December 8, 2003

Note: This report has been compiled from publicly available information. Although information has been gathered from reliable sources the currency and completeness of the information reported herein is subject to change and cannot be guaranteed. Inquiries, updates and comments are welcome and should be directed to PDMIN team at [email protected].

1 Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.

Overview

Humanitarian Situation: Continued concern about attacks on “soft” targets, security, sabotage, lethal exchanges between coalition troops and Iraqis, crime, and lack of key infrastructure; Nationwide food distribution proceeding smoothly;

Political: Japanese cabinet to approve non-combat troops—number and timing uncertain; South Korean company pulls electric workers out after killing of two Korean diplomats; Thailand decides its humanitarian task force doesn’t need heavy machine guns; Bangladesh closes embassy after threat; Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda criticizes coalition for acting unilaterally;

UN: UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Executive Director Kul Chadra Gautam says security is getting worse and returning UN workers would not be wise;

Refugees: Press report of significant numbers of Iraqis crossing border into Iran; As winter approaches, UNHCR expresses concern about condition of 1,800—mostly Palestinians in eastern Jordanian Ruwayshid camp and mostly Iranian Kurds in no-man’s-land;

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): Iran has perhaps 800,000 IDPs; UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reports efforts to help about 3,000 displaced families in Baghdad living in abandoned structures and about 40,000 urban poor as winter approaches;

Civil Society/Rule of Law: The Iraqi Governing Council is expected to create a special war crimes court to try former Baathist officials—coalition supports initiative—international community says international court more likely to be impartial; Housing prices increase significantly and a critical housing shortage becomes evident in Baghdad;

Civil–Military Interaction: Attacks on coalition, civilians, and soft targets continue⎯coalition intensifies sweeps in some cities; Coalition Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez reports that attacks may increase as elections approach; US Defense Secretary visiting Baghdad and Kirkuk asks how many Iraqi security forces required for safe handover from coalition;

Humanitarian Access to Iraq: USAID spokesperson Roberta Rossi says that aid groups funded by the UN and British governments have been expanding as money is allocated;

Economy/Oil: Oil Ministry spokesman Asem Jihad says scarcity of petroleum products are only temporary—cites processing of Iraqi crude in Turkey and Kuwaiti imports; Iraq shipped 1.5 million barrels a day from southern port last month—hopes for 1.7 million total shipped by 2004 and 2 million barrels a day by April;

Water/power: Electricity Ministry aims for 6,000 MW capability in near term and 10,000 MW by 2006— 4,400 MW were generated prior to war, but much of country had daily power outages; The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and contractor spokesmen say it will be months before Baghdad sewer system is improved—quality of water supply for Basra in the south will be improved;

Food: Oil-for-Food contractors down from 6,000 to 3,900 as screening for corruption and kickbacks continue; US$750 million in contracts turned over to authorities in the north—US$8 billion in contracts in place for the rest of the country;

Health and Medical: Anecdotal reports from the south of selected shortages of supplies and medication.

2 Routes for Humanitarian Aid

Country Supply Routes Supply Routes Comments From: To: Iskenderun (port) Turkey Mersin (port) North Open for humanitarian supplies Silopi Bandar Imam Khomeni (Port) South Open for humanitarian supplies Iran Ahwaz Kermanshah Northeast Open for humanitarian supplies Shipping Open for humanitarian supplies; Iraq South, Central Umm Qasr (port) High charges limit use Open for humanitarian supplies; Kuwait Kuwait City (port) South, Central Also military use Aqaba (port) Jordan Central Open for humanitarian supplies Ar Ruwayshid Latakia (port) Central Abu Kamal Tartus (port) Syria Beirut, Lebanon (port) Central Open for humanitarian supplies Al Tanf Al Yarubiyeh North Open for humanitarian supplies

3 In Country Humanitarian Assistance Preparations

North Region

Erbil, Dahuk, Sulaymaniyah Coordinator UN Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (UOHCI) is aware of 36 NGOs in northern Iraq Affected Population IDP Movement According to UNHCR, there are approximately 42,000 IDPs living in Dahuk Governorate, 5,000 of which are living under the care of UN agencies; UNHCR has provided tents, blankets, and other household items to several hundred Iraqi Kurds who have returned to Dahuk; Approximately 175 Kurdish families are living just east of Mosul, and another 700 families are living in Zamar Food WFP preparing to hand over responsibility for food distributions to Kurdish authorities on November 21, programs that are not terminated will be passed on to Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) under UN Security Council Resolution 1483 Health Four volunteer nurses from Northwest Medical Teams International will provide training in hospitals in Erbil and Dahuk Non-Food Items – UNHCR has begun a shelter program which will construct 70 houses for Shelter approximately 500 IDPs in two villages outside Erbil Water & All water projects in urban and semi-urban areas in Erbil are functioning properly Sanitation Security Other/Comments Power in Dahuk has been restored; Electric power is available for 20-22 hours per day in Erbil; Telephone services have been restored between Dahuk and Mosul; Relocation of UN international staff in the Northern Governorates is underway

Kirkuk (Attamin), Mosul (Ninewa), Tikrit (Salahaddin) Coordinator Affected Population IDP Movement UNHCR is funding projects to assist some 2,500 newly displaced Arabs who have gathered in the Hawija area west of Kirkuk; About 250 Kurdish families have been staying at Kirkuk’s sports stadium awaiting housing from authorities Food Health International Medical Corps (IMC) completed renovations of four health clinics in Kirkuk; After sending 20 soldiers to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC for treatment for a skin disease, another 10-20 soldiers from the division stationed in Mosul are under observation for the illness⎯the skin disease, called leishmaniasis, is transmitted by bites from sand flies in Iraq⎯according to US newspaper reports, about 150 US soldiers serving in Iraq have been diagnosed with leishmaniasis and many more may have been infected with the disease⎯ leishmaniasis may take months to incubate; Non-Food Items World Vision was able to distribute blankets, cooking stoves, and other non-food –Shelter essential items to 2,990 IDP families living in public buildings or camps in Mosul Water & US-based NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC) is continuing to help improve Note: This report has been compiled from publicly available information. Although information has been gathered from reliable sources the currency and completeness of the information reported herein is subject to change and cannot be guaranteed. Inquiries, updates and comments are welcome and should be directed to PDMIN team at [email protected].

4 Sanitation sewage line repair and garbage collection in Kirkuk Security Security situation in Mosul reported as tense; A roadside bomb in Mosul killed one US soldier and wounded two on Sunday (Dec. 7); One US soldier and an Iraqi policeman were killed in separate attacks in Mosul on Monday (Dec. 8); Other/Comments The Mosul airport is still closed to UN flights, which are using Erbil as the landing point in the North; All civil, criminal, and administrative courts in Kirkuk are now open and hearing cases; World Vision International reports that rehabilitation of more than 80 schools in Mosul has been completed so that more than 40,000 school children can return to classes

Central/West Regions

Anbar, Salahaddin, Diyala, Karbala, Babil, Wasit, Najaf, Qadissiya Coordinator Affected Population IDP Movement US-based NGO Save the Children has completed registration of IDPs in Najaf, where 2,157 IDPs have been identified; International Medical Corps, Mercy Corps, and CARE are working on projects that serve the IDP population in Diyala Food Kuwait’s Red Crescent Society (KRCS) is sending its 28th batch of aid to Al Kut city, containing food items, flour, water, and milk Health US-based NGO Mercy Corps has supplied medical kits to health facilities in Qadissiya and Wasit, benefiting over 60,000 patients Non-Food Items – Shelter Water & US-based NGO Mercy Corps is addressing water, sanitation, and health needs in Sanitation Wasit and Qadissiya; CARE has repaired water flow in Anbar governorate, providing access to potable water for 1,100 households; Six water treatment plants are being rehabilitated in Babil and Diyala governorates to serve more than 500,000 people Security Anbar, Diyala, and Salahaddin are still inaccessible to UN staff due to poor security; The UN Iraq Security Office reports a surge in the number of attacks against coalition forces in the area northwest of Hilla in Babylon governorate; In Samarra on Saturday (Dec. 6), Iraqis mourning two men killed in a firefight with US troops last week clashed with Iraqi Civil Defense forces, killing one officer; In Baquba on Sunday (Dec. 7), an Iraqi police bomb disposal expert was killed when a tank round was detonated by remote control; On Sunday, US troops in Samarra seized US$1.9 million in cash and false identification papers in a raid targeting a man suspected of financing insurgents; Other/Comments

Baghdad

Baghdad Coordinator Affected Population: 5.8 million Population IDP Movement France-based NGO Premier Urgence has reported a new case load of 7,000 IDPs in Baghdad; UNHCR has registered more than 8,200 Palestinian refugees in Baghdad who no longer receive support from authorities; About 700 families of

5 Roma origin are reportedly living in a former Baghdad orphanage Food Health Non-Food Items – Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and UNICEF establishes pilot youth house in Al Shelter Maghrib, Baghdad, 300-500 children visit daily – working to find location for second house in Baghdad Water & Sanitation USAID reports that 70 of Baghdad’s 90 sewage treatment plants have been rehabilitated; NCA says Al Hella water pumping station in Baghdad has now been fully rehabilitated Security The International Red Cross has decided to close its Baghdad office temporarily due to the security situation; The nighttime curfew lifted in Baghdad for the month of Ramadan has been reimposed; Other/Comments A First Responder emergency system has been established in Baghdad to reach emergency services for fire or other crisis situations; NGO charter flights are still being scheduled daily between Amman, Jordan and Baghdad while commercial flights are still on hold;

South Region

Basrah

Umm Qasr, Basrah Coordinator Affected Population of Basrah: 1.5 million Population IDP Movement US-based NGO Save the Children has completed registration of IDPs in Basrah, where 5,300 IDPs have been identified Food WFP is continuing to provide emergency relief rations for Iraqi refugees returning from the Al Rafha camp in Saudi Arabia Health USAID reports that the first of 74 “health clinic in a box” kits containing medical instruments and primary health clinic supplies were distributed to the Department of Health in Basrah; USAID has supported the rehabilitation of 20 delivery rooms in hospitals and health care centers in Basrah Non-Food Items – Shelter Water & Sanitation Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is working with UNICEF in Basrah and Maysan to provide clean drinking water through water tanks, repair and install emergency water equipment and networks, and repair Water Directorate vehicles; NCA says 160-180 tankers supply 3.5 million liters of water a day, serving population of about 250,000 Security All UN operations in Basrah have been suspended until further notice; International staff curfew is in place from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am; All UN international staff and UN Joint Logistics Center in Basrah have been relocated to Kuwait; The International Red Cross has decided to close its Basrah office temporarily due to the security situation; Due to rumors that violent incidents may intensify towards end of Ramadan, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) in Basrah will temporarily withdraw most international staff for one week from November 19; Other/Comments

6 Al Muthanna, Nassiriyah (Dhi Qar), Maysan Coordinator UNOHCI is aware of 22 NGOs operating in southern Iraq Affected Population IDP Movement Food Health Czech Republic-based NGO People in Need Foundation (PINF) is continuing its work to rehabilitate medical facilities in Maysan governorate, including 5 primary health centers and 10 larger clinics; Mobile community outreach health clinics staffed by Iraqi doctors and community health workers are providing medical relief to remote areas of Maysan Governorate Non-Food Items – Shelter Water & Sanitation Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is conducting water and supply activities in Maysan and Amarah provinces, including pipe network repairs, training, and water tankering to clinics and schools; NCA says Al Chatra water works in Nasariyah will be finalized by end of December 2003 Security UK-based NGO Caritas has temporarily suspended operations in Nasiriyah after several of its staff were wounded in Wednesday’s (November 12) suicide bombing of the Italian police base Other/Comments PINF, which is still increasing its activities in the education and health sectors, has proceeded with reconstruction of the Education College in Maysan

Neighboring Countries’ Humanitarian Activities/Preparations

The Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (BAFIA) has stated that requests of convoys crossing the Iranian border could be processed within 24 hours, once the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides clearance.

UNHCR has announced that planned repatriations of Iraqi refugees living in Iran have been suspended following the bomb blast at UN headquarters in Baghdad in August. UNHCR had hoped to begin returns in small groups by the end of August, but is now awaiting clarification on staffing and security arrangements in Iraq. There are currently about 200,000 Iraqi refugees living in Iran either in host communities or 48,000 in 22 camps near the border.

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner (UNHCR) in Iranian capital of Tehran today says that numbers of Iraqi refugees from Iran increasing. UNHCR spokeswoman in Tehran, Marie-Helene Verney told IRIN today (November 17) that UNHCR planning repatriation program for those wishing to return. UNHCR still not encouraging returns but says organized returns could limit danger as refugees would be crossing one of mostly heavily mined borders in the world. UNHCR planning to send convoy of 100 individuals to southern Iraq in near future but did not specify dates.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) begins pilot repatriation of Iraqi refugees from Iran, consisting of 69 volunteers among at least 50,000 estimated to still be in Iran. All returnees are from Ashrafi, largest Iraqi refugee camp inside Iran. UNHCR representative Philippe Lavanchy said agency had difficulties beginning repatriation as US military has fears returnees could include foreign militants. Note: This report has been compiled from publicly available information. Although information has been gathered from reliable sources the currency and completeness of the information reported herein is subject to change and cannot be guaranteed. Inquiries, updates and comments are welcome and should be directed to PDMIN team at [email protected].

7 Task has also been complicated by evacuation of UN foreign staff from Iraq, and complicated security and logistical problems along highly-mined route.

Turkey

UNHCR has said it is scaling down its operations along the border between Turkey and Iraq in order to focus on relief efforts already underway in Iraq. Turkey has said it would continue assistance to Iraqi refugees who fled Iraq prior the recent war and who now wish to return to Iraq. UNHCR said it could facilitate such repatriations, but could not guarantee the returnees’ safety upon return and thus would not encourage them to do so at this time. IOM is also scaling down their operations in Silopi, but said it would be ready to assist in the repatriation of Iraqis.

The Turkish Red Crescent has sent a four-truck convoy carrying food aid and non-food items to Iraq to be distributed in the northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Dahuk.

Kuwait

The Humanitarian Operations Center (HOC) in Kuwait requests a maximum of 96 hours to issue a clearance to agencies to carry out cross-border operations. Humanitarian flights are now exempt of all landing and parking fees. The Government of Kuwait has issued a statement that it must be notified 24 hours in advance to issue approved legal passes.

UN staff wishing to travel to Iraq through Kuwait need security clearance and must complete a Kuwaiti immigration form. The immigration form, in addition to a copy of a mission plan, must be given to the transportation office by 1600 hours one day prior to the mission.

The HOC, originally scheduled to close on September 30, 2003, will continue to operate until December 31, 2003.

Due to the current security situation in Iraq, international staff members of UN agencies operating in southern Iraq have been relocated to Kuwait, as have international staff members from several international organizations, including International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Medical Corps (IMC), and Mercy Corps.

Syria

The Government of Syria has granted UN agencies and IOM a number of exemptions for fees, taxes and levees related to the import/export of humanitarian transit cargo to Iraq. New border crossing procedures are improving cross border movements.

Saudi Arabia

The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (GoKSA) has issued a blanket authorization for overflight and landing for an unspecified period of time. These clearances apply to flights between Kuwait and Amman.

The eighth voluntary repatriation convoy carrying 370 Iraqi refugees departed the Al Rafha camp this week for Iraq. The UNHCR is not encouraging returns due to lack of security in Iraq, but is assisting those who wish to return.