Posted on by jiminthemiddleeast

Don’t talk about reconstruction, Syria is still at war

On 27 June, Human Rights Watch released a new report arguing that the Syrian government is co-opting humanitarian aid and reconstruction assistance to entrench its repressive policies. The New York-based rights group found the government restricts access of humanitarian organisations to communities in need of aid, approves aid projects selectively, and imposes requirements on groups…

Posted on by jiminthemiddleeast

Erbil to Baghdad – Iraq under rubble

The official proclamation of the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) was loudly celebrated throughout Iraq and in western countries but a place untouched by such optimism is Mosul and its surrounding cities, which are now mountains of post-war rubble. Despite the celebrations following the so called liberation of ISIS controlled areas and international community…