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Beyond the War in Iraq: Humanitarian Crisis
NPR Coverage of the Effort to Aid Iraq's People
Iraqi children line up for fuel and water distributed by British troops in southern Iraq, April 11, 2003.
Credit: Reuters Limited © 2003
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Iraq's Food Crisis
» In Iraq, 12 years of economic sanctions have left about 60 percent of the nation's 22 million people dependent on government rations distributed under the United Nation's oil-for-food program.
» The program permits Iraq to sell unlimited quantities of oil to buy food and medicine and meet other humanitarian needs.
» The World Food Program plans to take over the food-rationing system temporarily beginning in April, and administer the program for four to six months.
» Under the program, about 400,000 tons of food are imported each month and distributed through 43,000 authorized shops. The staples include wheat flour, milk, rice, vegetable oil and beans.
» The war has halted food imports, Iraq's warehouses are emptying and most Iraqi families are believed to have food to last only into late April.
» The situation is critical: An estimated one-quarter of Iraqi children under age 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition.
Source: United Nations Office of the Iraq Program
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Iraqi women fight to get water distributed by British troops in the center of Basra, April 8, 2003. Many residents are angry over the lack of water and the breakdown of law and order.
Credit: Reuters Limited © 2003
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More than a decade of economic sanctions has left the majority of the Iraqi people dependent on rations distributed under the United Nations' oil-for-food program. Follow the latest NPR coverage on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and the efforts to aid that nation's people:
Iraq Faces Winter Energy Crisis
Iraqi officials warn that the approach of winter could bring a new energy crisis to the country. Power stations aren't generating enough electricity to meet increased winter power demands, and the oil ministry says there's not enough fuel to heat homes. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson. Nov. 24, 2003
Security Issues Stall Humanitarian Efforts in Iraq
Non-government organizations are reluctant to get involved in reconstruction work in Iraq without a wider role for the United Nations. They also complain that lack of security makes their work impossible. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports. July 19, 2003
Doctors Without Borders Founder Discusses Iraq
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Bernard Kouchner, the founder of Doctors without Borders and a former U.N. administrator in Kosovo, about reconstruction efforts in Iraq. June 28, 2003
Baghdad's Garbage Dilemma
NPR's Ivan Watson in Baghdad reports on American efforts to deal with the mound of trash that has accumulated in the Iraqi capital since the end of the war in April. An American from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of waste disposal now, and he's dubbed himself "Mr. Garbage." June 11, 2003
Attacks Hamper Reconstruction Efforts
Unidentified gunmen open fire at a checkpoint in western Iraq, killing a U.S. soldier. The incident, along with daily skirmishes between U.S. forces and Iraqis, threatens efforts to build an infrastructure and increase security in Iraq. And the U.S. administration struggles to create an interim Iraqi political council. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos. June 9, 2003
Iraq Food-Ration Program Restored
A mass food-rationing system resumes in Iraq for the first time since the U.S.-led war ended. Introduced by Saddam Hussein to feed the country during a decade of U.N. sanctions, the program is now run by U.S. occupying forces and the U.N. World Food Program. More than 80 percent of Iraqis need food aid to survive. NPR's Deborah Amos reports. June 2, 2003
Iraqi Medical Facilities Run Short of Supplies
Iraq's health care system -- a priority for the new U.S. civil administration -- faces critical shortages of medicine. One aid agency reports many hospitals could shut down within two weeks because of lack of supplies. NPR's Deborah Amos reports. May 29, 2003
U.N. Security Council Lifts Iraq Sanctions
The U.N. Security Council overwhelmingly approves a resolution ending more than a decade of sanctions against Iraq. It also gives the United States and Britain authority to run the country and use oil profits to fund reconstruction until a new Iraqi government is established. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports. May 22, 2003
Restoring Services to Iraq Remains a Challenge
Few basic services have been restored to Iraq despite vigorous U.S. efforts to repair damage from the war and the years of economic sanctions that preceded the conflict. Normal life may be a year or more away. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer and Lt. Col. Sam Gardiner, retired. May 10, 2003
Baghdad Mental Hospital on Life Support
Once one of the most advanced mental institutions in the region, Baghdad's Al-Rashad Mental Hospital is now struggling to care for its rapidly deteriorating patients. Looters have left the facility without beds, food, anti-psychotic drugs and other critical supplies. But doctors are determined to restore order. NPR's Guy Raz reports. May 1, 2003
Humanitarian Relief Underway in Northern Iraq
Turkey's government opens its border with Iraq to humanitarian relief deliveries. The World Food Program is sending about 3,000 tons of food and other supplies across the border each day, intended for people in northern Iraq. NPR's Guy Raz reports. April 21, 2003
Evangelical Aid to Iraq Raises Questions
Evangelical groups rush to help war-torn Iraq, sending food, water and medical supplies for tens of thousands of people. But some question the use of relief packages to carry messages of Christian faith to a predominantly Muslim nation. Hear NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty. April 15, 2003
Humanitarian Aid Groups Face Difficulties in Iraq
Delivering humanitarian aid to Iraq remains a daunting challenge despite
U.S. military successes. Dominic MacSorley of the group Concern Worldwide is in Basra to assess the needs in that southern Iraqi city. He speaks with NPR's Scott Simon. April 12, 2003
Iraq Aid Groups Expand Fundraising Efforts
U.S. humanitarian groups seeking to send food, water and medicine to Iraq step up fundraising campaigns after finding mixed results in gathering donations so far. Aid groups say clean water is the priority -- and they're encouraged by a relatively low number of refugees. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports. April 11, 2003
Red Cross: Baghdad 'Chaos' Hindering Relief Efforts
A day after suspending work due to chaos in Baghdad, the International
Committee of the Red Cross resumes operations in the Iraqi capital, where hospitals are filled to capacity with injured civilians. But a lack of electricity impedes aid workers' efforts to address shortages of food, medicine and clean water. Hear Nada Domani of the ICRC. April 10, 2003
Safety Issues, Politics Hamper Iraq Relief
International aid agencies have stockpiled food, water and medicine in anticipation of a major humanitarian crisis in Iraq. But aid groups say three weeks into the war, humanitarian aid efforts are stalled by security issues and political difficulties. Hear NPR's Jackie Northam and Andrew Natsios of USAID. April 8, 2003
Warnings of Iraqi Humanitarian Aid Crisis
All Things Considered guest host John Ydstie talks with United Nations Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator Ross Mountain about the situation on the ground in Iraq. Iraqi families currently have enough food to last through the month, and the expected flood of refugees has not yet materialized. But Mountain says the situation could worsen significantly. April 6, 2003
Aid Groups Fear Rising Humanitarian Crisis
Humanitarian groups worry about the lack of food, water and medicine available to Iraqis. But they say they're going to have to wait to send in supplies as the region is too unstable for them to risk going in to help. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports. April 4, 2003
Groups Warn Against Pentagon Control of Iraq Relief
Humanitarian aid groups urge the Bush administration to put civilian authorities in charge of relief activities in Iraq. Non-governmental aid groups say a White House plan that would let the Pentagon take over postwar reconstruction plans could hamper relief efforts and create the perception that workers are part of a military operation. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports. April 3, 2003
Turkey to Open Borders for Supplies
Turkish leaders, meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Ankara, agree to help in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Iraq and the shipment of supplies, such as fuel and logistics equipment, to U.S. troops in northern Iraq. NPR's Bob Edwards talk to NPR's Nick Spicer. April 2, 2003
U.S. Farmers Eye Relief Packages to Iraq
U.S. officials send more than 600 tons of American-produced food to Iraq as part of a humanitarian aid package. Many U.S. farmers see the shipment as the first step in the reopening of a large and lucrative export market that was cut off after the 1991 Gulf War. NPR's Greg Allen reports. April 2, 2003
Jordan: Many Iraqi Exiles Returning Home
International aid agencies bracing for a flow of refugees out of Iraq see the opposite. Officials in Jordan say few are leaving Iraq. Instead, thousands of Iraqi exiles are leaving Jordan to return home. NPR's Jackie Northam reports. April 1, 2003
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