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Iraq
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) addresses the UN Security Council on March 3, 2020. Photo: Eskinder Debebe / UN
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s leaders must push past ongoing political crisis for a “more resilient Iraq” to emerge, the United Nations’ top official in Iraq told a briefing of the UN Security Council on Tuesday, amid continuing popular protest and government failure to lock in a new prime minister.
“Out of the ongoing political crisis - a fairer, stronger and inherently more resilient Iraq can emerge...for this to materialize, political leaders will have to act fast, and place the country’s interests above everything else,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
Caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi resigned in November in the face of mass protests in Iraq’s southern and central provinces, demanding the removal of the post-2003 political elite, an overhaul of the political system, and early elections. Little real change has yet been achieved.
Since Abdul-Mahdi’s resignation, Iraq’s various political blocs were locked in talks to nominate a suitable candidate to replace him – no easy feat for such a deeply entrenched elite in such a deeply divided society.
Political parties at last reached an agreement in early February to nominate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as Abdul-Mahdi’s successor.
Allawi was given a free hand by Shiite parties to choose an independent cabinet on the condition that Kurds and Sunnis grant him the same freedom. His insistence to appoint candidates himself, however, caused tensions with Kurdish representatives.
Allawi submitted his resignation following his inability to secure parliamentary approval to form a cabinet on Sunday.
Political parties are once again in talks to nominate a new candidate for appointment by Iraqi President Barham Salih. The premier designate will be charged with forming the next governmental cabinet.
“The ongoing political indecisiveness and dissension, leading to a further paralysis in decision-making, unfortunately do not give cause for immediate optimism. The country and its people continue to be pushed into the unknown,” Hennis-Plasschaert said.
‘Intolerable abuses’
At least 600 protesters and security force personnel have died and 18,000 wounded since the protests began on October 1, according to an Amnesty International report.
Iraq’s security forces have been widely condemned for their use of lethal repressive force, including the direct fire of military-grade tear gas canisters and live ammunition into crowds of protesters, causing fatalities and catastrophic head injuries.
"The many brave Iraqis - who continue to pay an unimaginable price for their voices to be heard - deserve that we recognize the intolerable abuses they have been subjected to,” Hennis-Plasschaert told the Security Council briefing.
“It is therefore imperative to put an end to these abuses. Moreover, it is imperative that perpetrators be brought to justice. Impunity ends where accountability begins,” she added.
Despite promises of investigation, the Iraqi government has yet to identify and hold to account what state officials have called “third party” groups responsible for the killing, kidnap and abuse of protesters.
All fifteen of the national representatives that spoke at the briefing expressed support for Hennis-Plasschaert’s statement and called on the Iraqi government to bring those responsible for protester harm to justice.
“Out of the ongoing political crisis - a fairer, stronger and inherently more resilient Iraq can emerge...for this to materialize, political leaders will have to act fast, and place the country’s interests above everything else,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
Caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi resigned in November in the face of mass protests in Iraq’s southern and central provinces, demanding the removal of the post-2003 political elite, an overhaul of the political system, and early elections. Little real change has yet been achieved.
Since Abdul-Mahdi’s resignation, Iraq’s various political blocs were locked in talks to nominate a suitable candidate to replace him – no easy feat for such a deeply entrenched elite in such a deeply divided society.
Political parties at last reached an agreement in early February to nominate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as Abdul-Mahdi’s successor.
Allawi was given a free hand by Shiite parties to choose an independent cabinet on the condition that Kurds and Sunnis grant him the same freedom. His insistence to appoint candidates himself, however, caused tensions with Kurdish representatives.
Allawi submitted his resignation following his inability to secure parliamentary approval to form a cabinet on Sunday.
Political parties are once again in talks to nominate a new candidate for appointment by Iraqi President Barham Salih. The premier designate will be charged with forming the next governmental cabinet.
“The ongoing political indecisiveness and dissension, leading to a further paralysis in decision-making, unfortunately do not give cause for immediate optimism. The country and its people continue to be pushed into the unknown,” Hennis-Plasschaert said.
‘Intolerable abuses’
At least 600 protesters and security force personnel have died and 18,000 wounded since the protests began on October 1, according to an Amnesty International report.
Iraq’s security forces have been widely condemned for their use of lethal repressive force, including the direct fire of military-grade tear gas canisters and live ammunition into crowds of protesters, causing fatalities and catastrophic head injuries.
"The many brave Iraqis - who continue to pay an unimaginable price for their voices to be heard - deserve that we recognize the intolerable abuses they have been subjected to,” Hennis-Plasschaert told the Security Council briefing.
“It is therefore imperative to put an end to these abuses. Moreover, it is imperative that perpetrators be brought to justice. Impunity ends where accountability begins,” she added.
Despite promises of investigation, the Iraqi government has yet to identify and hold to account what state officials have called “third party” groups responsible for the killing, kidnap and abuse of protesters.
All fifteen of the national representatives that spoke at the briefing expressed support for Hennis-Plasschaert’s statement and called on the Iraqi government to bring those responsible for protester harm to justice.
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