Everyday we can count on at least one if not more stories about Iraq in the pages of our newspapers. Whether debates on when the troops will be withdrawn or recitations of the latest casualty figures, it remains the dominant story across the media. But amidst everything else one aspect of the story is being ignored.
According to figures kept by the United Nations High Commission On Refugees (UNHCR) between January and mid November of 2006 about 425,000 Iraqis have been displaced from their homes. At mid-year the displacement rate had reached the level of 50,000 people a month.
These numbers have increased the numbers of Iraqi refugees to 1.6 million people displaced internally, and 1.8 million forced to leave the country. The majority of these people have crossed over into Syria, Jordan, or Egypt. Once there they either seek permanent residency (over 150,000 Iraqis have applied in Egypt) if allowed, or continue their journey onwards to either Europe or North America.
The UNHCR's has specific concerns for each of these populations, but primary among them is the strain being placed on those who are currently looking after the refugees inside and outside the country. The continued violence in Iraq itself is making it next to impossible for any aid agency, including the UNHCR to reach those people in most need.
Although we mostly read about the sectarian violence between the Shiite and the Sunni sects, the groups that are actually most at risk are those who comprise minority elements within the country. Christian Iraqis and an estimated 20,000 Palestinians who live on the Iraqi Syrian border are two groups currently considered at highest risk. The former are at risk because of violence directed against them, and the latter because of the inability of aid workers to supply them on any consistent basis with essential necessities.
Aside from the violence that impedes their efforts the UNHCR is also being placed under huge financial strain. With an annual budget of only 29 million dollars they have already reached a point of such overextension that they are almost broke. If that happens what little they are able to do will come to a halt and cause even worse hardship and raise even higher barriers for those wishing to emigrate to safety.
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
Good issue to raise here, Richard. As for the US reluctance to take in refugees, I think there are two factors in play.
First, we've got issues with immigration, especially from that part of the world. The fear exists that if we let in a lot of Arabs we're going to get some terrorists in the mix, and it's a reasonable concern.
Second, I think we may have learned from what happened in Lebanon. If you let too many people leave the country then you let the foreign invaders and malcontents who stay behind take control more easily and make the situation even worse. In that context we'd rather have refugees relocate temporarily rather than leave for a country where they would never want to return.
Dave
2 - Franco
Very good points and a good job spelling it out. A couple of things I would like to point out is that this good pieces of work begins loosing some steam by ending with US bashing.
Now bashing is due but who really needs it the most? Arab neighboring states to Iraq are treating the Iraqi refugees exactly like they treated the Palestinian refugees. These are all basically Arab people living and customized in the Middle East. Where is the compassion, understanding, and helping hand from these other Arab states. That is where the real and true bashing belongs and not the US.
As for the US admitting that things have not gone as planned in Iraq, I guess you have not been reading the news in the past few weeks before you wrote this piece.
Other then my two points of contention you have a good report here.