The
International Federation is increasing its support to the Iraqi
Red Crescent Society’s (IRCS) emergency operations to
help people displaced by the escalating violence in and around
the city of Falluja.
The city, located about 50 km west of Baghdad and home to some
300,000 people, has been the scene of fierce fighting for more
than a week.
The Federation has released an additional 250,000 Swiss francs
to allow the IRCS to immediately purchase more relief items
locally and to finance operating costs. With the spread of fighting
to areas such as the city of Mosul, there will be a need to
rent additional vehicles to transport emergency assistance to
the affected areas.
According to the IRCS branch in Al-Anbar, an additional 4,000
families have fled Falluja in recent days and are currently
struggling to survive, without water, food or medicines.
The large-scale offensive against Falluja by Iraqi and Multinational
Forces began on 7 November, displacing thousands of families,
most of whom sought shelter with relatives or friends. But many
are living in makeshift conditions such as tents and abandoned
homes. There are approximately 250,000 people living in 12 camps
in the area.
Since the beginning of the offensive, the Iraqi Red Crescent
has been delivering essential support, including food, water,
soap, blankets, clothes and medical supplies, to hundreds of
families in areas close to Falluja, such as Amiriyat.
Donations are being sent from Red Crescent Societies in the
United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, and sister
Red Cross Societies, among others.
"The IRCS is faced with many difficulties and challenges
on the ground, the major one being accessibility. We are working
very hard to find alternative roads to reach the most vulnerable
populations,” explains Mazin Abdullah Salloum, head of
the IRCS International Department.
“It is also extremely important to know that we are supported
by the ICRC and the Federation, not only with relief items but
also operationally. We know that both the Federation and the
ICRC are doing all they can to overcome major problems and to
provide the national society with necessary back up and thereby
enable the IRCS to be more active on the ground," he adds.
On November 13, a joint Iraqi Red Crescent/ICRC convoy of vehicles,
including refrigerated trucks loaded with medicines and three
ambulances, and carrying relief items for 700 families, travelled
to Falluja.
It gained access to the city’s general hospital, which
is adequately stocked with medical supplies, but has no injured
patients. It is surmised that the injured could not reach the
hospital because of the fighting.
The second part of the convoy, including the ICRC (International
Committee of the Red Cross) team reached Al-Habbanyah, where
it distributed 650 food parcels to families there and dispatched
one water purification unit.
The convoy was not allowed to access parts of the city not controlled
by the Multinational Forces for security reasons. The IRCS,
Federation and ICRC are particularly concerned about the fate
of injured and sick people who might not be not receiving adequate
medical care, in a city whose population is currently deprived
of food, electricity and water.
Should the situation continue to deteriorate, the International
Federation is not excluding the possibility of asking for additional
funds from the international community.
"The present situation is highly unstable and it seems
that the violence will spread to other areas. The conflict affects
a large number of people and the normal distribution systems
of water, health care and food rations cannot cope with the
rapid changes on the ground,” says the head of the Federation’s
delegation for Iraq, Per Andersson.
“It is therefore very important for the Federation to
mobilise resources to quickly support the national society and
the ICRC wherever it might be required. The Federation meets
with the national society and the ICRC on a daily basis to properly
coordinate the support to the most vulnerable."
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Iraqi
Red Crescent workers unload boxes of food supplies at
Habaniya for families who have fled the violence in Falluja.
(REUTERS/HO/courtesy www.Alertnet.org)
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