Newswire:

Iraqi Refugees Turning To Anti-American Militias

The United States hasn’t exactly fulfilled all of its promises to the innumerable number of Iraqis who have been displaced by war. Two million of the country’s residents have fled its borders in fear of sectarian violence. Millions more, meanwhile, have been internally displaced. [Washington Post]

This latter group — those who have been displaced within the country’s borders — are now turning to militias to receive aide, according to a new report from Refugees International.

“Militias of all denominations are improving their local base of support by providing social services in neighborhoods and towns they control,” the report says.

It also finds that the Iraqi government, “although it has access to large sums of money,” lacks the capacity and political will “to address humanitarian needs.”

Many diplomats and NGOs have been shocked at how the American-backed al-Maliki government has handled its refugee situation. “Iraq’s response has been woefully inadequate, and more should be done to help the refugees,” one diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity said. “But the cabinet has not focused on it because of other problems, and the ministry handling refugees is dysfunctional.”

The government’s dysfunction, though, could result in disastrous sectarian consequences. The Refugees International study found that, with many displaced Iraqis living in poverty, the movement of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has become Iraq’s “largest ‘humanitarian’ organization.” It said that Sadr’s group ” ‘resettles’ displaced Iraqis free of charge in homes that belonged to Sunnis.” It said Sunni militias “play a similar role with displaced and needy Sunnis.”

This, of course, isn’t the first time that the Bush administration and the al-Maliki government have been slammed with accusations of short-changing refugees. Last year, for instance, the U.S. pledged to allow 7,000 Iraqi refugees to resettle here, but only 1,608 ever made it. [Mic Check]

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