The problem of the refugees and Europe

According to the statistics, almost four hundred thousands people came in the European countries last year, and the Iraqis who seek asylum follow the Yugoslavians. In some countries like the United Kingdom or Germany, the Iraqi refugees are at the first rank. Many of them are Iraqi Kurds and that is the reason why it should be interesting to explain some of the reasons why they are leaving. The Iraqi Kurdistan has been escaping the Iraqi control since 1991 and has been living in a fragile situation for ten years. Since that time, three million people and a half are in an ‘illegal’ situation according to the Iraqi authorities. No document can be delivered to this population. Those who wish to travel abroad for medical, personal or business reasons can only get passports from the Iraqi black market. Today, to have a passport more or less normal and to travel has become a dream for the Iraqi Kurds, hence the necessity to take risks to get this document that has become the synonym of freedom.

But there are others factors concerning the refugees’ leaving. The first one is about the uncertainty and the insecurity that do not ensue from the local authorities but from the presence of Saddam Hussein regime : his troops and his tanks are at the border of the Kurdish cities, ready to slaughter the civil population as they have already done in the past years. These people always say that the situation is now satisfactory but they wonder who would prevent Saddam Hussein from coming back and using chemical weapons or another new Anfal, the first one that have already killed 182.000 people in only three months in 1988.

The second one is about the problem of young people. The fact that the local authorities can not offer them a nice future, and of course, that they watch through the satellite channels everything that youth from Europe can get, makes them dream and pushes them to leave the country and go abroad even if it is very dangerous and risky for them.

The third factor is the economic one. It is true that living conditions are difficult, especially in the areas controlled by the PUK, however the economic factor is not one of the main reasons for their leaving. Among these people can be found many of the well-to-do and the intellectual ones.

As for the Kurds living in the areas that are under the Iraqi control, they now form the biggest part of the potential candidates who wish to escape to Europe. There have been more than 100.000 deported Kurds from Kirkuk, Khanakin, Sinjar and other cities since 1992. The majority of these refugees live in the areas controlled by the PUK and his regional government can not always provide them accommodation and work. Moreover, when they are deported, the Iraqi regime confiscates all their personal documents, even their ration card which causes a problem for the UN as they can not always justify their identity and enjoy the humanitarian relief. If 40% of the population decides to leave, they represent more than forty thousands persons.

As for the attitude of the two main Kurdish political parties, the PUK and the KDP, they are strongly against the leaving of their population as most of it are the managers and the elite of the Kurdish society. The Kurdish leaders are aware of the fact that they lack of cadres especially in education and health. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has taken a decision concerning the traffickers of these refugees according to which the organizers risk a seven months prison sentence and a five hundred thousands Iraqi dinars fine, that is to say thirty thousands dollars about.

Two factors will increase the number of Kurdish refugees, living in the areas that are not under the control of the Iraqi regime, to come to Europe:

The first one is the threat to withdraw the protection and the return of the Iraqi troops in the Kurdish region. This will lead to the settlement hundred of thousands of refugees as in 1991 at the Iranian and Turkish borders as well as to come to occidental countries. Here the European countries take a part of responsibility in which many European responsibles declare continuously that the No fly Zone is illegal and they ask the Americans and British to withdrew their protection for the Kurds

The second factor is the suppression of the 13% of the incomes coming from the sale of oil in the resolution Oil for Food. Since the application of the resolution 986, we can now notice some good results as well as an economic improvement

How could Europe help the Kurdish authorities and cooperate in order to prevent this immigration influx? First of all, European countries have to give this population a feeling of self-confidence and of security and this is only possible if the European governments are ready to guarantee the security of the Kurdish population and not allowed the Iraqi army to come back to Kurdistan to slaughter the civil population as it has already done in the past. The second measure is to collaborate with the regional government to establish projects of development especially for young people. Finally, the occidental governments have to put pressure on Iraq for it to stop its policy of ethnic cleansing and for the UNHCR to deal with the problem of the deported people from areas under the Iraqi control.

Thank you very much .

Ahmed BAMARNI

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan