The civil defense teams in Erbil announced the death of a 17-year-old boy, as a result of the fire that broke out in the camp.
And the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement issued a statement about the incident, in which it confirmed that Minister Evan Faiq Jabro had directed to “mobilize the cadres of the ministry’s branches in the Kurdistan region and its branch in Erbil governorate, to provide support and assistance to the displaced families,” after “the fire that completely destroyed 6 caravans, with 4 damaged.” as a result of an electrical short.
This incident is a link in a series of similar incidents that befell camps containing tens of thousands of displaced Iraqis, from areas occupied by the terrorist organization “ISIS” between 2014 and 2017, in governorates such as Nineveh, Salah al-Din and Diyala.
This raises questions, according to observers, about the causes of the fires, considering that the recurrence of similar incidents reflects negligence and failure to adhere to safety and security standards in the camps, and they demand the necessity of closing the displacement file and ensuring the dignified and safe return of Iraqis to their homes and areas of origin.
displaced within their own country
The writer and expert on Iraqi affairs, Ali al-Baydar, believes that “the situation of the displaced Iraqis inside their country is very bad, and their survival throughout these years in tents is due to the fact that there may be influential political parties that want to keep their situation as it is due to various interests and opportunistic considerations, and to employ their suffering and invest it politically and financially.”
Al-Baydar added, in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”: “The presence of these camps in itself is an indication of the weakness of the state and the representatives of the Sunni Arab component in power in Baghdad, and the absence of international care for the displaced, so the recurrence of such tragedies should prompt the concerned government agencies to turn the page on displacement.” This, and addressing this pivotal national and humanitarian issue, and closing this bleeding file completely.
question marks
In the same context, the Iraqi political and security researcher Raad Hashim says, “The recurrence of these fires in the displacement camps in various governorates of Iraq raises more than one question mark and suspicion about the reason behind the lack of strict safety rules and strong safety pillars in these camps to stop the occurrence of these disasters.”
Hashem added in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”: “More than 8 years of exacerbation of displacement cases, and unfortunately the concerned authorities were unable to meet even the minimum service requirements for the displaced, and spare them the danger of such unfortunate incidents, despite the claims of those responsible for managing them.” They take care of the smallest details and watch over the comfort of their residents. Serious gaps soon surface in the management and provision of services in those camps, for which the displaced people pay the price, who become victims as a result.
And the Iraqi researcher continues: “The responsible authorities are required to find out the truth about what is happening, prevent the recurrence of these painful events and limit them, hold the negligent ones accountable and refer them to the courts, and not leave this file subject to blackmail and bargaining in political forums, and deter any party that tries to politicize it.”
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