Iraq 'a human tragedy', says Red Cross
The hundreds of thousands of people missing in Iraq are just the tip of the country’s looming humanitarian crisis, the International Red Cross warned today.
Around 375,000 of the population have vanished due to continued fighting, sectarian, ethnic, and religious violence and forced displacement, said Karl Matley, outgoing head of the Iraqi branch of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
A report called 'Humanitarian Tragedy in Iraq' said the missing included tens of thousands who were held in the custody of Iraqi authorities and the multinational forces.
Scores of families have also been without news of relatives who went missing, not only since the 2003 invasion but also in past conflicts, dating back to the 1980s.
“Each Iraqi family and each mother has the right to know the destiny and whereabouts of her son or husband,” Mr Matley said.
The Geneva-based independent humanitarian organisation works to protect the lives of victims of war and internal violence.
The ICRC has proposed setting up a specialised centre to document information about unidentified bodies in Iraq, Mr Matley said.
He also highlighted the issue of detainees in Iraqi jails, which exceed 60,000 prisoners. The ICRC has been allowed to visit “only a small portion” of them, he said, without providing the number.
He said the ICRC hopes to sign an agreement with the Iraqi authorities to visit their detention centers, mostly still off-limits to the organisation.
“One of the main obstacles that we face is bureaucracy, including for meetings with the defense lawyers and family members,” he said.
Mately said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and also Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari have pledged to let ICRC visit the prisons.
He added that the Red Cross had visited several associates of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein who are still in US custody, such as Tariq Aziz, a former deputy prime minister.
