Iraq: helping the victims of bombings - ICRC activities in July 2009

ICRC activities in July 2009

(PDF file/205 k) PDF Help

Overview

Violence against civilians again made headlines during the month of July. A series of severe bombings took place, mainly in Baghdad and the central part of Iraq. The ICRC remains concerned about indiscriminate attacks against civilians.

The organization responded to these attacks by assisting the hospitals that treated most of the injured. Around 12 tonnes of medical materials were delivered to Al Hamdaniya General Hospital, Al Jumhoury Teaching Hospital, Al Salam General Hospital, Talafar General Hospital and Al Mosul General Hospital (Ninewa governorate), Dohuk Emergency Hospital (Dohuk governorate) and Khanaqin General Hospital (Diyala Governorate).

Working with Iraqi Red Crescent Society, the ICRC also distributed hygiene kits and kitchen sets to 900 people affected by the explosion that hit the Shorija quarter of Kirkuk.

Visiting detainees and helping them to maintain contact with their families

The ICRC regularly visits detention facilities to monitor treatment and conditions of detention. In July, ICRC delegates visited detainees:

in Harithiya Prison (Baghdad governorate) under the joint authority of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence, in Rusafa Prison and Kadhimya Maximum Security Prison (both in Baghdad governorate) and in Fort Suse (Suleimaniya governorate), all under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, as well as in Al Karkh Juvenile Detention Facility (Baghdad governorate) under the authority of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs;
in five prisons in Erbil, Dohuk and Suleimaniya governorates.

Many families braved the harsh summer heat and sand storms that hit the country to make the long journey to Camp Bucca, where nearly 1,250 detainees received visits from their relatives in July. The visits were made possible thanks to financial support the families are receiving from the ICRC.

Families and their detained relatives also used Red Cross messages, collected and distributed by the ICRC and the Iraqi Red Crescent, to stay in touch. In July, more than 17,500 Red Cross messages were exchanged within Iraq and with relatives in other countries.

Providing clean water

The water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers decreased dramatically, setting off alarm bells and leading to water shortages. The drought that has affected the country in recent years has also had a severe impact on the population. The ICRC continues to support improvements to water infrastructure to ensure better access to safe water. In July, it:

upgraded the water storage capacity of Al Rashad Psychiatric Hospital in Sadr City, Baghdad, which has 1,300 beds;
cleaned the water storage tanks and carried out repair work to improve the electricity supply and the operating theatre at Al Sadr Teaching Hospital, which has 426 beds;
repaired the water supply of Al Jumhury Teaching Hospital in Mosul, which has 850 beds;
completed a drought response project providing water to around 5,000 people in five villages who saw their water source disappear as a result of the drought in Aqra district, in Dohuk governorate;
repaired and expanded the Bazwaya primary health-care centre in Ba'asheka sub-district, in Ninewa governorate. The project doubled the capacity of the centre, which can receive now an average of 100 patients per day. The centre serves the 14,000 inhabitants of the villages of Bazwaya and Al Mouafaqiya, and is the nearest health-care facility for around 3,000 internally displaced families living in the Five Forts camp;
repaired two incinerators in Basra General Hospital, which has a capacity of 600 beds;
improved the quality of the water supplied by the Samara Water Treatment Plant, in Salah Eddin governorate;
completed the Senik Quarter water supply project in Mala Omar village, in Erbil governorate, as well as a project in Khanaqin town to repair three wells supplying water to 6,600 people;
provided a new caravan, with a women's consultation section, a pharmacy and two toilets, for the health-care centre in Al Rahma settlement, in Najaf governorate. Around 24,000 people benefit from the services of this centre.

Water was delivered by truck to:

Qalawa Quarter camp in Suleimaniya, hosting around 360 internally displaced people;
4,500 displaced people and eight primary health-care centres in Sadr City, Al Kindi General Hospital, Al Yarmouk Teaching Hospital, Al Imam Ali General Hospital and Al Rashad Psychiatry Teaching Hospital, all in Baghdad.

Promoting international humanitarian law

A series of presentations was organized for various audiences as part of the ICRC's activities to promote international humanitarian law and raise awareness of the organization's mandate and activities in Iraq.