Baghdad stumbles in response to Ramadi refugees
180,000 Iraqis now displaced by the Islamic State from Ramadi; Islamic State benefits from Saudi military intervention in Yemen; Jabhat al-Nusra’s attempted makeover.
"Opportunities lost" after fall of Ramadi
A spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said May 29 that onerous documentation requirements by the government of Iraq have made life even more difficult for some 85,000 Iraqis displaced by Ramadi's capture by the Islamic State (IS) on May 17.
According to the UNHCR, the overall total number of displaced from the Ramadi region now totals 180,000 since fighting began in April.
Mustafa al-Kadhimi writes from Baghdad that the Iraqi government’s response to the fall of Ramadi, including a sponsorship requirement for those wishing to enter Baghdad, has worsened both the plight of the displaced and the sectarian tensions that underlie the country’s political crisis.
