As the mercury surges in Mesopotamia, so does the risk for a new showdown between angry protesters demanding better conditions and a government struggling to provide for them but is shackled by a legacy of corruption and incompetent, fiefdom-like institutions.
Many parts of southern Iraq, especially Basra, witnessed widespread protests… Read more
Last week, Wehda al-Jumaili, a member of the Human Rights Committee in the Iraqi parliament reported that Iraq is establishing courts to issue birth certificates and identification cards to Iraqi children who were born under ISIS rule. This remarkable and laudable decision, once implemented, will affect the lives of tens… Read more
Protests and political violence continues to plague Basra, Iraq’s southernmost province. The province is largely populated by Iraq’s Shia majority, which has dominated Iraq’s post-2003 political order. Basra’s oil fields are the primary source of Iraq’s oil exports and proven oil reserves and Basra is home to Iraq’s only port.… Read more
Away from the limelight, violence continues to rage in southern Iraq in the form of tribal clashes, pro-government militia infighting and criminal violence. This violence often affects unarmed bystanders and makes life in Basra, which is already challenging due to government neglect, lack of services and rife unemployment, even more precarious. Although most residents of southern Iraq are Shia, Iraq's current political elite, which claims to represent the Shia community, has failed to address the needs of the south.
In 2014, the Iraqi Yazidi community, a small ethno-religious minority residing mostly in the area of Sinjar, a mountainous region in Ninewa, northwestern Iraq, was subjected to a campaign of massacres, mass kidnappings and enslavement of women, boys and girls at the hands of ISIS. Between 2,000-5,000 Yazidis lost… Read more
This month, a group of Iraqi medical professionals, social workers and psychiatrists gathered in Mosul for three days to undergo intensive training on integrating the provision of mental health care in primary health care centers and hospitals. The professionals in this group work at 16 different facilities and organizations across… Read more
This holiday season, the team at EPIC is listening to some great tracks from young and innovative Iraqi musicians across the country, Middle East, and globe.… Read more
“We need to maintain the flow of water and food. Basics only, inexpensive but continuous and lifesaving.” – Hala al-Saraf, Director of our Soccer Salam partner, the Iraq Health Access Organization
Iraqi Security Forces and their allies are quickly making gains in their efforts to clear the city of Mosul… Read more
Join us on Sunday, August 28, 10 AM at the Washington Monument for DCRally4Refugees!
The event seeks to raise awareness about the magnitude of the global refugee crisis, encourage advocacy and U.S. support for relief efforts, and demonstrate solidarity with refugees and displaced people worldwide.
Several Iraqis and many… Read more
