Displaced in the west need more

The number of refugees fleeing the western Iraqi town of al-Qaim and surrounding villages in the wake of US-led military offensives launched earlier this month has reached some 100,000 persons, according to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS). “The situation is critical,” said IRCS Spokesperson Ferdous al-Abadi. According to witnesses on the ground, nearly 40 percent of the residents of al-Qaim, located some 420 km west of the capital Baghdad, are living in the nearby city of Rawa, in improvised camps organised by the IRCS. Many are also reportedly living in schools and public offices. According to IRCS officials, some displaced families have as many as 13 members sharing single tents. While the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration is attempting to coordinate relief operations with other relevant ministries, little fresh aid has been allocated by the government so far. The Ministry of Trade has donated 10,000 bags of bread, which it will send to other displaced persons in the city of A’ana, 100 km east of al-Qaim. The IRCS is also cooperating with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UNICEF. The ICRC promised US $12.8 million on 12 November to help the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis that have been adversely affected since the launch of the US-led war on Iraq in early 2003. Despite this largesse, however, there is still an urgent need for a number of vital staple items, according to al-Abadi. “Food, kerosene stoves, blankets, antibiotics and first-aid kits are only some of the items desperately needed by more than 2,000 displaced families in the area,” he said. Camps organised by the IRCS, which offer refugees two meals a day plus access to water, cost about $1,500 per day to maintain. Meanwhile, medical volunteers say that many children and elderly people are suffering from increased instances of diarrhoea and dehydration. “We need urgent assistance for those people, since there aren’t any hospitals nearby,” said local doctor Ahmed Rabia’a . “Everyday I see more than 30 cases of diarrhoea.” In the meantime, both health officials and refugees are bracing for the onset of winter, which is expected to aggravate the already desperate medical situation. “We’ve been suffering through cold weather here, and my children are all suffering from chest infections,” said Marian Kubaissy, 34, who recently fled to A’ana with her family. “Please, someone help us.”