Reuters reports on the stark facts [revealed by the UNHRC] on how the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent war - now raging for 4 years and with no end in sight - has affected ordinary Iraqis both in Iraq itself and in neighbouring countries:
"Some 2 million Iraqis are now in neighbouring countries in the region, many of whom were uprooted prior to 2003, he said. Syria has more than 1 million Iraqis and Jordan an estimated 750,000. Both countries have carried an enormous burden and deserved more support from the international community, Redmond said.
Much more humanitarian help also had to be focused on the estimated 1.9 million Iraqis who remain displaced inside their own country, many of them in increasingly desperate conditions.
"While many were also displaced before 2003, we estimate that just since the beginning of last year – and particularly since the Samara bombing of February 2006 – nearly 730,000 Iraqis have become newly displaced by sectarian violence," Redmond said. "They and millions more Iraqis are facing severe hardship."
The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq estimates that more than 15 million Iraqis are now considered extremely vulnerable – including refugees, displaced people, those facing food insecurity, widows, disabled people and others. Reaching help and safety in neighbouring countries is becoming increasingly difficult, he said. Many of those who have fled to other parts of Iraq have run out of resources, and host communities are also struggling to absorb increasing numbers of displaced.
An estimated 4 million Iraqis are dependent on food assistance. Only 60 percent have access to the public food distribution system. The chronic child malnutrition rate is at 23 percent. Some 70 percent of the Iraqi population lack access to adequate water supplies, while 80 percent lack effective sanitation. The unemployment rate is over 50 percent."
Meanwhile, The Independent, in an article under the heading "In a Country Drenched in Blood" marking the 4th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion, writes:
"The invasion four years ago failed. It overthrew Saddam but did nothing more. It destabilised the Middle East. It tore apart Iraq. It was meant to show the world that the US was the world's only superpower that could do what it wanted. In fact it demonstrated that the US was weaker than the world supposed. The longer the US refuses to admit failure the longer the war will go on."
"Some 2 million Iraqis are now in neighbouring countries in the region, many of whom were uprooted prior to 2003, he said. Syria has more than 1 million Iraqis and Jordan an estimated 750,000. Both countries have carried an enormous burden and deserved more support from the international community, Redmond said.
Much more humanitarian help also had to be focused on the estimated 1.9 million Iraqis who remain displaced inside their own country, many of them in increasingly desperate conditions.
"While many were also displaced before 2003, we estimate that just since the beginning of last year – and particularly since the Samara bombing of February 2006 – nearly 730,000 Iraqis have become newly displaced by sectarian violence," Redmond said. "They and millions more Iraqis are facing severe hardship."
The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq estimates that more than 15 million Iraqis are now considered extremely vulnerable – including refugees, displaced people, those facing food insecurity, widows, disabled people and others. Reaching help and safety in neighbouring countries is becoming increasingly difficult, he said. Many of those who have fled to other parts of Iraq have run out of resources, and host communities are also struggling to absorb increasing numbers of displaced.
An estimated 4 million Iraqis are dependent on food assistance. Only 60 percent have access to the public food distribution system. The chronic child malnutrition rate is at 23 percent. Some 70 percent of the Iraqi population lack access to adequate water supplies, while 80 percent lack effective sanitation. The unemployment rate is over 50 percent."
Meanwhile, The Independent, in an article under the heading "In a Country Drenched in Blood" marking the 4th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion, writes:
"The invasion four years ago failed. It overthrew Saddam but did nothing more. It destabilised the Middle East. It tore apart Iraq. It was meant to show the world that the US was the world's only superpower that could do what it wanted. In fact it demonstrated that the US was weaker than the world supposed. The longer the US refuses to admit failure the longer the war will go on."
Comments