measles outbreak in the country. In a two-week vaccination campaign, which will start on Sunday (May-24), vaccinations will be administered in the Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and Dahuk governorates by 2,000 health workers and voluntary vaccinators. Despite security risks, health workers and vaccinators plan to go from house to house to vaccinate around 835,000 children under five years old. Since the beginning of 2009, over 22,000 children have been infected with around 1,000 cases recorded every week. So far, 93 have died. (UNICEF, WHO, May-16)
No cases of the H1N1 flu outbreak, commonly known as swine flu, have been reported in the Middle East, though the region has been adopting various preventative measures. Iraqi authorities have set aside US$30 million to combat a possible outbreak, while medical checks for all visitors at airports and border crossings have been increased. Nationwide, workshops and courses are being conducted for relevant ministry employees on how to monitor and report the disease. The northern Kurdistan region has warned people not to travel to South America, Mexico or the US. Additionally, there has been a nationwide ban on hunting wild pigs, while the Iraqi government ordered three wild boars in the Baghdad Zoo to be culled on Saturday (May-2) as a precautionary measure. (Reuters, May-6)
In-Country Humanitarian Assistance Information by Region
North Region
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Erbil, Dahuk, Sulaymaniyah |
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Coordination |
US forces handed responsibility for security in Iraq’s three northern provinces of Erbil, Dahuk and Sulaymaniyah to the Kurdish regional government in May of 2007. |
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Population |
Population of Erbil: 1,392,093 Population of Sulaymaniyah: 1,715,585 Population of Dahuk: 954,087 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by province/governorate
(IASC, Kurdistan Regional Government, June 2008)
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
No New Information |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
In Dahuk province, the Gulf Region Division, US Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq developed a new 12-room US$1.1 million Shindokha School, and 600 middle and high school students will benefit from this bigger and better school. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed to mark the opening of the new school that will significantly reduce an overcrowding problem. The school’s entire curriculum is taught in English, and prospective teachers will undergo four months of intensive language training. (AFPS, Mar-30) |
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information |
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Security |
No New Information |
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Other/Comments |
No New Information |
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At Tamim, Ninawa, Salah ad Din |
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Coordination |
Five NGOs closed their offices in Mosul (in Ninawa) because of increased violence against aid workers: Mosul Human Rights Association, Supporting Children With Cancer, Ruweida Aid Agency, and two preferring to remain unnamed. The past six months have especially affected relief agencies’ work, according to the Association for NGOs in Northern Iraq. Armed groups pose the largest threat to aid agencies. But an Iraqi Voices of Freedom volunteer said another problem is aid workers being detained by police after returning from displacement areas with suspected insurgents. (IRIN, Sept-24) |
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Population |
Population of Mosul: 2,811,091 Population of Kirkuk: 902,019 Population of Tikrit: 1,191,403 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate
(IASC, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, June 2008) Of 10,337 displaced families surveyed in At Tamim, Salah ad Din and Diyala provinces, over 92 percent said they had not received any humanitarian aid. (Mercy Corps, Oct-31)
Returns are increasing and displacement is low three years after the bombing of a revered Shia shrine in Samarra that sparked nationwide sectarian violence, causing major displacement. Since February 2006, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that more than 1.6 million Iraqis (about 270,000 families) have been displaced and out of those, at least 49,000 families (almost 300,000 individuals) have returned home. IDPs still face the hardships of a lack of jobs, food shortages, unemployment and a lack of basic services. However, Rafiq Tschannen, chief of mission in Iraq for the IOM, said “the fact that people are returning home, although in smaller than expected numbers, is a positive development which we hope will gather pace.” (IRIN, Feb-22) |
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
No New Information |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
In Salah ad Din province, the As Sharqat Bridge was opened and is expected to greatly improve travel times in the area, in addition to increasing freedom of movement in the north. The Iraqi Army, police and the Sons of Iraq (SOI) will be coordinating security and traffic. (USDOS, Apr-29) |
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Water & Sanitation |
In a combined multi-agency effort by the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Kirkuk, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Kirkuk provincial government and the US Agency for International Development, the first environmentally engineered and constructed landfill was built in Kirkuk recently. It is the first of its kind in the country and was made as a way to properly dispose of waste and refuse. The landfill meets US and European standards and will teach the Iraqis proper waste management techniques, providing additional jobs to local residents. (USDOS, Mar-11) |
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Security |
In At-Tamim province, a Christian male teacher was kidnapped by gunmen in the town of Rashad, near Kirkuk, 150 miles (250 km) north of Baghdad, on Thursday (May-14). A member of a Sunni anti-al-Qaeda militia was killed and three others were wounded by gunmen when they were manning a checkpoint in al-Zab area, near Kirkuk, on Thursday. A Turkman shopkeeper was shot and killed by gunmen in his shop in Tuz Khurmato, 105 miles (170 km) north of Baghdad, on Thursday.
In Ninawa province on Thursday: four civilians were wounded when a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol exploded 240 miles (390 km) north of Baghdad. Gunmen in a car killed an Iraqi contractor in western Mosul. A decapitated body of a man was discovered by police on the northern outskirts of Mosul. On Friday (May-15): an Iraqi policeman was shot and killed by a militant while the policeman searched his car in western Mosul. The man was chased, wounded and then arrested. A roadside bomb almost killed a journalist from a local TV station when it exploded in front of her house in Mosul while she was inside. On Saturday (May-16): a soldier was killed and two people were wounded by a roadside bomb in southern Mosul. Police arrested three suspects in the kidnapping of a relative of Essam Ayid, an Arab member of the Ninawa provincial council. On Sunday (May-17): a suicide car bomb killed one policeman and wounded three civilians in central Mosul. Gunmen killed an off-duty prison official in Mosul. In northern Mosul, police found a body of a decapitated man.
In Salah ad Din province, two policemen and one member of a local government-backed militia were wounded when militants attacked a checkpoint in central Samarra, 62 miles (100 km) north of Baghdad, on Saturday. The body of a man bearing gunshots to the head and chest was discovered by police in a river in northern Samarra, 62 miles (100 km) north of Baghdad on Sunday.
(Reuters, May 14-20) |
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Other/Comments |
The University of Tikrit in Salah ad Din province recently signed an agreement with the library at the University of Michigan that would permit an exchange program between the two academic institutions. While Michigan donates much needed books to Tikrit’s library and provides librarian training, Tikrit will assist Michigan with management and coordination of Iraqi documents. (USDOS, Apr-15) |
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Central/West Regions
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Anbar, Diyala, Karbala, Babil, Wasit, Najaf, Qadissiya |
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Coordination |
As a step to operating independently of Coalition Forces under the US-Iraqi Security Agreement, in February, the Multi-National Force-West (MNF-W) transferred responsibility of two observation posts and a patrol base in Anbar province to Iraqi security forces. The MNF-W also closed two other observation posts and a patrol base. (USDOS, Mar-4) |
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Population |
Population of Anbar: 1,485,985 Population of Diyala: 1,560,621 Population of Karbala: 887,858 Population of Babil: 1,651,565 Population of Wasit: 1,064,950 Population of Najaf: 1,081,203 Population of Qadissiya: 990,483 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate
(IASC, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, IOM, June 2008) |
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
In Babil province, an anti-cholera initiative has been implemented to prevent future outbreaks of the disease that affected the area significantly in 2008. Already 13 out of 14 new water tanks have been installed. Also, several solar- powered water purification units were bought as well as water tanker trucks in order to transport clean water to remote villages. (USDOS, Apr-8) |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
Iraqi agricultural specialists from Anbar province recently returned from a trip to California where they visited California State University at Fresno to learn new irrigation techniques, high saline soil farming and integration with the dairy industry. While there, a memorandum of understanding was established with Fresno and Anbar University to build a working relationship between the two educational centers. (USDOS, Apr-29) |
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Water & Sanitation |
On March 4, local residents, contractors, Iraqi police and US soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division’s 8th Infantry Regiment and the 110th Military Police Company gathered in the city of Diwaniya for the opening ceremony of the new police headquarters in Qada district. Iraqi contractors and workers built the facility with coordination through the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Iraqi government. Army 1st Lt. David Faulkner says the central location provides the station with better command, control and coordination of the collective police force in the district. (American Forces Press Service, Mar-11) |
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Security |
In Diyala province, gunmen killed two brothers belonging to a government-backed militia and their mother at their home in northern Baquba, 40 miles (65 km) northeast of Baghdad, on Friday (May-15). When US troops fired a warning shot at an approaching car in Jalawla, 70 miles (115 km) northeast of Bahgdad, they shot and wounded a bystander on Saturday (May-16). In Babil province, US forces wounded a person when they fired shots to disable a vehicle in Hilla, 62 miles (100 km) south of Baghdad, on Saturday. (Reuters, May 14-20) |
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Other/Comments |
A commercial flight from Kuwait to Najaf and Baghdad departed from Kuwait International Airport on April 6, making it the first Kuwaiti commercial flight in 19 years to arrive in these cities. Previously, the Griffin Air flight was used solely for military purposes. Frequency of flights between the cities is expected to increase from twice a week to daily. Travel to Najaf is on high demand, particularly for religious holidays. (USDOS, Apr-15) |
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Baghdad
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Baghdad |
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Coordination |
No New Information |
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Population |
Population: 7,145,470 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate
(IASC, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM), June 2008)
At the end of 2007, Iraq’s MoDM reported that 9,657 IDP families (some 60,000 people) had returned to Baghdad. The Iraqi Red Crescent stated 46,000 refugees had returned from Syria to Baghdad by the end of December. (IOM, Feb-1) |
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
No New Information |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
No New Information |
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Security |
On Thursday (May-14), gunmen attempted to kill a spokesman for influential Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in central Baghdad. The driver of the vehicle was killed and another was seriously wounded.
On Friday (May-15), gunmen shot and killed a civilian in his shop in the Jihad district of southwest Baghdad. Two civilians were wounded by hand grenades thrown by militants targeting a US patrol in the new Baghdad district of eastern Baghdad.
On Saturday (May-16), three people in northwestern Iraq believed to be linked to a man known as Abu Khalaf, suspected by US officials of funneling money, weapons and insurgents from Syria to al-Qaeda in Iraq, were arrested by US and Iraqi forces. Two policemen were killed and three others were wounded by a roadside bomb in the Ghadir district of eastern Baghdad. Another roadside bomb killed two policemen and wounded seven people in the Abu Ghraib area of western Baghdad. A rocket attack killed a child and wounded three members of the child’s family in the Sadr city area of northeastern Baghdad. In the Jihad district of southwestern Baghdad, a roadside bomb wounded three people.
On Sunday (May-17), three people were killed and 12 others were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in the Abu Dsheer district of southern Baghdad. In Karrada district of central Baghdad, a roadside bomb wounded five people.
On Monday (May-18), a roadside bomb wounded two people in central Baghdad.
On Wednesday (May-20), a parked car bomb killed 10 people and wounded 45 others after it exploded near a popular restaurant in the Shula district of northwest Baghdad. The death toll is expected to rise.
(Reuters, May 14-20) |
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Water & Sanitation |
After three and a half years, US and Iraqi officials opened a water treatment plant in Baghdad’s Sadr City slum on Wednesday (January-21). The US$65 million plant provides water for 200,000 people, which is only a tenth of the population of the vast slum on Baghdad’s eastern outskirts. (Reuters, Jan-21) |
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Other/Comments |
No New Information |
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South Region
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Basrah |
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Coordination |
British forces officially began withdrawing troops from Iraq’s southern province of Basrah on Tuesday (Mar-31), a move that will be a months-long process ending a role that commenced with the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Last year, Baghdad and London signed a deal agreeing that the last 4,100 British soldiers would leave the country by July 31. About 400 British troops will remain in the country as a residual force to train Iraqi security forces. (BBC, Reuters, Mar-31) |
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Population |
Population of Basrah: 1,912,533 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate
(IASC, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, June 2008)
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
No New Information |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
An unnamed Iranian firm has been contracted by the Basrah Investment Commission to redevelop parts of Basrah. The US$1.5 billion contract includes the construction of 5,000 new housing units in addition to schools, hospitals, parks, a supermarket and commercial units for up to 2,000 shops. This contract is the largest construction contract given to an Iranian firm since 2003. (USDOS, Feb-25) |
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Water & Sanitation |
The Sadr Teaching Hospital in Basrah had been discharging its raw sewage straight into the Shatt al-Arab River for more than 15 years, but with the assistance of Iraqi officials and coalition forces, a new wastewater treatment plant has officially opened. On April 2, the director of the hospital unveiled the new US$1.9 million wastewater treatment plant that holds 487 beds where about 500 patients are treated daily. According to Taha Mohammed al-Qurashi, chief of Basrah Environmental Directorate, the new treatment facility uses modern technology and is an important step toward a cleaner, healthier community. The US Army Corps of Engineers has finished more than 4,500 projects valued at nearly US$7 billion since 2004. (Govt USA, Apr-9)
A US$750,000 rehabilitation project of southern Basrah’s city’s rainwater, drainage and sewage networks has been completed after only six months. Ali Hanon, an official from Basrah’s reconstruction unit, announced the news, highlighting its funding as part of the 2008 provincial development projects program. (USDOS, Apr-8) |
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Security |
An American soldier was killed during combat in southern Iraq on Saturday (May-16).
An Iraqi soldier was wounded by a roadside bomb near an Iraqi base in northern Basrah on Sunday (May-17).
In central Basrah on Monday (May-18), a roadside bomb killed a police Lt.-Col. near his house and wounded two policemen and the colonel’s son.
(Reuters, May 14-20) |
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Other/Comments |
On December-9, Iraq’s independent electoral commission announced that it plans to collect signatures in support of a referendum to transform the province of Basrah into an autonomous region much like Kurdistan in the north of the country. (Reuters, Dec-9) |
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Muthanna, Dhi Qar, Maysan |
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Coordination |
No New Information |
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Population |
Population of Muthanna: 614,997 Population of Dhi Qar: 1,616,226 Population of Maysan (Missan): 824,147 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate
(IASC, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, June 2008)
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
No New Information |
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information |
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Security |
No New Information |
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Other/Comments |
On April 1, around 500 Iraqis from Dhi Qar and Maysan attended the Jazz Masters concert at the Ziggurat of Ur. The show became a family event with women, who seldom join their spouses on such occasions in this part of Iraq. (USDOS, Apr-15) |
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Neighboring Countries’ Humanitarian Activities/Preparations
Jordan
According to Xinhua news agency, a UN official revealed in 2008, nearly 20,000 displaced Iraqis in Jordan have resettled to third countries. A majority of them, around 6,990, were sent to the US, Imran Riza, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Jordan said, adding that 2009 should expect a greater number of relocations. (Xinhua new agency, December-24)
Iran
On April 23, Iran’s official news agency, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Iran and Iraq have agreed to build a pipeline that will feed Iraqi crude oil to an Iranian refinery, in addition to establishing five new oil refineries together. The 32-inch pipeline will carry 50 percent of the crude from Iraq’s southern oil hub in Basrah to be processed at Iran’s Abadan refinery, which has a capacity of 430,000 barrels per day. No timeframe has been set for this project. (AP, April-23)
Turkey
On Thursday (April 30), Turkey’s military said it had launched air strikes against suspected Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) bases in northern Iraq. The operation was prompted after nine Turkish soldiers were killed by a bomb in southeastern Turkey on April 29. The PKK claimed responsibility for the attack. (Reuters, April-30)
Kuwait
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Shiekh Muhammad al-Sabah met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and other top officials on Thursday (February-26) in the first high-level visit by a Kuwaiti official since the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. In addition to discussing joint oil fields, maritime borders and war reparations, Shiekh Muhammad praised the Iraqi government for holding peaceful provincial elections. The visit recognized the growing acceptance of Baghdad’s Shi’ite Muslim-led government by Sunni-dominated Gulf Arab states. (Reuters, BBC, February-26)
Syria
Syrian Prime Minister Naji al-Otari visited Iraq on April 21 to hold discussions with Iraqi officials regarding the request for the Syrian government to crack down on former Iraqi army commanders plotting against the government and on reopening an oil pipeline. Otari’s visit is also a sign of warming ties between nations whose relations have been unfriendly since Saddam’s takeover in 1979. (Reuters, April-21)
Saudi Arabia
On September-21, Saudi Arabia returned 16 Iraqi prisoners to Iraq and received eight Saudis in return ahead of a new agreement on swapping convicted criminals, the Saudi media said. According to Reuters, this move is the latest step by Saudi Arabia and Iraq to gradually rebuild ties after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq brought leaders from the majority Shi’ite Muslim community to power. Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, Iraq’s national security adviser said earlier in the month that Saudi Arabia would repatriate all 434 Iraqis in Saudi jails under a new agreement. Saudi Arabia has yet to name an ambassador to Baghdad after announcing last year that it would send one. (Reuters, September-21)