| Violence and lawlessness reign in Iraq and there’s little reconstruction happening despite pledges from the U.S. government to rebuild, say two Calgarians who have just returned from the country.
Julie Hrdlicka and Noel Ainsley, members of a Calgary human rights group, Canada, Democracy and International Law (CANDIL), spent two weeks visiting schools, government ministries and Canadian-run aid projects in Basra and Baghdad.
They’re calling on the Canadian government to lobby for the United Nations to deploy peacekeepers, which would operate under United Nations command, to the country.
"People can’t afford to live. There’s pure chaos," says Hrdlicka. "There’s no government, no law."
There’s widespread mistrust against the Coalition Provisional Authority and many Iraqis feel the Governing Council doesn’t represent them, says Ainsley.
"The general feeling is that things are progressing badly. They’re very fearful for their future," he says. Some Iraqis worry that the country will erupt in civil war.
Daily life is a constant struggle due to intermittent or nonexistent electricity and several hour-long line-ups for gas, says Hrdlicka. There’s a shortage of staples such as cooking oil and wheat. Extreme poverty is evident everywhere.
Lack of security is also a major problem. Many Iraqis carry guns openly on the streets, says Hrdlicka. At one school, they saw three rocket launchers, minus missiles, in the middle of a playground.
"This is an example of how the war is around the children all the time," says Hrdlicka.
While in Basra they learned of a man who has an unexploded missile in the middle of his living room. Ainsley and Hrdlicka were told that the British military painted a line around the missile and said as long as the man didn’t go near it he would be fine.
"There’s a prime example of things not being addressed," says Hrdlicka. "People need to be aware this is what is happening. People in Iraq deserve a voice." |
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