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Bodies of the victims were exhumed from mass graves last year and all were identified before the burial on Saturday.

More than 100 members of the Yazidi minority massacred by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group six years ago were laid to rest at a mass funeral in a northern Iraqi village.

Soldiers could be seen carrying coffins to the burial ground in Kocho, in Sinjar province, on Saturday as crowds gathered to mourn the dead.

The bodies were exhumed from mass graves last year in an operation coordinated by the United Nations before being sent to the capital Baghdad for identification.

Iraqs Martyrs Foundation has been overseeing the process and identified the 104 victims using DNA samples taken from their relatives.

The government agency has so far exhumed 16 mass graves of a total of 73 suspected sites.

One relative of a Yazidi who was killed, attending the funeral in Kocho, said some of the victims will not be found.Some of these bones dont exist any more because floods swept them away, said Obeid Khalaf.

William Warda, founder of Hammurabi, an organisation that works to improve minority rights in Iraq, told Al Jazeera Yazidis are still afraid to return home to Sinjar.

The strategy of the government is to close the [refugee] camps and encourage people to return to their homeland, said Warda.

But still the situation, especially in Sinjar, is critical and there is no trust to the security situation. As NGOs, we encourage people to return through programmes.

ISIL ruled over parts of northern Iraq from 2014 to 2017.The armed group did not tolerate other faiths and tried to exterminate the Yazidis, a religious minority with beliefs that distinguish them from Muslim and Christian worshippers in the region.

They destroyed villages and religious sites, lined men up and shot them before kidnapping thousands of women and children, trading them in modern-day slavery.

Many children who were raised under ISIL and indoctrinated in the groups ideology are believed to still be living in camps in Syria.

Hundreds of thousands of Yazidis are living in displacement while control and administration of the Sinjar region remain disputed among Iraqi politicians.

Sinjar, in Iraqs northwestern Nineveh province and near the border with Syria, remains largely empty.

The United Nations has called the attacks on the Yazidi community in Iraq act of genocide against the minority group.

Excerpt from:
Remains of 104 Yazidis killed by ISIL laid to rest in Iraq - Al Jazeera English

Author: Cholpon Ramizova

Almost a year after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Iraq, the country finds itself struggling to maintain a balance between enforcing necessary restrictions and reviving the economy. Nationwide lockdown measures were extended in late October to curb the spread of the virus and while infection rates have decreased, people across the country are struggling to make ends meet. By 14 January 2021, there were 605,416 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iraq and 12,915 deaths.

To find out how restrictions were affecting access to services and how people felt about the response, Ground Truth Solutions (GTS) partnered with the Iraq Information Centre (IIC) to conduct a third round of interviews with 545 returnees, refugees, and IDPs across Anbar, Dahuk, Erbil, Ninewa, Salah al-Din, and Sulaymaniyah in October and November 2020.

We found that:

People are very concerned about meeting their needs, accessing healthcare, and sending their children to school.

One-third of respondents who consulted a health professional during the pandemic were dissatisfied with the care they received.

Most people (80%) feel there are no silver linings to COVID-19. They are preoccupied with financial instability and deteriorating mental and physical health.

Over two-thirds of respondents (69%) are satisfied with the response to the pandemic, but less than half (44%) believe the authorities are equipped to handle future challenges.

Read the original post:
Nearing a year of restrictions, Iraq's vulnerable are running out of options - and trust - Iraq - ReliefWeb

Baghdad, February 8, 2021: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank are partnering on gathering key data on the impacts of COVID-19 on households, including people who are displaced, in camps, and those who have returned to their areas, as well as host communities.

The surveys and analysis use WFPs mobile Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (mVAM) system; going beyond food insecurity and regularly collecting vital information on labor markets, access to health services and child education, providing up-to-date snapshots of peoples socio-economic status on the ground during the pandemic. Beside collaborating on the design of the study, the World Bank have contributed financially to sustain the data collection.

Iraqs multifaceted crisis has severely impacted the livelihoods of the Iraqi people, said World Bank Iraq Representative Ramzi Neman. The continuation of this study will provide a better understanding of the socio-economic impact of the crisis on the living conditions of households and thus better inform social protection programs aimed at bringing immediate relief to the most vulnerable.

With ongoing economic pressures and the resulting devaluation of the Iraqi currency, prices of some essential food items have risen, and families are further impacted. The research is being used for multiple purposes and provide the government, humanitarian and development communities with information to allow for evidence-based decisions on their pandemic response and support for the most vulnerable families. Additionally, the study supports a sustainable system to help monitor socio-economic changes and household needs.

Once analyzed, the data and findings will also form the basis of key bulletins and reports, such as the ongoing series published by WFP and the World Bank in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

WFP thanks the World Bank for its generous contribution towards this important research partnership, which is supporting informed planning and decision-making by key actors in Iraq, said WFP Iraq Representative Abdirahman Meygag. Knowing more means being able to do more and do it right. Together our work can help vulnerable families in the most effective way possible.

WFP and the World Bank both continue to work with the government on social protection efforts as well as the design of major reforms in the sector, to best meet families needs now and in the long-term.

Download WFPs latest data at: https://dataviz.vam.wfp.org/Dashboards/Hunger-Snapshots-Countries

For more information please contact:

Sharon Rapose, WFP Erbil, +964 780 915 0962, sharon.rapose@wfp.org

Nabeel Darweesh, The World Bank Amman, +962 798 277 215, ndarweesh@worldbankgroup.org

Continued here:
WFP and the World Bank partner on socio-economic research in Iraq [EN/AR/KU] - Iraq - ReliefWeb

The new Biden Administration has largely been focused on fulfilling its election promises in its first month in power. After reversing an extensive list of Trump policies via executive orders, Biden is now focusing on the Middle East. In stark contrast to his predecessor, Joe Bidens administration is taking a reserved and diplomatic approach towards the ongoing crisis in the Middle East region. While the new administration is yet to fully address Iranian Sanctions or the JCPOA-agreement, it has stepped up the pressure on some Arab countries by temporarily blocking U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In yesterdays historic speech, Biden addressed U.S. military support for the Saudi-led anti-Houthi alliance currently fighting in Yemen. International media has been largely focused on the perceived hard-line position taken by Biden.

By removing full-scale offensive military support for Saudi forces, Washington seems to be pushing for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, in which Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others are fighting a proxy war against the Iranian supported Houthi forces. Diplomatic sources indicate that the move is a "routine administrative action", noting that it was standard for incoming administrations to review large arms deals initiated by outgoing administrations. Still, Bidens moves are not going to go down very well in the respective Arab Gulf capitals. Other major players, such as Egypt, Israel, and Jordan will be watching Bidens moves carefully in the coming months. Among the sales that have been put on hold is a massive $23-billion (19-billion) deal to supply the UAE with 50 Lockheed-Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets. The deal was made in the final days of the Trump presidency, after the November 6 election. It remains unclear whether or not other Trump arms deals are also going to be targeted, such as the December 29, 2020 approved potential sale of 3,000 precision-guided missiles, worth as much as $290 million, to Saudi Arabia.

The reaction from Arab governments to yesterdays Biden speech have been very positive, as was expected. None of the countries involved are willing to put their relationship with Washington at risk. Saudi Arabias Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Al Jubeir, stated that Bidens historic speech confirms Americas commitment to work with friends and allies on resolving conflicts. Hi words carried a tacit but clear undertone that Washington not forget the larger picture, which includes both Iran and Iraq, and focuses on both geopolitics and energy.

In the coming weeks and months, the Biden Administration will be focusing on the JCPOA agreement and its constraints. While Democrats and European nations may be hoping for a fast revamp of the Iran deal, there are significant hurdles in the way of achieving such a feat. First of all, the former JCPOA agreement has already been attacked by several European nations due to a lack of control mechanisms. Secondly, Irans growing missile capabilities, which have already been used in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon, are a major concern for any potential JCPOA signatories. Thirdly, Irans current posture with regards to nuclear enrichment will discourage Washington, France, and Germany from coming to the table. While none of these issues are particularly new, Bidens position on all of them remains unclear, and will likely depend on his broader foreign policy in the Middle East.

The Biden Administrations role and relationship with the Arab Gulf states is yet to be established. The postponement of arms deliveries and the blockage of so-called offensive arms to Saudi Arabia, and potentially others, could be setting the scene for a potential political crisis in the region. If this relative aggression towards Arab Gulf nations is combined with a more positive attitude towards Iran, without adressing the concerns of Saudi Arabia-UAE-Israel and Egypt, then Washington will risk losing its key allies in the region. Since the Obama era, the traditionally friendly security and economic relationships between Washington and the GCC region have been severely weakened. A new perceived pro-Iranian and anti-Arab strategy could lead to Washington coming under fire in the Middle East.

It is not only U.S. interests in the region that could be threatened by a new course of action in the Middle East, but also the U.S. and European economies. A new pro-Iranian vision of the Middle East could give birth in the GCC arena to a willingness to increase already growing cooperation with Russia, China, and India. Strategic posturing could also result in a less lenient approach from Arab oil nations towards Bidens energy strategies and the U.S. shale recovery. OPEC+ is evidence of the growing economic strength of non-U.S. economies. Broad support from the U.S. for a new JCPOA agreement and increasing pressure on Arab regimes would only increase this new economic force and could also lead to a very volatile oil and gas market. President Biden will have to play his hand carefully in the Middle East to avoid global economic and geopolitical ramifications.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

Read more from the original source:
The Oil Deal That Could Destroy Iraq From Within - Baystreet.ca

Baghdad, 8 February 2021 - The United Nations in Iraq welcomes the contribution of USD 9.7 million from the USAID to a UN-led project to support and assist capacity-building within the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). The USAID funding will also support the deployment of UN electoral advisers at subnational levels as IHEC prepares the October 2021 early national elections.

On behalf of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to manage the financing and administration of the project.

The United States is committed to listening to Iraqi needs and providing tailored support that promotes Iraqi sovereignty and stability, said USAID/Iraq Mission Director John Cardenas. This USAID funding will ensure UNAMIs ability to effectively implement its most pressing electoral assistance activities in preparation for the upcoming 2021 Iraqi parliamentary elections.

The United Nations thanks the United States for its contribution to the process of holding free, fair and transparent elections in Iraq.

For more information, please contact: Mr. Samir Ghattas, Director of Public Information/Spokesperson United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Phone: +964 790 193 1281, Email: ghattass@un.org or the UNAMI Public Information Office: unami-information@un.org

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UN signs financing agreement with the USAID to support UN electoral assistance to Iraq [EN/AR/KU] - Iraq - ReliefWeb