Iraq may soon reach a ‘point beyond repair’

The vulnerability of internally-displaced people (IDPs) in Iraq has reached boiling point, with the situation aggravated by ongoing armed conflict. If diverse ethnic communities fail to co-exist, Iraq may soon be “beyond repair,” a new report warns.

There are currently 3.2 million IDPs in Iraq, which is in the middle of a war with Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). IDPs originating from Anbar – the Sunni heartland of Iraq – comprise the largest group of displaced people in Iraq. The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, hosts the second largest IDP population of nearly 600,000 persons.

More than 8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, the report from the Minority Rights Group International and partner charity Ceasefire Center for Civilian Rights has stated.

Protection of IDPs in Iraq has become next to impossible due to the “collapse of the rule of law, widespread impunity, territorial or tribal disputes and the inability or sometimes unwillingness of the Iraqi government and the Regional Government of Kurdistan to respond to the sheer scale of the crises,” the report noted. “If communities are unable to co-exist, Iraq may soon reach a point beyond repair,” it added.

IDPs originating from Anbar – the Sunni heartland of Iraq – comprise the largest group of displaced people in Iraq. The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, hosts the second largest IDP population of nearly 600,000 persons.

“Unless a coherent strategy for return and reconciliation is put in place, the possibility of a democratic, multicultural Iraq will be gone within the next few years,” the executive director of the Minority Rights Group International Mark Lattimer added.

[RT]

This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation by Grant Montgomery.