BAGHDAD - Life in Basra, Iraq's
second-largest city, has been paralyzed by a large-scale government
military operation against militiamen of the Mahdi Army led by radical
Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr, Mahdi al-Tamimi, head of the city's Human
Rights Office said on 25 March.
The Iraqi government imposed an indefinite curfew at dawn on 25
March. No one is allowed between neighborhoods and there are
checkpoints in place to ensure this.
"The most pressing need is drinking water, as Basra residents
depend on bottled mineral water because they do not drink tap water -
first because of contamination and second because of its high
salinity," al-Tamimi told IRIN.
"This is a catastrophe that could lead to a huge problem as we
are entering summer and, of course, if it continues like this, it will
lead to waterborne diseases including diarrhea," he said.
"All aspects of life have been paralysed with the closure of
schools, government offices and markets due to clashes that have forced
people indoors with not enough food as there was no prior notice for
this operation," said al-Tamimi.
IDPs affected
Al-Tamimi said the curfew and continuing street clashes meant
residents could not get to hospitals for treatment and aid operations
had been suspended, especially for internally displaced persons (IPDs).
Basra is home to 5,707 displaced families, about 34,172
individuals, most of whom live in makeshift camps, according to figures
from the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) on 27 January.
"I call upon the government to allow our teams at least to help
distribute drinking water and to help and protect all humanitarian
teams to do their normal work in helping displaced families," Al-Tamimi
said.
On 22 February, al-Sadr announced a six-month extension to his
militia's unilateral cease-fire in a move that was widely seen as
designed to improve security in war-torn Iraq.
"This (the military crackdown) could break the cease-fire,"
said Hazim Yassin al-Saffar, a Basra-based political analyst. "It is
clear the government has not realized that this (Sadrist) trend has
deep roots in Iraqi society and cannot be treated like this," said
al-Saffar, who lectures in international law at the University of
Basra.
Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army was formed in the months after the US-led
invasion in 2003 and launched two major uprisings against US-led forces
in 2007.
This
item comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service
of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The
opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United
Nations or its Member States. Reposting or reproduction, with
attribution, for non-commercial purposes is permitted. Terms and conditions
Recent articles on Electronic Iraq:
