New political, cultural divides cause more roadblocks, violence in Iraq: NRC official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Providing humanitarian aid to displaced Iraqis following the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) is becoming a challenge due to the increasing political and cultural tensions in the country, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Thursday.

Since the emergence of IS in 2014, over three million people have been displaced in Iraq and have yet to return to their homes.

Moreover, tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq following the Sep. 25 independence referendum worsened the situation. An attack launched by Iraqi Forces and Iranian-backed Shia militias in Kirkuk on Oct. 16 and other disputed areas in the following weeks caused a new wave of displacement, mostly Kurds.

NRC secretary general Jan Egeland warned that members of the US-led coalition, which supported Baghdad in its three-year campaign against IS, could significantly shrink their humanitarian budget for Iraq now that the extremist group is defeated.

“New political, cultural, and sectarian divides seem to be popping up,” Egeland told Reuters during a visit to Iraq. “There are too many cleavages in Iraq. We don’t need more roadblocks and certainly not more violence.”

Egeland also pointed to the billions spent on the military campaign against IS and said the same amount of money should be provided to rebuilding areas destroyed due to the war.

“There’s one thing we should have learned in Iraq—it is that we cannot spend countless billions of dollars on military campaigns and then not spend the smaller sums needed to make it safe for people in the future,” he said.

“This is a time of decision-making: will we stay and help people recover and rebuild their lives next year? Or will we prematurely think the job is done?” Egeland warned.

The secretary general said it would be “shameful [and] shortsighted” if the international community abandoned the millions of people who were displaced in the country. 

Similarly, the KRG has called on Baghdad to agree to a dialogue within the framework of the Iraqi Constitution to resolve outstanding issues and prevent further conflict and instability in the region. The central government has yet to initiate talks and instead has vowed to impose federal authority over all international border crossings in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. 

The NRC runs one of the largest foreign aid operations in Iraq, providing relief to millions of people displaced by the campaign against the militant group.   

Editing by Nadia Riva