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Sunday 25 December 2005 |
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MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 25 for 3-9 June 2005[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]Key Humanitarian Developments in Iraq IRAQ: Emergency polio campaign to be launched Health experts in Iraq are on high alert following reported outbreaks of polio in Yemen, Egypt and Sudan. Plans are underway to launch a massive immunisation campaign in response, expected to reach 4.7 million children aged under five. "For the past five years Iraq successfully controlled polio but, due to the outbreaks in the neighbouring countries, we have decided to vaccinate all children to prevent the re-emergence of the disease," Ahmed Abdul Khalak, a senior official in the ministry of health, told IRIN. Full report IRAQ: Poor power supply infrastructure threatens lives With the onset of summer in Iraq there are increasing concerns that erratic power supplies could have a serious impact on the health of the local population. Doctors in the capital, Baghdad, have pointed to a spike in the number of patients suffering from dehydration, and already three deaths have been reported among the elderly. During the summer months temperatures in Iraq sometimes reach 50 degrees Celsius. "Every day we see an increase in the number of people looking for our services due to health problems caused by the lack of power," Dr Abbas Shaker, a clinician at Yarmouk hospital, told IRIN. Full report IRAQ: Growing frustration among returnees The initial euphoria of returning to their homeland has turned into frustration for many Iraqi refugees, who are struggling to eke out a living in deteriorating social conditions. "We left Iraq because of the injustice of Saddam [Hussein] and we came back to find ourselves homeless. My sons are jobless and we don't have money to buy a house, so we decided to live in the old naval academy," 60-year-old Um Hassan told IRIN. Full report IRAQ: Ongoing insecurity hampers landmine clearance Ongoing insecurity in Iraq is hampering the clearance of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), forcing international organisations to leave the country or halt operations, experts told IRIN. "The work in Iraq has become restricted for UN staff due to insecurity, which has increased every day in the country. We have been depending on private companies to support us, which have been doing great and efficient work in the south of Iraq," Salomon Schreuder, cluster manager of mine clearance for the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) told IRIN from the Jordanian capital, Amman. Full report EGYPT: Long battle ahead to end female circumcision Deeply entrenched cultural and traditional norms continue to hamper efforts to end the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in parts of Egypt. Female circumcision involves the partial or total removal of the external genitalia for cultural, religious or other nonmedical reasons. It is usually performed on girls between the ages of four and 10. A report released by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in May revealed that 92 percent of adolescent girls in six districts of Upper Egypt had been circumcised. Furthermore, one third of all girls in the region were expected to be circumcised at some stage in their lives. Full report JORDAN: Travel restrictions eased for visiting West Bank Palestinians West Bank Palestinians wanting to visit relatives in neighbouring Jordan will no longer have to endure lengthy procedures at the border post after the recent removal of tight travel restrictions. Entry into Jordan in future will be based on "personal undertaking", and Palestinian visitors will be allowed a month-long stay in the country, with the possibility of a two week extension, according to a senior Jordanian security official. The new "travel pass", which came in effect on 1 June, has no age restrictions and is applicable to all Palestinians visiting the kingdom. Full report JORDAN: Censorship of books and publications eased As a sign of its growing commitment to civil liberties, Jordan's ministry of culture recently announced that it would no longer censor local and international publications. The state-controlled Publications and Publishing Department (PPD) has closely monitored books, newspapers and magazines for content that might be deemed offensive to the government, the royal family or religious groups, and all imported books had to be approved by the PPD before distribution inside the country. In the capital, Amman, the acting general manager of the PPD, Ahmad Al Qudah, told IRIN that the recent move to allow greater press freedom was part of a broader strategy to create "space for creative expression". Full report YEMEN: Aid agencies offer relief to conflict victims in Sa'ada Aid agencies say ongoing political instability in parts of northern Yemen is hampering the delivery of humanitarian assistance to communities affected by the most recent flare-up of hostilities between government troops and religious dissidents. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Yemeni Red Crescent Society (YRCS) said although they had managed to deliver aid to communities in Marran, the scene of intense fighting from June to September 2004, they were struggling to get aid to the other parts of Sa'ada province affected by the recent battles. "We are concerned about the newly affected areas. I have requested a meeting with the governor of Sa'ada as soon as possible, to see what help we can provide to the people," he said. Full report [ENDS]
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