Home > Falluja facing humanitarian crisis

Falluja facing humanitarian crisis

by Open-Publishing - Friday 12 November 2004
22 comments

Edito Humanitary Wars and conflicts International


Fighting in Falluja has created a humanitarian disaster in which innocent
people are dying because medical help cannot reach them, aid workers in Iraq
have said.

In one case, a pregnant woman and her child died in a refugee camp west of the
city after the mother unexpectedly aborted and no doctors were on hand, Firdus
al-Ubadi, an official from the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, told Reuters on Wednesday.

In another case, a young boy died from a snake bite that would normally have been easily treatable, she said.

"From a humanitarian point of view it’s a disaster, there’s no other way to describe it. And if we don’t do something about it soon, it’s going to spread to other cities," she said.

About 10,000 US soldiers and 2000 Iraqi troops are fighting to wrest control of Falluja, 50km west of Baghdad.

Families fleeing Falluja

At least 2200 families have fled Falluja in recent days and are struggling to survive without enough water, food or medicine in nearby towns and villages, she said.

Some families have fled as far as Tikrit, about 150km north of Falluja.

But the biggest concern is people in and around Falluja itself - they can’t be reached because US and Iraqi forces have set up a wide cordon around the city to prevent anyone from entering and exiting the city

It is unclear how many civilians are left in Falluja, but the Association of Muslim Scholars estimates about 60000 people are still there while the US military says 150,000 (half the entire population) had fled since October.

Due to the chaos, however, no official numbers are available.

Trapped at home

Between a nightly curfew and the danger of venturing onto the streets, many Iraqis are effectively trapped at home.

"We’ve asked for permission from the Americans to go into the city and help the people there but we haven’t heard anything back from them," Ubadi said. "There’s no medicine, no water, no electricity. They need our help."

"Our first mission is to obtain permission from the multinational forces to enter the city and start evacuating the wounded, the elderly, the children and women," she explained.

The Red Crescent Society has teams of doctors and relief experts ready to go in to each of Falluja’s districts with essential aid, but needs US approval first.

The US military was not immediately available to comment on the aid agency’s request, but has said its first priority is to defeat the fighters in Falluja.

’Horrific scenes’

Iraq’s military spokesman for the assault, called Operation Dawn, admitted that conditions inside the city for the few residents still living there were grim.

"This is not a joke, it is a full-scale battle," Major General Abd al-Qadir Mohan told reporters at Camp Falluja, outside the city.

"The battleground is horrific even for US soldiers, so imagine how civilians feel," he said.

An attack was launched late on Monday which has since turned into furious street-to-street fighting.

Young boy killed

On Tuesday, a 9-year-old boy died after being hit in the stomach by shrapnel. His parents were unable to get him to hospital because of the fighting and so resorted to wrapping a sheet around him to stem the blood flow.

He died hours later of blood loss and was buried in the garden of the family home.

"We buried him in the garden because it was too dangerous to go out," said his father, teacher Muhammad Abbud. "We did not know how long the fighting would last."

The International Committee for the Red Cross says there are thousands of elderly and women and children who have had no food or water for days. At least 20,000 have gathered in the town of Saqlawiya, south of Falluja.

Desperate plea

"The Red Cross is very worried. We urge all combatants to guarantee passage to those who need medical care, regardless of whether they are friends or enemies," spokesman Ahmad al-Raoui said. "They must be allowed to return home as soon as possible."

Aid workers say there are still hundreds of families left in the city, which has been pummelled by sustained aerial bombardment and artillery fire in recent days.

"We know of at least 157 families inside Falluja who need our help," said Ubadi.

For some it is already too late.

One mother and her three daughters had intended to flee but their home was hit by a bombardment earlier this week and all died, neighbours who escaped told aid workers.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CC347D0D-6...

Forum posts

  • I think after that Iraqi will go after the one who betrayed them: Allawi.

  • This article has moved me greatly. Although I didn’t think I could feel any worse about this situation, I do now. What is the next degree after "obsession?"

    It is 7:05pm NY Time as I start this.

    I have just tried to call the Iraq office of Red Crescent, but, the office is not able to take calls at this time. From scanning their website, and talking to the UN delegation, it appears that the office is either on skeleton staff, or, has moved completely to Jordan due to the fighting.

    Iraqi Red Crescent Society
    P.O. Box 6143
    Al-Mansour
    Baghdad
    Tel: (964) (1) 8862191
    Fax: (964) (1) 5372519
    Telex: 213331 HELAL IK
    Telegram: REDCRESCENT BAGHDAD

    They do not have their own website, yet, they are found on the International site: http://www.ifrc.org/address/rclinks.asp

    This is a link to the September article, "Voices from Iraq" from the latest issue of their magazine:
    http://www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine2004_2/10-11.html

    I have also contacted their UN Delegation:

    New York Delegation to the UN
    International Federation
    800 Second Avenue,
    suite 355, 3rd floor,
    New York, NY 10017
    USA

    Telephone: +1 (212) 338 0161

    I asked if there was any way to force to United States to let aid workers in; I was told that this has been a large, double problem.

    First of all, our government is not listening to either agency.

    We discussed the possibility if a letter campaign could help force their hand, yet, it seems doubtful.

    Second—the most troubling, I have been told that there is only a very limited amount of people able to aid those in Iraq from both agencies because: their people have been killed; their people have been captured; both the UN & Red Crescent have had to recall most of those humanitarian workers because of these dangerous situations.

    Although donations can be sent online to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies http://www.ifrc.org/helpnow/donate/donate_response.asp--the site does not have an Iraq specific cause to donate to.

    Yet, the UN delegation suggests if someone is so inclined to extend monetary aid specifically for Iraq, a check can be sent through the New York office.

    Personally, I wonder if even this will be helpful, since it doesn’t seem that aid will get through.

    The Iraq pages of Red Crescent website has not been updated since late 2003, around the same time they had to move out.

    Earlier this week I spoke to someone at Human Rights Watch, after weeks of e-mails to their offices around the world failed to garner a reply. They are in the same situation.

    FYI, not one government agency I have e-mailed has replied either. None of my cries of outrage have been published, even on al-jazeera.net.

    Unfortunately, I think we are left to anguish on our own, on pages such as these that also don’t appear to gather much interest from the general public. While a number of us try to do our part to raise public awareness, or just equalize the angst we feel inside, few comments are left.

    Is this due to complacency, or, just from a loss for words that accompanies our silent grief?

    Marsha Hodgson in NY

    • Today 18 American Marines died because these fucking Godless tribes are too fucking stupid to lay down their weapons and get on the side of right. Semper fi.

    • 1000’S OF COALITION SOLDIERS AND OVER 100 000 IRAQI CIVILIANS HAVE DIED COZ YOUR GODLESS GOVERNMENT WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD.

    • Thank you. Only, it appears too many of us are ignorant of the truth. Please, if you are still here: where are you from?

    • The "side of right" is to give the iraqis their country back and let them decide what they want to do with it. At most, the US should withdraw to Iraq’s borders and secure them, allowing the Iraqis to decide their own government without interference. Then we should rebuild anything we blew up that they ask us to, and beyond that leave them the hell alone. WMD was bullshit, any connection to 9/11 was bullshit, so why are we really there trying to tell them what to do? You don’t spread "freedom" by killing those you are supposed to be "liberating." Could it have anything to do with "liberating" certain natural resources? After all, what was the very first thing secured after invading? The oil fields, that’s what...

    • AUSTRALIA.I APOLOGIZE FOR OUR GODLESS GOVERNMENT AS WELL.

  • The terrorists have been holding the whole city hostage. Naturally the relief agencies have been run out of town by these insurgents. I’m glad the marines are finally able to take control of the city and get these people help.

    • THE RELIEF AGENCIES LEFT BECAUSE THE US MADE IT UNSAFE TO STAY THERE.THE US ARE ONLY LETTING WOMEN AND CHILDREN OUT,THE REST ARE RIPE FOR THE SLAUGHTER,TERRORIST OR NOT.THANKS TO THE FUCKING US THESE PEOPLE HAVE BARELY ANY FOOD AND NO WATER OR ELECTRICITY.

    • AND PLEASE BE HONEST.YOU DONT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THESE PEOPLE.THERE ALL ARAB DOGS TO YOU.DONT HIDE YOUR RACISM BEHIND A FALSE FACADE OF CARING.

    • LOL! LOL! LOL!

    • I do care very much about what’s going on over there, and I am an American, who did NOT vote for Bush. I have been consumed with nothing but sadness, shock, and disbelief since November 2. Please know that not everyone in America is cold and heartless.

    • I will be honest. I don’t give a fuck about you and think that you are a dog. I however, do feel sorry for the Iraquis who end up being caught in the middle. If you are an Arab who supports terrorists, then I hope that the marines find you and gun you down.

      By the way, the relief agencies are wusses. They thought that because they were relief agencies that they would get a pass. The terrorists let them know they were wrong and they ran out of that place like a bat out of hell. That’s dedication for you.

    • Help???? HELP FROM WHOM????

      We bombed two occupied hospitals, destroying them. For what good reason can this be condoned? Research the Internet to find out just what we are doing there.

      The reason why humanitarian aid cannot get through is because WE WILL NOT ALLOW IT. I called Red Crescent in Iraq. The office is closed. I called the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Delegation to the United Nations in NYC. I was told that the US will not listen to either agency to let help through. I was told that it did not appear that a letter writing campaign, or any other measure would change US heart.

      Do you get you news in Bizzaro World?

    • I AM NOT AN ARAB,I AM AUSTRALIAN.I DO NOT SUPPORT TERRORISTS WHICH IS WHY I DONT SUPPORT OUR RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS.IF YOU CARE ABOUT IRAQIS SO MUCH,LEARN TO AT LEAST SPELL THE WORD PROPERLY.

      I WOULD NOT GUN DOWN ANYONE,IT IS GODS PLACE TO JUDGE PEOPLE AND GEORGE BUSH IS NOT GOD EVEN THOUGH HE LIKES TO ACT LIKE HE IS.

      I AGREE THAT THE AID AGENCIES ARE WUSSES,BUT IT IS A BIT HARD TO STAY IN FALLUJAH WHEN THE US IS BOMBING THE FUCK OUT OF IT.

    • It was terrorists that kidnapped that woman and attacks on other relief workers that prompted the aid agencies to leave not the US military. By the way, when you use all caps like that, it looks like you are yelling and makes you aggressive. Is that your intention?

    • The hospitals were bombed because insurgents were using it, that means the hospitals are fair game. If they didn’t want the hospitals bombed, the insurgents shouldn’t have used it. As for any aid, they will be let through once fallujah is in US and Iraqi control.

    • NO,I JUST GOT SICK OF HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT CAPITALISING.I COULD WRITE IN ALL LITTLE LETTERS IF YOU LIKE.AND THE AID WORKERS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET BACK INTO FALLUJAH BUT THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT,BUSH ENDORSED,WONT LET THEM.

    • I NOTICE YOU PUT US FIRST.THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES.

    • Just for clarification the releif agencies were NOT ALLOWED to enter the city by the US MARINES, not that that is the total argument, but it is just a fact.

    • Regardless of who is at fault or not to be blamed, the fact is that there are piles of dead Iraqi citizens rotting in the sun...these people have been killed because they didn’t run away when they should have. They have been "liberated" from their lives. Life is sacred to God and God said thou shalt not kill. There is going to be a day of reckoning for all of the gun toting killers no matter which side they are on and no matter who told them to violate God’s laws. The gates of hell have been thrown wide open these days to accomodate all of the murderers from both sides that are engaged in doing the devil’s work. Its going to be real crowded down there and there will be a lot of prominent people among the crowds, people who thought they could profit from genocide. They won’t be taking it with them... what a waste. The gates of Heaven have been thrown wide open to accept the 100,000 Iraqi civilians that have been liberated from their lives for a war of greed and oil.

    • I read that they just recently sent in red crescent relief trucks in. They were given the go ahead by the authorities.