Iraq’s armed conflict has now extended from Anbar to other parts of the country, leaving thousands dead and more than 800,000 displaced. As the fighting between government forces and various armed groups continues to spread from one city to the next, we at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are trying to respond as fast as possible to the unfolding emergency. The current violence inside Iraq has many dimensions: it includes regional as well as sectarian aspects but for the ICRC our primary concern is responding to the humanitarian situation. In many areas where battles are taking place, civilians are suffering from lack of food, water and health care. Our offices and staff are on full alert and we have already distributed food rations and other forms of relief to some 31,000 displaced person in different areas close to Mosul. We have beefed up our teams in Kirkuk, Dohuk and Erbil by moving some staff from other locations who continue to closely follow the situation to respond to the emerging needs. Despite the serious security situation in Falluja, our teams managed to access this city twice last month to deliver aid, including 7 tonnes of medical supplies. “It took us more than 10 hours to reach Falluja Hospital, from Baghdad at some 70 kms, because of the security conditions,” reports Patricia Guiote, head of our sub-delegation in Baghdad.

Health systems unfortunately are often severely affected in armed conflict situations and this is certainly the case in many parts of Iraq at present. Hamadaniyah Hospital, in particular, is suffering the consequences of the heavy fighting in Mosul. We continue to remind all parties to the conflict about their obligations under international humanitarian law, namely that medical facilities must be protected from attacks and every effort must be made to ensure that medical personnel can carry out their activities unhindered. We are also gravely concerned about reports of summary executions and call on all parties to spare civilians and civilian objects, as well as soldiers who have laid down their weapons, and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people who need it.

While fighting across many provinces intensifies, tens of thousands of Syrian refugees remain displaced in northern parts of Iraq, unable to return home due to the catastrophic situation in their own country. Rising violence across the Middle East is causing serious and enduring challenges for the civilian populations. The persistent armed conflicts, coupled with record low rainfall, have put huge strains on the region’s water supplies. In many places, clean water is increasingly difficult to come by, especially in Syria where the shortfall in precipitation last winter is expected to hit many people very hard. The Iraqi water infrastructure has also been affected due to the fighting, and the huge number of displaced persons. The government has measures in place to deal with the water situation, but shortages of electricity, fuel, chemicals and spare parts could reduce capacity still further.

Based on what ICRC teams have observed, most of the internally displaced people in Iraq continue to move towards the Iraqi Kurdistan Region in search of safety. Abu Majid is among the hundreds of Iraqi IDPS arriving daily at the A’liawah Centre in Khanaqin, Diyala province, where they receive food and assistance from the ICRC and other donors. “We had to leave our village; there was heavy shelling coming from all different directions,” Abu Majid told the ICRC. “We do not want to stay away from our homes and village. We would like to return right now if possible.”

Andrea Lunt, ICRC Australia Communications Officer