- BAGHDAD (IRIN) -- Scores of Iraqi men, women
and children gathered on the pavement of Baghdad's central Salihiyah area
waiting for the big grey bus to take them to neighbouring Syria and help
them flee their country's violence.
-
- "Staying in Iraq is like committing suicide,"
said Hala Numan Jabre, a 41-year-old mother of three girls as she threw
her six coloured bags onto the bus.
-
- "There is no safe life in Iraq, it's like a jungle.
There are no public services, there is no rule of law, and everywhere there
is killing and kidnapping. That is why we've decided to take our daughters
away until things get better, God willing," Hala, a teacher of English,
said.
-
- Every month, tens of thousands of Iraqis flee to Jordan
and Syria - the only two neighbouring countries which have opened their
borders to Iraqi refugees.
-
- "The situation in Iraq continues to worsen,"
the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a statement on 5 June, and "the
number of Iraqis fleeing to neighbouring countries remains high".
At least 2.2 million Iraqis are sheltering in Jordan and Syria.
-
- Other countries with common borders with Iraq - Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey and Iran - have allowed in very few Iraqis. Early
this year, the UNHCR called for international support to help Jordan and
Syria cope with the influx of Iraqi refugees.
-
- "Calls for increased international support for governments
in the region have so far had few results," the UNHCR added.
-
- Syria, Jordan impose restrictions
-
- Since then, new entry and residency conditions have been
imposed in Jordan and Syria, resulting in tens of thousands of refugees
being stranded on Iraq's borders and families being divided according to
their age and the type of passport they hold.
-
- To enter Jordan, Iraqi refugees must be over 40 or under
20, must prove they have sufficient funds to support themselves in the
kingdom and, most importantly, must hold a new 'G' generation passport.
-
- "Going to Amman is like gambling," said Ammar
Yassin Khalid, a 22-year-old student at the University of Baghdad who was
denied entry four months ago as he had the older 'S' series passport. Now,
Khalid has his new 'G' series passport after paying US$400 in bribes.
-
- Nasser Hikmat Jaafar's family was disappointed when half
his family was denied entry to Jordan. They reached the border with the
Kingdom on 11 June at sunset after having driven about 900km from Baghdad.
-
- "They allowed entry just for my wife and two daughters
and denied me and my three sons. They didn't tell us the reasons, but just
said they are fed up with men of such ages [between 20 and 40 years old],"
Jaafar, a 58-year-old government employee, told IRIN on 14 June as he was
heading with all his family to the Syrian border, which is about 500km
from Iraq's Jordanian border.
-
- "We spent last night at the border. My wife and
daughters slept inside the GMC suburban we are hiring and me, my three
sons and the driver slept on the pavement," he added. "I can't
leave my daughters and wife alone so I'm taking them to Syria instead where
entry for Iraqis is still easy."
-
- Entering Syria is easier but residency conditions have
been imposed: Refugees can stay a maximum of three months and then they
have to renew their residency by leaving the country and returning.
-
- "What can we do? Leaving Iraq is a must for us and
we have to accept their [Jordan's and Syria's] rules as we have no other
choice," said Yahya Hassan, a 38-year-old supermarket owner who was
kidnapped two weeks ago and freed after paying a ransom of $50,000.
-
- "If we stay in Iraq we will definitely be killed.
Outside [Iraq] we will suffer but at least we will feel safe and secure,"
Hassan said as he queued with his children to get the bus to Syria.
-
- Citing Iraqi government figures, the UNHCR said some
1.4 million Iraqis are now in Syria, up to 750,000 in Jordan, 80,000 in
Egypt and some 200,000 in the Gulf region. Syria alone receives a minimum
of 30,000 Iraqis a month, according to the agency.
-
- Resettlement of most vulnerable refugees
-
- According to UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis, since
the beginning of the year, UNHCR offices in countries around Iraq have
registered more than 130,000 Iraqi refugees. By the end of May, they had
interviewed
|
