Aid Groups Leaving.

Humanitarian aid groups blame the Pentagon for blurring the lines between their staff and US-led coalition troops, which has resulted in an unprecedented number of aid workers being targetted by terrorists in Iraq. The kidnapping and presumed execution of Margaret Hassan, CARE International's director of operations in Iraq, and the decision of the aid organisation to close down its offices in the country has prompted other humanitarian groups to rethink their presence in the region.

On Nov. 4, Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) closed its operations in Iraq. "It has become impossible for MSF as an organisation to guarantee an acceptable level of security for our staff, be they foreign or Iraqi", said Gorik Ooms, general director of MSF in Belgium.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's deputy special representative in Baghdad, Ross Mountain, says the fragile security situation has compelled the three-dozen UN workers in Baghdad to "adapt our approach dramatically". Asia Times Online (ATO) on Dec. 4 quoted him as saying: "In the past, UN humanitarian groups have operated without armed guards - wrapping ourselves in the people's goodwill and our blue flags, and providing all the assistance the people need. But Iraq has become a very different theatre of operations. Those that target aid organisations are people who are not particularly interested in the welfare of the Iraqi population. They are interested in scoring political points. And we are very soft targets. When you blow up 20-odd UN staff it is easier than going after a military target, and it obviously has an impact". Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN's top envoy in Iraq, was among dozens killed when the world body's Baghdad headquarters were bombed on Aug. 19, 2003.

Mark Bartolini, regional head, Middle East and Asia, at the International Rescue Committee, blames troops' involvement in humanitarian work for "blurring of the lines between soldiers and aid workers which makes it difficult [for aid groups operating in Iraq]". Many in the humanitarian aid community echo this complaint.

Oliver Burch, Iraq programme manager at London-based Christian Aid, said "it's very important for there to be a clear line between what the military is doing - particularly if large parts of the population regards it as belligerent - and humanitarian groups. The latter should be seen as neutral".

On Jan. 20, 2003, under the direction of President George W Bush, the Pentagon set up the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA). ORHA was charged with establishing links with the UN's specialised agencies and with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that would play a role in post-war Iraq. ORHA gave way to the now-defunct Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).