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A report from the 11th Voices
in the Wilderness UK sanctions-breaking delegation to Iraq,
May 2002
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members of Voices in the Wilderness UK joined up with three
from Voices US to visit Iraq, from 8th to 18th May, on a sanctions-breaking
delegation. These pages detail some of the visits they made,
what they saw and the people they met.
Umm Hayder's eldest son, Hayder, was killed in 1999
when a US missile fell near their house in Al-Jumhuriya,
a poor district of Basra.
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story of sanctions and war |
Umm
Hyder's brother and his son
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We
met Umm Hayder on our visit to the Al Jumuriya district
in Basra. She told us of the difficulties of life was
after 12 years of sanctions. During this time her family
has gone from having a comfortable lifestyle, with good
material conditions and plenty to eat, to a situation
where almost everything has been sold to buy the bare
necessities of life.
As an English teacher, Umm Hayder had treasured her collection
of books which she's had to sell - clearly a great loss
for her. In the coming year, she will have to find the
money for a gynacological operation which will cost about
300,000 Iraqi dinar (about $175). Although the house only
has six rooms, there are now 24 people living in it, her
family, her husband's brothers and their families. There
is little work to be had - one brother works as a baker,
13 hours a day, for about the equivalent of 50 pence.
Others work sporadically but all must provide for their
families. Umm Hayder showed us the contents of the fridge
which had almost nothing in it - most days they only buy
food for one day - vegetables to supplement the food ration,
but hardly ever meat or fish.
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She
talked about how exhausting life has become and explained
how she had got up very early that morning to spend
three hours siphoning in water as the supply had gone
off in the night leaving the house with nothing for
the day. She regularly sees children in the school who
only have one meal a day and are too fatigued to study.
In the kitchen we saw marks left on the walls and ceilings
from the events of 25 January 1999 when a US missile
hit the district, killing about a dozen people.
Umm
Hayder lost her eldest son, Hayder (Umm means mother)
and her youngest Mustafa was badly injured. She recalled,
with great pain, the noise and shattering of glass in
the house and running out into the chaos to look for
her children. |
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I saw Mustafa - he wake and call me - momma, momma.
The dust and pieces of wood and iron and other things
- rocks - cover them… I saw my other son lying on the
floor and a circle of blood under his head and he was
sleeping. I talk to him, he didn't answer me and he didn't
wake. Then I take Mustafa, I ask my neighbour to carry
him with me, to carry Hayder with me, I can't carry both
of them. Then I carry Mustafa and run quickly to the highway
to take a car to the hospital. All of his body is full
of blood, and injury and wounded. Even his eyes is full
of blood. Then I took him to the hospital, they immediately
treat him and we stay there in the hospital for one month.
They cut his two fingers [off] and they open him because
the piece of missile, piece of iron, went through his
back and it destroy piece of his liver ….Now, from time
to time I send him, and take X-ray of his body, full of
pieces of missile. One of them is in the bone of his hip.
When he walks it crushes the bone. (From an interview
with Umm Hyder, 11 May 2002, edited) |
Mustafa
(left) with a friend
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The
street in Al-Jumhuriya, Basra where Umm Hayder lives.
The neighbourhood was hit by a US missile in January 1999.
Basra is in the southern 'no-fly' zone patrolled by US
and UK air forces. Many civilians have died in similar
attacks.
A film has been made about the
people who live on this street and their lives under sanctions
and war. 'Greetings from Missile Street' was made
by Voices US when a small group of them lived with the
people here during the summer of 2000. |
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voices uk - working in solidarity
with ordinary families in iraq
5 Caledonian Road, King's Cross, London N1 9DX
telephone : 0845 458 2564
voices@viwuk.freeserve.co.uk
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