JANUARY
IRAQ: UNHCR repatriates hundreds of Iraqi refugees from Iran
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) repatriated 303 Iraqi refugees from southern Iran on 12 January. They were transported from Bani Najjar camp in Iran to the southern Iraqi city of Basra via the Shalamcheh border crossing. In total, just over 1,100 Iraqi refugees have returned from Iran since UNHCR began organised returns on 19 November. Thousands more returned earlier by their own means. In all, there are believed to be around 130,000 Iraqi refugees still living in Iran.
IRAQ: Team to gauge possibility of elections, security permitting
The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said on 27 January that the UN would send a team to Iraq to explore the possibility of elections before the transfer of sovereignty as long as the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) provided adequate security arrangements. His decision was in response to a request, on 19 January, from both the CPA and the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) for a UN team to travel to the country to establish whether elections for a transitional national assembly could be held before 30 June, and if not, what alternative arrangement would be acceptable.
FEBRUARY
IRAQ: Bomb attack on Kurdish political party offices kills 117
On 1 February a devastating double bomb attack on Kurdish leaders in the northern city of Arbil left 117 people dead, among them senior local leaders. At least 200 were also wounded in the attacks on offices of the two main Kurdish political parties.
IRAQ: UN Secretary-General says elections before 30 June not feasible
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on 19 February that elections could not be organised in Iraq before the 30 June deadline for a transfer of sovereignty, a date he said should be "respected". The announcement came after a mission to Iraq, led by Special Adviser Lakhdar Brahimi. The UN team concluded that preparations for elections would take a minimum of eight months, to align all the necessary political and technical conditions, including the creation of an independent electoral commission. Annan recommended that a caretaker government should be established between the handover of power from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and an election.
IRAQ: US $1 billion pledged for reconstruction
At the first meeting of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility (IRFF), held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on 28-29 February, 19 countries pledged a total of US $1 billion. The money was allocated to rebuilding schools and health facilities, to restore water supplies and electricity, and to meet other priority needs in Iraq. The IRFF was established at the Madrid conference in October 2003 and is administered by the UN Development Group and the World Bank. The facility will coordinate and channel contributions for reconstruction in close cooperation with the Iraqi authorities and donors. The funds represented part of the follow-up by donors towards meeting the $33 billion pledged in Madrid.
MARCH
IRAQ: Attacks during religious festival claim 271 lives
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned attacks in Karbala and Baghdad on 2 March, which killed 271 people and injured 393. "He is particularly appalled that these incidents took place in and around Muslim shrines during the holy occasion of Ashura," a UN statement said.
IRAQ: Interim Iraqi constitution signed
An interim constitution was signed by Iraq's US-appointed Governing Council (IGC) on 8 March, to be implemented when sovereignty is handed over to Iraqis on 30 June and to help pave the way to elections. Under the US plan, an unelected Iraqi government will take over sovereignty on 30 June. An assembly will be elected by the end of January next year and full democratic elections will be held by the end of 2005.
IRAQ: UN investigates Oil-for-Food corruption allegations
In the week of 15 March the United Nations moved ahead with investigations into allegations of corruption within the Iraq Oil-For-Food programme, with the UN auditing office interviewing UN and former Oil-For-Food personnel. The investigation follows accusations that the UN knew about and benefitted from the vast reward system set up by former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, which reportedly granted billions of dollars in kickbacks from the sale of oil for humanitarian supplies.
IRAQ: UNHCR lays down guidelines on forced refugee returns
UNHCR on 17 March issued new guidance to governments requesting a continued ban on forced returns (including rejected cases) to all parts of Iraq until further notice. UNHCR also recommended that all Iraqi asylum seekers continue to be granted some form of temporary protection. The new advice drew attention to the generalised climate of instability and insecurity in Iraq, noting that "security incidents... continue with alarming frequency" and are increasingly targeted at Iraqis perceived to be supporting or collaborating with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).
IRAQ: One year on, human rights still under attack says Amnesty
On 18 March Amnesty International drew attention to ongoing human rights abuses in Iraq one year after the start of the US-led war. According to Amnesty, many detainees (estimated to be between 8,000 to 15,000) were being held without charge for months without prompt access to a lawyer or family members, or to a judicial review. The ill-treatment of detainees was also highlighted by Amnesty in its report, citing statements from many of those released claiming they had been beaten, deprived of sleep, restrained in painful positions, forced to listen to loud music, hooded and exposed to bright lights. Coalition forces in the past said that prisoners were treated according to international standards.
IRAQ: Japan to provide US $15 billion for reconstruction
Tokyo said on 15 March that it would provide US $5 billion for reconstruction: the package comprised US $1.5 billion grants for immediate needs through 2004, and up to $3.5 billion, mainly in yen loans, to meet medium-term needs up to about 2007. A delegation from Iraq's US appointed Governing Council travelled to Japan and China on the same day to seek more Asian assistance in rebuilding the country
APRIL
IRAQ: Returns from Iran temporarily suspended
On 6 April UNHCR said returns of Iraqi refugees from Iran facilitated by the organisation had been temporarily suspended due to security concerns. The decision was made following reports from the southern Iraqi city of Basra that local drivers were refusing to take passengers from the Iraqi side of the border into Basra in fear of illegal checkpoints and hijackings.
IRAQ: UN envoy lays out plans for future election
Lakhdar Brahimi on 14 April laid out a new plan for an interim government in Iraq as the volatile security situation continued to restrict movement around the country. A "caretaker" government, to be formed in May, should be led by a prime minister, a president and two vice-presidents, Brahimi said. A "consultative assembly" should be elected in July to serve alongside the caretaker government.
IRAQ: Independent inquiry into Oil-for-Food launched
On 20 April, the UN announced that Secretary-General Kofi Annan would set up an independent inquiry to look into allegations of corruption in the United Nations Oil-for-Food programme for Iraq. Following the announcement, Annan said he was confident that the panel would yield results, and hoped that its work would proceed apace.
IRAQ: Agencies concerned over situation in Fallujah
As fighting continued between Coalition forces and anti-Coalition insurgents in the besieged city of Fallujah, some 60 km west of Baghdad, a shortage of fresh food, water and medical supplies was reported in the city on 17 April, although adequate quantities of dry food were reportedly available, the UN Assistance Mission (UNAMI) to Iraq said. UNAMI also highlighted problems with the city's water treatment and sewage plants, saying that they had not been functional for the last week. NGO relief convoys have had irregular access into Fallujah, as they are often advised against entering the city by armed groups.
IRAQ: Oxfam halts direct operations in Iraq
The UK-based Oxfam NGO said on 19 April it was ceasing direct operations in Iraq for the foreseeable future. It had already withdrawn international staff from Iraq in August 2003, after the bombing of the UN headquarters in which 22 people were killed and had since then maintained a core team of national staff, mostly based in the southern city of Nassiriyah.
IRAQ: World Bank announces US $400 million programme for reconstruction
In late April, the World Bank announced a US $400 million programme for implementation under the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI). It comprises $100 million for education, $200 million for urban infrastructure reconstruction including power, transport, and water and sanitation and $100 million for infrastructure rehabilitation in rural areas - primarily water and sanitation.
MAY
IRAQ: UN calls for inquiry into health of Fallujah citizens
On 3 May, as fighting continued between Coalition forces and insurgents in Fallujah, the Special Rapporteur on the right to health of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Paul Hunt, wrote to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) strongly recommending that it establish an independent and impartial enquiry into the health situation of the civilian population of Fallujah. According to some reports, of the estimated 750 civilian deaths, 90 percent were non-combatants, a UN statement said.
IRAQ: Abu Ghraib pictures published
The prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad came to light on 4 May with the publication of controversial photos showing ill treatment of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers. Kofi Annan said he was deeply disturbed by the pictures. US President George Bush apologised saying he was "sorry for the humiliation suffered by the Iraqi prisoners" in US custody, the international media reported in the days after the publication.
IRAQ: Team investigates Oil-for-Food corruption allegations
In the week of 10 May a team investigating allegations of corruption in the former UN-administered Oil-for-Food programme was in Iraq to conduct interviews. The team looked into allegations that UN workers profited from the sale of Iraqi oil during Saddam's regime. At least two investigation teams took documents from the State Oil Marketing Organisation, according to an official there who declined to be named. It is alleged that an after-service fee of 10 percent or more was added to all Oil-for-Food programme contracts since 1988. In the Health Ministry alone, the kickbacks in 2003 would have amounted to $88 million, according to officials involved in investigations there. Secret bank accounts holding money from kickbacks and bribes may still be open in neighbouring countries such as Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, an Iraqi bank official said.
IRAQ: UN approves projects worth US $230 million for Iraq
On 25 May, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's interim Special Representative for Iraq, Ross Mountain, announced that 17 programmes and projects valued at approximately US $230 million had been approved under the UN Iraq Trust Fund. Ongoing relief operations in Iraq include the procurement of 1.6 million mt of food supplies, the rehabilitation of several hundred schools, the vaccination of 5 million children against measles and the provision of support for infrastructure and housing, he said. Since the end of the US-led war in May, some 6,500 Iraqis had benefited from UN training in a wide range of disciplines, while over 40,000 have got jobs through UN activities within Iraq, he added. But Mountain also warned that the new government would need the full support of all parties to succeed, saying that the UN would play its full part in this.
JUNE
IRAQ: New interim government sworn in
On 1 June a new interim government was appointed with Sunni Muslim Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawar as president, Iyad Allawi, a Shi'ite Muslim, as prime minister; two deputy presidents and 26 ministers. Lakhdar Brahimi immediately called for Iraqis to appoint a national assembly in July and prepare for elections in January.
IRAQ: UN Security Council approves revised Iraq resolution
On 8 June, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to adopt a revised US and UK-backed resolution, paving the way for Iraqis to assume "full responsibility and authority". Kofi Annan welcomed the vote, describing it as a "genuine expression of the will of the international community". He pledged the UN would play its part in the next phase of the country's transition from war and occupation.
IRAQ: Hot weather raises humanitarian concerns
Mid-June brought worries over water and electricity shortages and the spread of disease. The United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) raised particular concerns over the south. In Basra, electricity was only available for up to eight hours, while in other areas there was a limit of 15 hours. With temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, the shortage of electricity will have a huge impact on water supplies for some 4.5 million people in the four southern governorates. While there had been no major outbreaks of communicable diseases there was an increase in the incidence of diarrhoea across most governorates, a UNAMI report said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) was preparing a proposal to establish mobile health education teams, specifically for the rural and high-risk areas. In addition to this, spraying campaigns to reduce the risk of malaria and leishmaniasis (caused by a parasite transmitted by a sandfly) were under way across the country.
IRAQ: Violence spreads in run-up to 30 June handover
The week of 21 June saw a wave of violence across Iraqi cities, killing at least 100 people in the run-up to the handover of sovereignty to Iraqis on 30 June. The worst attack was in the northern city of Mosul, where at least 62 people died and 220 were hurt in a series of car bombings. Other cites targeted included Ramadi and Fallujah west of Baghdad and Baquba northeast
of Baghdad along with the capital itself. Iraq's interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi vowed to crush the insurgents responsible for the attacks. The handover of sovereignty came early as Iraq became a sovereign state on 28 June after the scheduled 30 June handover of power took place two days early for security reasons. The handover was initially announced by the Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, speaking after talks with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair at a NATO summit in Istanbul on 28 June.
JULY
IRAQ: Successful measles vaccination campaign
An independent Iraqi Red Crescent report released at the beginning of July confirmed that an anti-measles campaign in Iraq had been successful in immunising 97 percent of targeted children. The task was carried out under difficult circumstances and amid deteriorating security following an outbreak of the highly contagious killer disease in the southern governorates at the start of the year. It affected more than 1,000 school children, the group most at risk. The Iraqi Ministry of Health (MoH) organised the catch-up campaign that targeted 5.2 million children aged between six and 12. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) provided support for the campaign, which began on 13 March in the southern governorates and on 24 March in Arbil, Dahuk and Sulaymaniyah in the north of the country.
IRAQ: Emergency security laws announced
Iraq's new ministers of justice and human rights announced emergency security laws on 7 July to help restore safety to the country. An unspecified curfew period, transport controls, restrictions on the assets of suspected terrorists and on licences for weapons are necessary to create peace in the country, Human Rights Minister Baktiar Amin said. Emergency measures approved by Iraq's new interim government would still respect the rights of citizens, he added. With increasing violence in parts of the country, the law was welcomed. Two US-based think tanks estimate that as of 16 June, more than 11,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed by Coalition forces and militant attacks during and since the March 2003 war.
IRAQ: New UN special representative appointed
On 12 July Kofi Annan named Pakistan's current Ambassador to the US, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, as the new envoy to Iraq, following the death of his predecessor, Sergio Vieira de Mello. The UN said that it expected to deploy him with a small team by late July or early August, depending on the security situation.
IRAQ: Multi-million dollar programme for marshes in south
A multi-million dollar project to restore the environment and provide clean drinking water in the southern marshlands of Iraq was announced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 23 July. According to the UNEP, 90 percent of the marshlands, believed to be the historical site of the Garden of Eden, were destroyed following a massive campaign by the former regime of Saddam Hussein to drain them in order to deprive the opposition Shi'ite forces of safe havens, following an uprising against Hussein in the early 1990s. During that period blockades were built to stop water from re-entering the area, causing massive loss of livelihoods for thousands of Marsh Arabs living in the wetlands. The US $11 million project, scheduled to get under way in September and funded by the Japanese government, will ensure that drinking water and sanitation systems are installed in key communities along with pilot wetlands restoration for the benefit of people and wildlife.
AUGUST
IRAQ: Agencies raise concerns over civilian safety
In early August human rights groups issued statements regarding the safety of civilians in Iraq. "Attacks on civilians constitute a breach of international law and potentially a crime against humanity," Amnesty International (AI) said on 2 August. "Armed groups must set free all hostages they are detaining and refrain from kidnapping people or attack civilians." In addition to hundreds of civilians being killed so far in direct or indiscriminate attacks by armed groups, AI cited a number of kidnappings of foreign nationals working in Iraq in recent months and at least eight of whom have been executed by armed groups. The groups are threatening to execute all hostages unless the companies employing them pull out of Iraq. Human Rights Watch (HRW) added its concerns via a statement released on 6 August. Dozens of Iraqis have been killed in the past week alone and many others injured in a number of incidents involving suicide car bombings and other attacks on civilians.
IRAQ: Najaf residents flee fighting as aid agencies move in
Residents in the southern holy city of Najaf, told to leave the besieged city by US troops, appeared to be staying with relatives in the nearby city of Karbala, an International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesman told IRIN on 11 August. ICRC officials and other aid agencies are sending medical kits and food to the region for civilians trapped in the fighting, said Ahmed al-Rawi, the ICRC spokesman. Fighting intensified after almost a week of clashes between the Mehdi army and US-led Coalition troops in the southern city and in Sadr City, a northeast suburb of Baghdad. Mehdi army fighters are loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Sadr, who was wanted in connection with the murder of a rival. The latest fighting ended a truce brokered to end previous fighting with Mehdi forces in May and June. It appears to have started after US and Iraqi forces surrounded Sadr's home in Najaf.
IRAQ: Medical supplies delivered to Najaf as fighting continues
ICRC officials delivered 3 mt of medical supplies to the besieged southern Iraqi city of Najaf as US troops launched a comprehensive assault on Mehdi army fighters resisting them on 12 August. In addition, health ministry officials took at least five ambulances to evacuate the wounded and bring them to Baghdad, Khalid Naimy, an ICRC spokesman in Baghdad, told IRIN. "War-wounded kits" including surgical items, IV fluids and antibiotics were among the supplies, Naimy said. Unconfirmed reports suggest between 25,000 and 50,000 people may have been displaced by fighting in Najaf, some 170 km from the capital, Baghdad.
IRAQ: Refugee returns suspended due to insecurity and housing shortage - UNHCR
On 18 August UNHCR said it had temporarily suspended refugee returns from Iran due to insecurity in the south and a shortage of housing in the north of Iraq. "Convoys to the south were stopped because of the ongoing fighting in Najaf as the situation has become tense there," a spokeswoman for UNHCR's Iraq operations, Astrid Van Genderen Stort, told IRIN from the Jordanian capital, Amman. UNHCR had been organising convoys from Iran to the southern Iraqi city of Basra since last November, but these have been put on hold several times during the past few months because of security concerns. Returns to northern Iraq have also been halted for the time being, after local authorities expressed concern that there was not enough housing to accommodate people coming back to the region.
IRAQ: Aid agencies and health ministry struggle to help Najaf injured and displaced
Iraqi's health ministry, along with aid agencies, were battling to cope with hundreds of injured and the feeding of thousands of families made homeless by three weeks of fighting in the southern cities of Najaf and Kufa as Shi'ite rebels began handing in weapons and leaving Najaf's holy shrine on 27 August. Tens of thousands of pilgrims flocked to celebrate a peace deal reached overnight to end the bloody uprising. Fighters tossed AK-47 assault rifles and mortar launchers into wooden carts being pushed around near the sacred Imam Ali mosque after an order from renegade cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for his Mehdi Army militia to disarm and leave the shrine. Grand Ayatollah Ali-al-Sistani - Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric - made a dramatic return to Najaf on 26 August and persuaded Sadr to accept his peace initiative after a day of violence in which at least 85 people were killed and 360 wounded.
SEPTEMBER
IRAQ: Donors pledge new funds
With reconstruction needs in Iraq increasing, following the recent fighting in cities such as Najaf and Sadr, donors announced the release of more funds for Iraq in the first week of September. The UK committed 50 million pounds (US $90 million) for aid projects from a total 544 million pounds ($974 million) package that London pledged to spend there by March 2006. Germany announced that it would be providing 5 million euros ($6 million) for the work of the United Nations in Iraq. The country said that it was emphasising the central role of the UN in the process of political reconstruction in the country. Kuwait said it had earmarked $60 million for Iraq, 5 million of which would be spent on the Shi'ite holy southern city of Najaf, where fighting between US troops and Mehdi army members loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Sadr ended last week.
IRAQ: New polio vaccination programme launched
Iraq's Ministry of Health (MoH) on 4 September initiated the first polio immunisation programme in the country since the start of the war to topple Saddam Hussein in March 2003, in an effort to protect 4.7 million children from the infectious disease. With support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Union (EU), who contributed over US $2.5 million, the Iraqi authorities succeeded in immunising the vast majority of children in the first three days of the campaign, UNICEF said. A total of 25 million doses of vaccine were purchased with help from a $3.2 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
IRAQ: Annan calls for release of all hostages
Following the kidnapping of two female Italian aid workers, their Iraqi colleagues and two French journalists in Baghdad on 7 September, Kofi Annan reiterated his call for the "immediate and unconditional" release of all those who have been abducted. "The Secretary-General is extremely concerned about the fate of all civilians held hostage," his spokesman, Fred Eckhard, told journalists in New York. The statement appealed "for respect, at all times, for the fundamental principles of human rights and dignity."
IRAQ: Cost of reconstruction in Najaf calculated
The Ministry of Health coordinator in Najaf has said that the total number killed in three weeks of fighting there was 570 with 785 injured. These statistics were taken from local hospitals and didn't include bodies buried during the fighting. A total of 72 shops, 50 hotels, 90 homes, three schools and dozens of cars were destroyed in the fighting, according to officials in the city on 8 September. There has also been massive destruction of the historic old part of the city, some of it impossible to repair, they said. The interim prime minister's office in Baghdad has said that the Ministry of Reconstruction was going to spend US $55 million on government buildings in Najaf.
IRAQ: Fighting in northern city displaces thousands
Fighting in the northern city of Tal Afar, thought to be a haven for insurgents, has displaced tens of thousands of people, aid agencies told IRIN on 13 September. At least 40 people have been killed in the city, which has fallen under insurgent control and is considered a "no-go" area for US troops, according to news reports. The US Army says the city of 350,000 has become a haven for fighters crossing into Iraq from Syria. Iraqi Red Crescent (IRC) workers have set up 250 tents on the outskirts of the city to help the fleeing residents, Annas al-Azawi, director of the IRC, told IRIN. Many of the city's residents have moved into the tents, while others have moved to relatives' houses in nearby cities, he said.
IRAQ: Security undermines reconstruction - UN
The UN top envoy for Iraq told the Security Council on 14 August that lack of security was halting efforts to rebuild the country and undermining the world body's efforts to assist in elections set for January. "The tragic human dimension of the current situation in Iraq was brought home to all of us today, with almost 50 people losing their lives in yet another bombing," Ashraf Qazi said of the blast. He said that the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) was committed to actively supporting Iraq's Election Commission in administering and monitoring a fair and credible electoral process. But, he warned the Council, "the extent and scale of UNAMI activity in this regard will necessarily be determined by prevailing circumstances including the security environment".
IRAQ: Annan calls Iraq war "illegal"
In a media interview on 16 September, Kofi Annan said last year's war in Iraq was "illegal" and did not conform with the UN Charter. "I have indicated it is not in conformity with the UN Charter, from our point of view, and from the Charter point of view it was illegal," Annan told the BBC. Citing the interview, the UN quoted Annan as saying that the war and its aftermath had brought home painful lessons about the importance of resolving use-of-force issues jointly through the UN. "I think that in the end everybody is concluding that it is best to work together with allies and through the UN to deal with some of those issues".
IRAQ: Food security still problematic - WFP
Food security is still a problem in Iraq, a new survey released on 28 September by the World Food Programme (WFP) said, stressing that some 25 percent of the population - 6.5 million people - are extremely poor and still totally dependent on the Public Distribution System (PDS). "Most people are still dependant on the PDS food rations, but there are different levels of dependency," WFP regional spokeswoman Mia Turner told IRIN from the Jordanian capital, Amman. Job creation is essential in order to give households purchasing power needed to access sufficient food and to complement their diet with items not included in the PDS, the survey suggests. However, insecurity is hindering recovery of the economy and reconstruction efforts.
IRAQ: IMF approves US $436 million loan for Iraq
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved an emergency loan of $436 million to Iraq on 29 September, hoping it would act as a catalyst for more international economic aid, including debt relief. The US wants 90 percent of Iraq's $120 billion overseas debt wiped off, but Russia and France have insisted on a 50 percent limit, saying it is sufficient for an oil rich country. The Paris Club of creditor nations were due to discuss debt relief for Iraq. Despite the disagreement, the IMF said all Iraq's main overseas creditors had agreed to defer Iraq's debt repayments until the end of 2005. This is the first time the IMF has given Iraq a loan of any sort, and comes under its emergency assistance programme. Under this scheme, loans are
designed to be disbursed quickly, supported by policy advice, and in many case, provided alongside technical assistance.
IRAQ: UNICEF condemns Baghdad bombings
Bomb attacks on 30 September brought strong condemnation from the international community. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the bombings in Baghdad, which killed dozens of children, showed a disregard for innocent life. UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said that the death of at least 34 children in car bomb attacks was "an unconscionable slaughter of innocents". A series of bombs went off in the capital as crowds gathered to celebrate the opening of a water treatment plant, leaving a total of 41 dead and over 130 injured. According to media reports, a group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who is linked to Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the bombings. This is the same group responsible for many previous attacks and kidnappings.
OCTOBER
IRAQ: Massive efforts needed on reconstruction
With the passing of the 100th day since Iraq's interim government came to power, officials acknowledged the scale of the task of reconstructing the country but say that some progress is being made. Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told the national assembly in Baghdad on 12 October that Coalition forces would remain in Iraq, offering security until the country's own forces were fully trained. He confirmed that elections would be held as scheduled in January 2005, despite the continuing insurgency.
IRAQ: Humanitarian needs critical in Sunni Triangle
The three cities of Ramadi, Fallujah and Samarrah, west of Baghdad, in the "Sunni triangle" where US troops are fighting insurgents, are in desperate need of medical supplies and other aid, hospital staff said on 18 October. The Ministry of Health (MoH) and NGOs around Baghdad add that the situation is critical as they are having difficulties in accessing the area and are prevented from delivering aid due to insecurity. Medical officials in the cities have warned that the delay in the arrival of aid is affecting life-saving treatment. They are calling on government officials to take urgent action in a critical situation.
IRAQ: CARE director Margaret Hassan kidnapped in Baghdad
Early on 19 October the Director of CARE International in Iraq, Margaret Hassan, was kidnapped by an unnamed group, which led the aid agency to suspend its operations in the country. The abduction of the CARE director, who has spent 30 years in Iraq working on humanitarian issues, has brought widespread condemnation from the aid community, governments and from many ordinary people in Iraq.
IRAQ: UNESCO condemns murder of journalists
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) condemned the murder of two journalists in Iraq, decrying the "intolerable" death toll of media professionals in that country. Dina Mohammed Hassan, a correspondent for Al-Hurriya TV, was killed on 14 October in Baghdad, and photographer Karam Hussein of the European Pressphoto Agency was murdered the following day in Mosul. Their deaths add to the more than 50 journalists who have been killed in Iraq over the past 18 months, according to the International News Safety Institute (INSI). "I cannot find words strong enough to condemn the deliberate killing of Dina Mohammed Hassan and of Karam Hussein," Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura said in a statement.
NOVEMBER
IRAQ: Aid required urgently for Al-Mahmoudya
Al-Mahmoudya city, about 20 km southeast of Baghdad and the base for British troops recently deployed in the area, is facing medical, food and water needs amid a deteriorating security situation. Some families have begun to leave the city and say that those who remain are risking their lives. Dr Mustafa Aydany from the local hospital told IRIN on 2 November that if serious fighting began they could offer little treatment for the injured. He said a shortage of medicines and emergency materials would mean that most of those injured in any fighting in the city would probably have to be sent to Baghdad. Leaflets have been distributed, forbidding women from leaving their homes without covering their heads with scarves and wearing traditional clothing, and threatening those who ignored such instructions. According to medical officials in the city, two women have been killed because they ignored such instructions. Other orders issued by the insurgents are that no families should leave their homes and that shops, schools and government offices should remain closed. The insurgents warn of a "new Fallujah" in the city.
IRAQ: MSF withdraws from the country
The Belgian-based medical NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) pulled out of Iraq on 4 November saying that international organisations had become targets in the light of recent threats and kidnappings of humanitarian workers. "The risk is getting closer and closer to us," Koen Henckaerts, MSF's director of operations for Iraq, told IRIN on 5 November from Brussels, noting the increase in attacks on the humanitarian community, such as the recent kidnapping of Margaret Hassan, the director for Iraq with the international NGO CARE. "We [NGOs] have been a target of insurgents several times and we have the impression that impartiality and independence are not respected," Henckaerts said, adding that it was difficult to keep their autonomy and to counter any belief that NGOs were working with Coalition forces.
IRAQ: Thousands of residents have fled Fallujah
On 8 November it was reported that thousands of US troops had positioned themselves on the outskirts of Fallujah as Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi gave the go-ahead for a major attack to flush out insurgents. Out of a population of 290,000 people the city is now home to around 30,000, Fadhel Youssef, a spokesman for the local governorate, told IRIN. Most of those left are men who have sent women and children to places of safety. Families in the town told IRIN they had no food or clean water and did not have time to store enough to hold out through the impending battle. The city is deserted, shops are closed and there are no people on the streets. As fighting began, agencies started to raise humanitarian concerns. On 11 November Amnesty International (AI) issued a statement saying it was seeking assurances from both the US and Iraqi governments that they will comply with their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law. It also called on the armed groups in Fallujah to comply with the rules of international law.
IRAQ: US-led coalition forces mishandled important documents - HRW
As the trial of Saddam Hussein nears, there are claims that US-led Coalition forces in Iraq failed during last year's invasion to safeguard official documents and the remains of victims in mass graves, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in early November. The watchdog said this would have been crucial evidence for the upcoming trials of Saddam Hussein and other former Iraqi leaders. The 41-page report, "Iraq: The State of the Evidence", says much information was lost or seriously tainted and gives details of what happened to some of the key archival and forensic evidence. "In April 2003, former Iraqi officials left behind volumes of official papers documenting criminal policies and practices," the statement said.
IRAQ: IRCS delivers aid to displaced around Fallujah
As fighting continued in Fallujah, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) and other NGOs on 11 November succeeded in delivering the first food and medical supplies to those displaced in areas surrounding the city. However, the organisations were waiting for authorisation from the Iraqi government and the Coalition forces to enter Fallujah itself. Food and medical aid received by the IRCS from other NGOs was distributed on 12 November among over 5,000 displaced people in the nearby settlements of Shaklauya and Habanya, where many have been in serious need of basic supplies since the fighting started. The ICRC said that inside the city many injured people were dying due to lack of medical care and that the situation contravened international humanitarian laws. A spokesman for the US Marines, Lieutenant Lyle Gilbert, told IRIN that NGOs were not being granted permission to enter the city primarily for their own safety.
IRAQ: Aid still urgently needed in Fallujah
After reaching Fallujah's main hospital on 13 November, the IRCS couldn't get authorisation to go to the centre of the city to deliver food and medical supplies. The NGO left the hospital area on 16 November taking supplies to Amrya near Fallujah, where almost 3,500 displaced families have fled. Colonel John Ballard, the officer in charge of the US Marines humanitarian effort, told IRIN that he was sceptical about the humanitarian crisis announced by the IRCS and had come to the city to see for himself. "The US troops are able to deliver any supplies to the people here and haven't seen civilians in trouble," he added. But residents speaking to IRIN said that conditions were bad. "My son is bleeding and I cannot take him to the hospital. He was wounded by shrapnel last night and my other sons are sick, most of them with chronic diarrhoea," Jalal Taha, a father of seven in Fallujah told IRIN as he broke down in tears.
IRAQ: International community condemns murder of Margaret Hassan
Politicians and aid organisations around the world have condemned the apparent murder of CARE International director in Iraq, Margaret Hassan. Kofi Annan was shocked and deeply saddened by reports of the brutal execution of Hassan, who was taken hostage on 19 October, the UN said in a statement on 17 November. CARE International said it was "shocked and appalled" that this has been the apparent outcome of her abduction. A videotape sent to Arabic TV news channel al-Jazeera showed her apparently being shot in the head. British officials in Baghdad are trying to find out through DNA testing if the body of a women found in Fallujah on 13 November is that of Hassan. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he believed the body found in Fallujah was that of Hassan. "I regret to have to say... that every indication now is that Margaret Hassan has been murdered by some terrorist in Iraq. The body found in Fallujah appears to have been Margaret's and the video of the execution of a Western woman appears on all the available information to have been genuine." If Hassan's death is confirmed she would be the first foreign female hostage to have been murdered in Iraq.
IRAQ: Concern rises over humanitarian crisis in Fallujah
On 16 November UNHCR called for protection of civilians still in Fallujah. "All violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law must be investigated and those responsible for breaches - including deliberate targeting of civilians, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, the killing of injured persons and the use of human shields - must be brought to justice, be they members of the Multinational Force or insurgents," UNHCR spokesman José Diaz said. The World Food Programme (WFP) said it was closely monitoring the situation of internally displaced persons and others affected by the events in Fallujah and has pledged to help Iraqi institutions provide food through the public distribution system if necessary.
IRAQ: UNICEF warns of devastating impact of conflict on children
On 23 November the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed deep concern again about the devastating impact the hostilities are having on the overall well-being of the country's children. "Latest reports are showing that acute malnutrition among young children has nearly doubled since March 2003," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said. "This means that hundreds of thousands of children are today suffering the severe effects of diarrhoea and nutrient deficiencies," she added. Bellamy noted that Iraq already had severe problems with malnutrition, water and sanitation before the war, when 1 in 8 Iraqi children died before the age of five.
IRAQ: IRCS delivered aid to Fallujah
After more than two weeks of conflict inside Fallujah, the IRCS delivered aid to the heart of the city on 25 November. Thousands of families are said to be in a critical humanitarian situation after the Iraqi government and US forces prohibited NGOs from delivering supplies, due to safety concerns. A convoy carrying thousands of food parcels, blankets, tents and medical supplies arrived in Fallujah with the help of the US-led forces who gave authorisation to the IRCS to deliver and allowed for one of the clinics to be converted into a temporary hospital for treating the injured.
DECEMBER
IRAQ: Elections preparations move ahead
Iraq's election preparations continued in early December despite ongoing attacks by insurgents, with an escalation in violence on the 4-5 December killing at least 68 Iraqis. On 6 December interim President Ghazi al-Yawar reaffirmed his support for the planned 30 January election date. Speaking ahead of talks with US President George Bush, Yawar said any delay would prolong Iraqis' agony and increase resentment inside the country. On 8 December, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said that more than 5,000 candidates had already registered for the elections from 241 parties.
IRAQ: World Bank grants US $145 million for reconstruction
Iraq received US $145 million for reconstruction and development from the World Bank Trust Fund after the World Bank signed an agreement on 6 December with representatives of the interim Iraqi government. Financed by the World Bank's Iraq Trust Fund, $90 million will be channelled to emergency projects in health, water supply and sanitation, and reconstruction in urban centres. The remaining $55 million will be used to strengthen the financial and private sectors, of which $40 million will finance the building of a modern telecommunications network across the country. To date, international donors have pledged approximately $400 million in the Iraq Trust Fund - the World Bank arm of the Joint UN-World Bank International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq - to finance a programme of emergency projects and technical assistance based on an interim strategy.
IRAQ: ICRC monitoring hunger strikers ahead of trials
ICRC is closely monitoring former Baath Party hunger strikers, who have complained about the legality of their detentions and that of future trials, an ICRC spokesman told IRIN in Jordan on 16 December. War crimes trials are expected to start in the week of 20 December. Eight of Saddam's 11 senior lieutenants reportedly stopped eating on 18-19 December in protest, but started eating again a day later. Saddam reportedly did not join the hunger strike. His lawyers, based in Jordan, issued a statement earlier this week protesting against a US refusal to let them see him. "We're very much concerned with following all health conditions of all detainees, not just one particular one," Muin Ibrahim Kassis, an ICRC spokesman, told IRIN. Ali Hassan al-Majid, widely known as "Chemical Ali", is said to be the most likely person to first stand trial. Defence lawyers say they believe the former Iraqi leader's trial would not begin for at least two years. It is believed that the proceedings would not amount to more than preliminary hearings.
IRAQ: Power shortage in Baghdad and suburbs
December also saw chronic power shortages across the Iraqi capital. Ministry of Power officials said on 20 December that problems with the main generators for the city will take longer than expected to be repaired and that a shortage of petrol was also delaying work, resulting in as few as four to six hours of power a day in some areas. Ra'ad Shalal, a senior official of the Ministry of Power, told IRIN that they were doing all they could with the present capacity to repair power stations. "The situation should be improved at any time. We expected it to be done earlier, but the security circumstances delayed our work," he said. Baghdad used to have approximately 18 hours a day of constant electricity until August of this year. Shalal explained that recent events and the curfew also delayed repairs as workers had to go home earlier. In the 10 months before the conflict that overthrew Saddam Hussein, the power supply was regular and almost 24 hours per day in the capital in both winter and summer.
IRAQ: Thousands of Fallujah residents return to devastation
Since getting the go-ahead from Coalition forces on 23 December to return to the city, nearly 4,000 Fallujah residents who were displaced by the fighting had returned to their homes by 27 December. But these numbers are tiny compared with the total pre-attack population of almost 300,000, the majority of whom fled before the fighting began on 8 November. Many other families returned to check their houses only to leave again after finding that they had been destroyed. In the city as a whole, the two main library buildings have been burned and schools and medical clinics have been all but destroyed and are unable to function. There is no water or electricity and the sewerage system has also suffered heavy damage, which is likely to cause the spread of diseases, medical representatives in the city said.
