In rising tide of violence, displacement continues unabated

Nearly 100,000 Iraqis have now been displaced by sectarian violence, an increase of about 20,000 from previous figures, according to government officials and aid agencies. "We’re having difficulty supplying all the families in need countrywide," said Fatah Ahmed, spokesman for the Baghdad-based Iraq Aid Association (IAA). “This is especially the case on the outskirts of the capital, where their numbers are increasing enormously.” While Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi stated publicly on 28 April that 100,000 Iraqis had fled their homes to date due to ongoing violence, days earlier government officials had put the figure at 80,000. Local aid agencies, meanwhile, say that those who have been displaced – including some 65,000 women and children – are currently living under deteriorating conditions, with many suffering from a lack of essential supplies. According to US military spokesman Major-General Rick Lynch, however, the figures appear to be exaggerated. “We see reports of tens of thousands of families displaced, and we chase down each and every one of those reports,” Lynch said at a recent press conference in Baghdad’s fortified green zone. The IAA’s Ahmed pointed out that, given the chaotic environment, accurate numbers were difficult to determine. "We can’t get the full story on exact numbers,” he said. “According to our information, though, the number could be higher than 100,000 because of isolated displacements in villages and towns." Ministry of Displacement and Migration officials, meanwhile, did not rule out the possibility that a full 100,000 people had been made homeless. "We’re going to look into the numbers provided by the aid agencies,” senior ministry official Abbas Sardawi said on Sunday. “The numbers may have increased due to the daily violence.” According to Shi'ite leader Abdul Mahdi, most displaced families are Shi'ite Arabs from the Baghdad suburbs. Local aid agencies, however, said it was difficult to estimate the number of displaced peoples according to their religious and ethnic associations, although they added that the biggest camp for victims of displacement had been set up for Shi'ite Arab families near Najaf, some 160km south of the capital. In the meantime, the Iraq Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has been struggling to provide displaced families with essential materials, such as blankets, heaters, food and medicine. "We’ve been pushing our volunteers to work fulltime to provide these families with a minimum standard of living,” said IRCS Director Dr Saad Haqi. “But we have to be realistic – their numbers are increasing fast.” Sectarian hostility erupted in earnest following a 22 February attack on a revered Shi'ite shrine in Samarra, some 120km north of Baghdad. The attack triggered a spate of sectarian reprisals between the country's major Muslim sects – Sunnis and Shi'ites –and has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.