Overview

Over the month of August, hundreds of people paid the price for indiscriminate attacks in many parts of the country. Baghdadis were shocked by a wave of massive blasts that rocked the capital, leaving behind hundreds of civilian casualties in addition to major property losses.

"The level of insecurity in Iraq remains high and should not be accepted as somehow ‘normal’ or unavoidable," said Juan-Pedro Schaerer, head of the ICRC delegation for Iraq. In the governorates of Baghdad, Ninewa and Diyala, many Iraqis live in constant fear for their lives whenever they leave their houses, as anyone could be hit simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

To help medical facilities cope with the influx of wounded people, around nine tonnes of surgical materials and other medical supplies were delivered to Baghdad Teaching Hospital in Baghdad governorate, to Mosul General Hospital, Hamdaniya General Hospital and Bartilla primary health-care centre in Ninewa governorate, and to Dohuk Emergency Hospital in Dohuk governorate.

Helping families obtain information about their relatives missing since the 1990-1991 Gulf War

Hundreds of thousands of families in Iraq are longing to obtain news of those who vanished in the armed conflicts of recent decades. The authorities concerned must do everything in their power, in accordance with international humanitarian law, to clarify what happened to those who went missing in armed conflicts and to provide the families with any information they obtain.

The Technical Sub-Committee of the Tripartite Commission, investigating cases of persons missing in connection with the 1990-1991 Gulf War, held its 61st session in August in Kuwait. The meeting was chaired by the ICRC and attended by the Commission’s members: Iraq, Kuwait and the Coalition (France, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States). The members reiterated their commitment to take every possible measure to fulfil their obligations and provide information that could explain what happened to those who went missing. In particular, they took steps that are likely to lead to the exhumation of sites that have been identified in Iraq and Kuwait.

Visiting detainees and helping them to maintain contact with their families

The ICRC regularly visits detention facilities to monitor treatment and conditions of detention. In August, ICRC delegates visited detainees:

• in US custody in Taji and Remembrance II, both in Baghdad Governorate;
• held in Tobji Juvenile Detention Facility (Baghdad Governorate) under the authority of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, in Khalis Police Station (Diyala Governorate) under the authority of the Ministry of Interior, and in Fort Suse Federal Prison (Suleimaniya governorate) under the authority of the Ministry of Justice;
• in 10 prisons in Erbil, Dohuk and Suleimaniya governorates under the authority of the Ministry of Social Affairs and various security forces in northern Iraq, including Assayesh.

The ICRC helps the detainees and their families to keep in touch by exchanging Red Cross messages, which are collected and distributed in cooperation with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, and by providing financial support enabling families to travel to Basra, in the southern part of the country, to visit relatives detained in Camp Bucca. In August, more than 300 detainees were visited by their relatives and almost 4,750 Red Cross messages were exchanged within Iraq and with other countries.

Also in August, the ICRC helped eight foreign detainees released from Rusafa Prison in Baghdad to contact their respective embassies or the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to arrange for their return to their home countries. The ICRC directly facilitated the repatriations of a Bangladeshi, a Sudanese and a Palestinian, all of whom wanted to return home.

Support for limb-fitting centres

In addition to medical assistance provided for health facilities, the ICRC also supports 11 limb-fitting and rehabilitation centres run by the Iraqi Ministry of Health by providing equipment and training. In August, the ICRC awarded three-year scholarships to two Iraqis for training in prosthetics and orthotics, raising the number of scholarships granted to seven.

Delivering aid to displaced and otherwise vulnerable people

In August, the ICRC gave food parcels, rice bags, hygiene kits and towels sufficient for two months to about 15,600 internally displaced people (IDPs) – mainly families headed by women – in Baghdad, Diyala, Salah Al Din, Dohuk and Erbil governorates.

The ICRC also provides support for income-generating and livelihood projects that enable communities to regain economic self-sufficiency. For example, more than 2,000 workers are supporting their families on the income they receive repairing and cleaning irrigation canals in Diyala, Erbil and Kirkuk governorates under a cash-for-work programme.

In Kirkuk governorate, the ICRC vaccinated more than 21,700 sheep and 5,850 goats against pox. These animals provide an income for some 1,000 people.

Providing clean water

ICRC water engineers continued to repair and otherwise improve water infrastructure. In August, the ICRC:

• completed repair work on Al Wathba water treatment plant in Baghdad, serving around 100,000 people;
• installed a new submersible pump on the Korez bore well in Khanaqin town and connected it to the water network, thereby increasing the water supply for 660 residents;
• cleaned and sterilized the storage tanks and repaired the operating theatre at Al Sadr Teaching Hospital in Najaf, which has 400 beds and serves around 546,000 inhabitants of Najaf city and nearby villages;
• finished building Al Resalah primary health-care centre, which can treat around 50 people per day and serves around 25,000 people in Wassit governorate;
• repaired two incinerators at Basra General Hospital, which has 600 beds;
• increased the pumping capacity, re-operated the filters and replaced the chemical treatment units and electromechanical works in New Tikrit Stage II water treatment plant in Salah Al-Din governorate, which provides water for around 80,000 people;
• finished building an emergency unit for al Hashimiyah Hospital, which has more than 100 beds, in Babil governorate;
• repaired the water treatment plant in Mandali, Diyala governorate, improving the quality of water provided for around 20,000 people, and covered the X-ray room in Mandali’s primary health-care centre with lead protection sheets, in addition to carrying out electrical work there.

Water was delivered by truck to:

• 4,500 displaced people, Al Imam Ali General Hospital and eight primary health-care centres in Sadr City, Al Kindi General Hospital, Al Yarmouk Teaching Hospital, and Al Rashad Psychiatry Teaching Hospital, all in Baghdad.

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 civil society. Within this framework, a series of presentations was organized for various audiences all over Iraq.

Iraq is the ICRC’s second biggest operation worldwide, with more than 90 expatriates and around 530 national staff in Baghdad, Basra, Najaf, Erbil, Suleimaniya, Dohuk, Ramadi and Khanaqin responding to the urgent needs of civilians adversely affected by the conflict.

Source: Iraq: indiscriminate attacks take heavy toll on civilians – ICRC activities in August 2009 – Operational update posted 15 -September -2009 Cross-posted from Gorilla’s Guides