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14 May 2003 by Salah Dabbakeh in Baghdad Bashir leans towards the badly decomposed body to snap a last picture before he and his team of three Iraqi Red Crescent (IRCS) volunteers wrap it in a plastic bag, place it gently in a hurriedly dug temporary grave and cover it with sand. "I wish I had a zoom lens," he says. "That would make my job much easier." They had already searched the body, established its identity and taken notes, which will be channeled to the Tracing Department of the IRCS. Bashir's team is only one of many working to trace and identify victims of the latest war in Iraq. The challenges faced by the Iraqi Red Crescent and the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in Iraq are massive. Security continues to present a major problem, severely restricting movement within the country. This week, looters disguised as police officers stopped an IRCS vehicle in Baghdad, ordered two volunteers out and car-jacked it in broad daylight; the second such incident in a month. Reports of killing, kidnappings and the settling of scores are rife. The electricity, water, sanitation and health services are not at full capacity. Untreated waste water and sewage are being dumped in the Tigris River at the rate of 13,000 gallons per minute. The oil for food programme, on which over 60 per cent of Iraqis depended entirely for their basic food needs, was suspended before the war. Drive around the streets of Baghdad and you will notice five kilometre-long queues of cars at petrol stations waiting to refuel, while hundreds of gasoline vendors litter the city streets - Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the world. Thirteen years of economic sanctions have ground down the Iraqi population and the war has made it even harder for them to cope with daily life. In a country where the State was the biggest employer in the country, the current political vacuum has drastically reduced the job market. Meanwhile prices are rising, the education system is suffering as a result of widespread looting of universities and schools, many of which remain closed. But within this grim scene lies hope. The Iraqi Red Crescent Society was the first national entity to hold elections, choose a temporary leadership and preserve its unity and independence. Protecting the independence of the IRCS and its branches has become one of the biggest challenges. Like many institutions, it has become a target for attempts to control it by various sides. In a strong show of support to the IRCS, 33 sister National Societies, the Federation and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) gathered yesterday at the ICRC delegation headquarters in Baghdad to discuss a plan of action and the best ways to provide assistance to the IRCS and the people of Iraq. Participants were given detailed briefings on the health, water and sanitation and security situations by various ICRC delegates. The Federation presented a concept paper detailing its post-conflict vision, presenting possible plans and projects in the country, including the rehabilitation of the IRCS, resuming the reconstruction of primary health care units, water and sanitation, and polio and measles eradication. "Protecting the IRCS, reconfirming its legitimacy and building a well-functioning national society is a major priority for the Movement at the present time," said Ibrahim Osman, special representative of the Federation's secretary general in Iraq. He pledged that the Federation would provide support to the Iraqi Red Crescent to keep "its unity and consolidate itself by revising its statute and protecting its chapters." "Unity of the IRCS has been our biggest challenge during the last few weeks," Dr. Jamal Karbouli, the newly elected president of the Iraqi Red Crescent, told participants at the meeting. "We were able to preserve the national society at the central level with the support of the Federation and ICRC, but challenges at branch level lay ahead. And we need help to revive our programmes." During the war, at least 1,000 volunteers in various parts of Iraq were busy evacuating the injured, burying the dead, distributing humanitarian and medical assistance and taking care of the displaced. They played a central role in locating explosives and war remnants, warning communities about their location and liaising with coalition forces to neutralize sites. In some branches like Najaf and Krabala, volunteers mediated between local residents and the occupying forces, becoming a focal point for solving daily problems in the communities. Reconnecting family members inside and outside the country has been a daunting mission since the communications infrastructure has been destroyed. In collaboration with the Federation, ICRC and some National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the IRCS is trying to ease this problem by providing a telephone service for people in various parts of Baghdad and other cities. In his closing remarks to Tuesday’s gathering, the ICRC vice-president Jacques Forster highlighted several issues that the meeting had agreed upon. He reiterated the Movement's intention to keep a humanitarian space clearly independent from any political agendas. He emphasized that no humanitarian organization should relieve the occupying power of its responsibilities or replace national services. Forster highlighted the need to respect the dignity of the Iraqi people and the capacity of the Iraqi structures and its population. "The Federation has the lead role in the overall process of rehabilitating the Iraqi Red Crescent Society and is fully supported by the ICRC in this regard,” he said. Various opportunities for involving national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies were identified both in the emergency as well as longer-term interventions. Specific activities will be allocated centrally within the coming few days so as to ensure a holistic view of the process and coordinate the efforts of the various components of the Movement. In the meantime relief assistance continues to reach the IRCS from sister National Societies. The Syrian Red Crescent Society has sent 300 tonnes of supplies, 60 per cent of them medical, according to Marwan Abdullah, its director. The Red Crescent Societies of Palestine, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Iran, as well as the French Red Cross have also been sending assistance into Iraq in the form of medical supplies, food and non-food items. Yesterday's meeting in Baghdad is a step towards streamlining assistance to the IRCS and the people of Iraq. Such assistance will ensure that Bashir's team will continue their vital work of identifying the dead, providing information to their families and giving them a dignified burial. Related links: News Story: Iraq Red Crescent rebuilds to deal with ongoing suffering Iraq: humanitarian crisis Iraq: appeals, updates and reports Make a donation |
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