Thursday, July 12, 2007

Report: Internally displaced being rejected, killed in southern Iraq

A refugee and her child at a displacement camp. Some displaced children are now joining militias for protection or revenge.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in southern Iraq are concerned about the fate of newly arriving internally displaced persons (IDPs), after the authorities in the southern provinces said they could not cope with any more of them.

The NGOs include South Peace Organisation, Keeping Children Alive and the Women's Rights Association.

"Officials in the southern governorates have told us they cannot take in more IDPs as their security cannot be guaranteed," said Mayada Obeid, a spokesperson for South Peace Organisation, based in Basra.

"Police in Najaf and Basra have told us they have reported cases of new IDPs being targeted by militias, and at least seven people have been killed trying to settle in displacement camps," said Obeid.

A senior official in Basra Governing Council, Hassan Abdul-Kareem, told IRIN: "We can no longer ignore the lack of essential supplies in our governorate. Previously displaced families are demanding our assistance and we cannot satisfy even their needs. There are no places for their children in schools, we cannot give them medical care and the price of goods is high."

Read the rest at Reuters/Alternet

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