Iraqi refugees inside Iraq, are facing terrible living situations due to the reluctance of the Iraqi government to provide them with the necessary living equipments. According to Radio Sawa, the Iraqi government allocated $125 M to displaced Iraqis inside and outside the country, yet “no one has received a [cent] yet” from the money that was supposed to be paid six months ago, according to Sallama al-Khafaji, the Prime Minister advisor. In a conference held for the displaced families, al-Khafaji told Radio Sawa that the ministry of finance justifies that by having no mechanism to distribute this money.
At the al-Manathira refugee camp, One of the refugee camps in the country, the living conditions for Iraqi refugees are harder than anyone could imagine, despite the humanitarian aid provided to them. Families are in a helpless situation because they will live the winter in the wilderness.
A reporter from the Azzaman newspaper visited the refugee camp and wrote about what these refugees go through. I have translated the article since there is no English version of it.
Al-Manathira Refugees Talk about their Sufferings
Living in tents is unbearable … Winter has no mercy
Najaf—The refugees at al-Manathira refugee camp demanded the Iraqi government to put an end to their suffering and find solutions for their problems before winter in which it would be hard for them to keep living in [tents] in the wilderness, under severe cold conditions. A number of the refugees said, “we were left in this miserable camp all summer enduring the hot days without water or electricity.” They added that it is very hard to live in tents due to the hot and cold weather. The tent is a [bedroom], kitchen, and living room. Each family lives in a tent.
The refugees demanded the government to ensure their return to their homes and all the necessary living conditions.
Al-Manathira refugee camp, located 24 KM south east of Najaf, includes 240 families (1800 people).
Living in Tents:
Hussein Ibrahim Elaiwi, an official responsible on al-Manathira refugee camp at the Ministry of Displaced and Immigrants in Najaf, says that the refugee camp was established On February 21st, 2007 by the ministry, supported by the local provincial government, Iraqi Red Crescent, the Red Cross and some humanitarian organizations.
These organizations provide the camp with humanitarian relief. It is also supported by the Sadr Office and the Sayyed Sadr al-Deen al-Qubanchi, the preacher of the Friday prayer in Najaf. Two generators were provided to the camp by the Sadr Office and the Najaf Provincial Council. Out of 120 caravans, 45 were distributed in the area. The Water Directorate in Najaf provided the camp with water.
“Take us Back Home”
“My leg was cut due to terrorist attacks in Abu Ghraib,” said Bakheet Kadhum, a disabled man from Abu Ghraib area. “We were threatened to leave our city. So we decided to immigrate to Najaf for my family’s safety. We live in this tent now with my family members.” He added that the government is not doing enough towards millions of families who are left without water and electricity. “We were left in this tent where we spent all the long hot days without water and electricity. It’s only these days that we received water from the water directorate and electricity from generators sent by the Sadr Office in Najaf. They turn on these generators after sunset only. Living in a tent is very hard. The new caravans will arrive in early next year which means we’ll endure the winter in the wilderness under these tents. We want to go back to our homes.”
Klaib Abdul Zahra, from Tramiyah, said he lived in Najaf city for several months until police came displaced us and destroyed the houses we lived in which made us live in these tents. We are going through sever conditions because it is hard for a human being to live the burning summer and the cold weather in a tent. We left our homes after we were threatened. Each family in this camp lost a relative because of the violence and the terrorism the country is going through. The government didn’t care about us. They left us without salaries or housing lands. We received 9,000 Dinars (about $4) from the provincial council and 100,000 Dinars (about $60) from the Prime Minister. Some of the refugees in this camp have not received any money yet. We hoped the government would help us but it was because of the government we were displaced. When will they care about us?”
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Radio Sawa reported last week that Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi called on the Iraqi families who were forced to leave the country to go back home. “I say it directly and out of responsibility to the people who left due to the security situation to think about coming back home in the near future.” Hashimi did not give any details of how and why he called for the Iraqi refugees outside Iraq to go back home in the near future. He only mentioned that those who were displaced inside the country could go back to the Baghdad western neighborhoods due to “notable improvement in the security situation.”
