The KRG needs to demand that Baghdad pay for the IDPs

Rizgar Khoshnaw | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The whole world now is aware of the plight of the internally displaced Iraqis (IDP) in Kurdistan every since the terrorist group, ISIS began its offensive in Iraq in June.

To my surprise, the burden of those unfortunate IDPs has fallen on the local Kurdish government (KRG) and Baghdad, as well as the outside world, has not played any role in helping those displaced Iraqis. The KRG is already struggling financially since Baghdad has cut their 17% share of oil revenues almost one year ago and this added responsibility is too much for the KRG to absorb.

According to the KRG, there are more than one million IDPs are now living in Kurdistan. This huge number is taking a huge toll on the KRG financially and it is very puzzling to me that the KRG has not been firm with Baghdad about providing financial aid to those IDPs. After all, it is Baghdad’s fault that there are so many displaced Iraqis in the first place. It is now a well-known fact that the Iraqi military is so corrupt, and incompetent, that made it extremely easy/fast for ISIS to control a huge territories in Iraq and force Iraqis to flee their homes.

In a recent report, the Iraqi auditors found that there are 50,000 “ghost soldiers” on government payroll. This means that these soldiers do not exists and their superiors are collecting salaries of those fake “soldiers” and for this reason, the Iraqi military did not have the proper number of soldiers to repeal ISIS attack in Mosul. Once Mosul fail, then it was easy for ISIS to move and control other areas in Iraq knowing that the Iraqi military not only very weak, corrupt, but only few were willing to confront ISIS.

Since there is a desperate/urgent need for money in order to care for the IDPs, I think the KRG needs to demand that Baghdad cancel some of their very expensive and dormant project, just as the KRG has done recently, and use this money to care for those IDPs in Kurdistan. One specific project, Basmayiha housing, signed by the Iraqi government under Al-Maliki, was supposed to be an “investment” project and NOT a government funded one!

The Iraqi government has actually paid $1.9 Billion to a South Korean company (Hanwha Company) to build homes, and sell them to the private sector, in Baghdad! This Basmayhia project, awarded to Hanwha, should be cancel and the $1.9 Billion of Iraqi money should be returned to Iraq. Subsequently, the KRG can use this huge sum of money to care for the IDPs. Since this project ( see link below) hardly moved forward, KRG should aggressively lobby to have this project canceled immediately.

Reviewing the link below, it is easy to see that very little money has been spent so far, especially that the Iraqi government has paid Hanwha $1.9 Billion up front money! And, as if that is not enough money, Hanwha is collecting 25% down payment from buyers of these “investment” homes that they will never complete!!!

I am very surprised that the KRG is not thinking of such move and had never talked about this project even thought I have written about this subject a number of times in the past. Furthermore, I have personally written to many KRG officials ( using KRG web site contact information) in the past about this subject and yet, they have done nothing. KRG needs/must be aggressive with Baghdad and not allow Baghdad to control everything in Iraq and Kurdistan.

Rizgar Xoshnaw, a senior Kurdish writer based in Washington, a longtime contributing writer and columnist for iKurd.net.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.