Marsh Arabs demonstrate in
Basra
By Abed
Battat
Azzaman,
October 4, 2005
Thousands of marsh Arabs have demonstrated in
The
demonstrators raised placards denouncing what they described as “negligence”
on the part of the Iraqi government and international aid groups.
The demonstration was led by Marsh Arab tribe elders and hundreds of
sympathizers from
The demonstrators assembled before the provincial headquarters and
handed in a letter summarizing their demands.
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by the newspaper, urged the
government “to begin reconstructing the marshlands and compensating the
inhabitants.”
It said reports that the devastated marshes were being revitalized were
not “true” and very little has changed on the ground since the fall of the
former leader Saddam Hussein.
According to international media reports major projects are currently implemented
to help restore the marshlands, which supported the ancient way of life of Marsh
Arabs.
The wetlands were drained as punishment after the Marsh Arabs gave
sanctuary to rebels fighting Saddam Hussein’s regime.
About 250,000 Marsh Arabs were forced to leave their ancestral land and
many still live in refugee camps and in Iraqi cities.
It is estimated that during Saddam Hussein’s period, around 95% of the
marshes dried out, largely due to the deliberate diversion of water.
There have since been reports of promising signs for the southern
wetlands.
But the letter said: “Some local and international humanitarian
organizations have exaggerated their achievements. We the Marsh Arabs have seen
nothing of those achievements on the ground.
“We were oppressed by the former regime which forced us to flee, killing
many of us. But even now we are still sidelined with no one paying attention to
our complaints and demands.”
