In the latest wave of violence to strike the capital, Baghdad, at least 30 people have reportedly been killed in a series of car bombings on Saturday. The attacks came at the end of the day-long fast Muslims are observing during the month of Ramadan.

Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), condemned “in the strongest terms” these attacks as well as other violent acts that have killed and injured hundreds of innocent people.

“These criminal acts targeting Muslims praying in mosques or gathering after breaking their fast are senseless. The holy month of Ramadan should be a time for spirituality and forgiveness, instead of increasing violence and division,” he stated.

“I am deeply saddened that my last words as the SRSG for Iraq have to be linked to violence and criminal acts,” he added. “I call on all Iraqis not to let violence prevail and to work together toward peace and dialogue, the only sustainable solution.”

Last week, in his final briefing to the Security Council as the UN envoy for Iraq, Mr. Kobler noted an “alarming” scale of renewed violence in the country during the latest four months, with nearly 3,000 people killed and over 7,000 more wounded.

He added that Iraq’s transition towards democracy and prosperity is in a crucial phase, and warned that with violence spiking, perpetrators are taking advantage of the instability caused by the ongoing political stalemate and the crisis in neighbouring Syria.

Mr. Kobler, a German national, will soon take up his new post as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and head of the UN peacekeeping mission there.

“Without enough safe water and sanitation, the likelihood that children in Syria and those living as refugees around the region will fall sick with diarrhoea and other diseases is certain to rise,” said Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

In Syria, the availability of safe water is one third what it was before the crisis. Many of the civilians displaced by the conflict live in overcrowded shelters with insufficient access to toilets and showers. Sewage systems are damaged or overwhelmed by the increase in displaced populations, the agency stated in a news release. Without enough safe water and sanitation, the likelihood that children in Syria and those living as refugees around the region will fall sick with diarrhoea and other diseases is certain to rise.

In refugee camps like Domiz in Iraq – expanded to accommodate around 25,000 people but now hosting almost twice that number – conditions are just as severe. In Jordan’s Za’atari camp, aid agencies are struggling to meet the needs of what is now the world’s second biggest refugee camp, housing at least 120,000 people.

In Lebanon, more than half a million refugees are scattered in host communities and in informal tented settlements, placing increased pressure on existing water and sanitation services. Multiple families often share small apartments or live in makeshift settlements that lack access to safe water, basic toilets and waste collection. Women and children often have to walk long distances to collect water that in many cases may be unfit for drinking, UNICEF noted.

There are some 6.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance as a result of the fighting between the Syrian army and opposition forces seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad. The crisis, which began in March 2011, has claimed more than 93,000 lives and sent some 1.5 million people fleeing to neighbouring countries for safety.

As the escalating conflict triggers larger population movements, UNICEF has accelerated efforts to provide sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services, reaching almost nine million people since the beginning of the year.

The agency warns, however, that funding constraints remain an issue. “Providing water, sanitation and hygiene services to those affected by this crisis is our most costly operation – but one of the least funded,” Ms. Calivis said.

UNICEF needs more than $200 million for its water, sanitation and hygiene programmes in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq until the end of the year. Nearly half way through the year, it remains $124 million short of this target.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights at least 62 murdered civilians have been found in a Sunni neighbourhood of the Syrian city of Banias,  reported AFP.

“We have identified 62 citizens by their names, photos, or videos, including 14 children,” the group said, adding that the toll could rise.

The group also,  posted online a video showing the bodies of 10 people it said were killed in the district of the city Ras al Nabaa with most of them being children.

The videos and reports of the killings could not be independently verified as the Syrian government restricts access for independent media.

Banias, like Daraa saw some of the first demonstrations since the two-year conflict began in March 2011.

The region’s three main coastal cities of Banias, Latakia and Tartus and their surrounding areas which are referred to as “Alawite heartland” where analysts predict that Assad could seek protection if his regime collapses.

Meanwhile , the State Department strongly condemned the massacre in al-Baida village.

“The United States is appalled by horrific reports that more than 100 people were killed May 2 in gruesome attacks on the coastal town of al-Bayda, Syria. Regime and Shabiha forces reportedly destroyed the area with mortar fire then stormed the town and executed entire families, including women and children. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this tragedy,” State Department said in a statement.

“We strongly condemn atrocities against the civilian population and reinforce our solidarity with the Syrian people. As the Assad regime’s violence against innocent civilians escalates, we will not lose sight of the men, women, and children whose lives are being so brutally cut short. We call on all responsible actors in Syria to speak out against the perpetration of unlawful killings against any group, regardless of faith or ethnicity. Those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of human rights law must be held accountable.”

The massacre in Ras al Nabaa took place two days after gunmen loyal to the regime  killed at least  50 Sunnis in the nearby village of al-Baida.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials have confirmed that the country’s air force carried out a strike against Syria and say it targeted a shipment of advanced missiles, Al Jazeera reported.

The officials said on Saturday the shipment was weapons bound for the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

Sectarian clashes and massacres have increased in the two-year-old uprising has been led by Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority  which has left more than 70,000 people dead.

“We took a decision to suspend the licence of some satellite channels that adopted language encouraging violence and sectarianism,”  Mujahid Abu al-Hail of the Communications and Media Commission told AFP on Sunday.

Al Jazeera has not been formally notified of the ban it said.

The ban includes 9 other satellite TV channels.

The move comes after a wave of violence that began on Tuesday with clashes between security forces and Sunni Arab protesters in northern Iraq that has killed a total of more than 170 people.

The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shia-majority country.

The protesters have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for allegedly targeting their community.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called for peace in a speech on Iraqi TV on Saturday.

In his speech, he said sectarian conflict had returned to Iraq “because it began in another place in this region” – a clear reference to Syria.

The protesters have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite, and railed against authorities for allegedly targeting their community.

U.N. special representative to Iraq Martin Kobler, who has condemned the 5-day violence in Northern Iraq, said Thursday that civilian and government leaders must work together to calm Iraq’s society.

“These are despicable and brutal acts of violence, particularly in such sensitive areas as Kirkuk,” said Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

A series of car bombs near Shia Muslim mosques targeting worshippers attending Friday prayers have killed at least 18 people and injured more than 100, according to Al Jazeera.

The blasts on Friday, struck within an hour of each other in the Baghdad neighbourhoods of Binook, Qahira, Zafraniyah and Jihad, as well as in an area of the northern city of Kirkuk, the news agency added.

“These acts will not undermine the true and deep believe in peaceful coexistence among the people of the symbolic province of Kirkuk,” Mr. Kobler added.

No group immediately has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Sunni Muslim fighters linked to al-Qaeda frequently target Shia Muslims.

The latest blasts come just days after the 10th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq in, which tousted the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Mr. Kobler extended his deep sympathy and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

On Saturday 17 February, at least 84 people, mostly Shiite Hazaras, were killed when a bomb exploded in a vegetable market in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.

The bombing was claimed by the anti-Shiite armed group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). LeJ also claimed responsibility for a series of bombings targeting Hazaras in Quetta on 10 January 2013 that claimed more than 90 lives.

“These attacks demonstrate Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s utter disregard for human rights and basic principles of humanity,” said Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia-Pacific Director.

“Also shocking is the continued failure of the authorities to bring to justice any of those responsible for committing these killings, or inciting others to carry them out.”

To Amnesty International’s knowledge, no one has been prosecuted for the January 2013 attacks or other targeted killings of Hazaras in recent years.

The authorities also have a poor record of prosecuting those who incite attacks on people on the basis of their religious beliefs, including prominent leaders of groups like LeJ.

“The failure to bring these perpetrators to justice sends the signal that they can continue to commit these outrageous abuses with impunity,” said Arradon.

Amnesty International has documented 91 separate attacks on Shiites across Pakistan since January 2012 that have resulted in around 500 fatalities.

Amnesty International calls on the Pakistani authorities to immediately carry out an impartial and independent investigation into the persistent failure of civil and military authorities to end such attacks.

“The Pakistani security authorities must be held accountable for their failure to protect Quetta’s Hazara community and the population at large,” Arradon said.

“The Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI) issued verdict of penalties by hanging against Tariq al-Hashimi and his son-in-law Ahmed Qahtan after finding them guilty in the case of bombing a KIA minibus among Shiite pilgrims on the major Shiite ritual of Ashura last year,” the spokesman of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) Abdul-Sattar al-Biraqdar told reporters, according to Xinhua.

The court passed the sentence in absentia on al-Hashemi who is currently in Turkey.

Al-Hashemi and his aide and son-in-law Ahmed Qahtan received last Thursday the second death sentence on charges of instigating the killing of an interior ministry official.

Last September they were sentenced to death for their involvement in the killing of an Iraqi army officer and a lawyer.

Iraq’s Shiite-led government has accused al-Hashemi of being involved in 150 bombings, assassinations and other attacks from 2005 to 2011 most of which were allegedly carried out by his bodyguards and other employees. Al-Hashemi has claimed that his bodyguards were likely tortured or otherwise coerced into testifying against him.

Interpol has also issued a “red notice” for al-Hashimi in May, “on suspicion of guiding and financing terrorist attacks in the country.” The notice calls on the 190 countries that belong to the international police organization to help locate and arrest him, at the request of the Iraqi authorities. No such action has been taken to arrest him since the notice was issued. Al-Hashimi is now living in Turkey. Before that, he lived in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and also traveled to Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the invitation of those governments.

Soon after U.S. troops fully withdrew from Iraq late last year, Iraq plunged into serious political problems as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki sought to arrest his political rival Hashimi, a leading member of the Sunni-backed political bloc of Iraqia, over terror charges.

The court also tried his secretary and son-in-law Ahmed Qahtan in absentia and sentenced him to death.
 
Iraq’s Shiite-led government has accused al-Hashemi of being involved in 150 bombings, assassinations and other attacks from 2005 to 2011 most of which were allegedly carried out by his bodyguards and other employees. Al-Hashemi has claimed that his bodyguards were likely tortured or otherwise coerced into testifying against him.

Interpol issued a “red notice” for al-Hashimi in May, “on suspicion of guiding and financing terrorist attacks in the country.” The notice calls on the 190 countries that belong to the international police organization to help locate and arrest him, at the request of the Iraqi authorities. No such action has been taken to arrest him since the notice was issued four months ago. Al-Hashimi is now living in Turkey.  Before that, he lived in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and also traveled to Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the invitation of those governments.

Meanwhile, suspected al-Qaeda fighters and other armed groups have killed at least 73 people in a wave of attacks in Iraq, accoridng to Al Jazeera.  

After the fall of Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein and the rise of Iraq’s Shi’ite majority to power, many Iraqi Sunnis feel they have been sidelined.

“Clashes between rival neighbourhoods in Tripoli continue, and this has affected the pace of registration from our newly established centre in the city,” a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Adrian Edwards, told a media briefing in Geneva.

According to media reports, fighting between supporters and opponents of the Syrian Government in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has killed more than 12 people this week, and there has been an increase in tensions in other parts of the country, such as the northern city of Tripoli. According to AFP, a sniper has killed a Sunni sheikh in the Lebanese city of Tripoli, sparking new clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian factions that dashed a tenuous truce.

“The registration centre was open until yesterday with reduced staff as about half of them live in areas affected by shooting. Today, however, we’ve had to close the centre temporarily for security reasons,” Mr. Edwards said, adding that UNHCR would continue its operations despite the security challenges.

Syria has been wracked by violence, with an estimated 17,000 people, mostly civilians, killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 17 months ago.

Some 51,000 Syrians have registered or applied to register with UNHCR in Lebanon. One of the refugee agency’s key concerns is to identify and rehabilitate alternative shelters for the growing number of people staying in schools, which are due to resume classes next month.

Overall, the total number of Syrian refugees registered or awaiting registration with UNHCR currently stands at 202,512.

UNHCR is also continuing its operations in Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Syria, the spokesperson added. In Turkey, the country hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees, seven new camps are being built, which will bring the total number of camps to 16, with a capacity to hold 130,000 people.

In addition, the spokesperson said, the agency continues its work in Syria itself, despite an escalation in military activity in the capital, Damascus, which has restricted staff movements and the ability of refugees to access the UNHCR office.

“Our hotlines continue to operate giving counselling to refugees who enquire about relocation, food distribution, financial assistance, residency issues, registration and resettlement,” Mr. Edwards said. “Relief items like hygiene kits and mattresses are being distributed to displaced people via our partners.”

The perfect place for a capital for the Alawi sect!

For nearly twenty years now, Homs has become the place where the Alawi have been emigrating to in their thousands, coming from their villages in the mountains around the city and illegally building huge areas for their own communities. When I say illegally, I mean that most of the housing, schools and shops, in their areas have been built without permits; none necessary, of course, as their leader Bashar, let’s them do as they like whilst the rest of the Homs Community, made up of approx. 70% Sunni Muslim and approx. 10% Christian have to apply for permits, even to paint and decorate their homes INSIDE, which seems to most people, almost unbelievable!

The biggest problem in Homs specifically is that the Alawi community never lived amongst the Muslims and Christians, preferring to keep together in their hugely expanding areas across the main road to Damascus. On my last visit to their area last year, I was shocked at the expansion of the area, the amazing new roads, sports centers, shopping areas; it had grown beyond belief!

Of course, they came into the main city to work, the majority of them given government jobs, many never attending their positions, just turning up, in the city at the end of the month, to cash their government pay checks, lining up in their hundreds, outside the government office, I saw them every month, asking myself, where did all these people come from? Yes, government jobs were mostly given to the Alawi, especially high ranking positions, whether deserving or not, and over the twenty years I lived there, you could feel their rule over the city, becoming tighter and tighter, as they filled their pockets with bribes, we were forced to pay, in order to do any normal business or daily tasks, even the Police, also mostly Alawi in Homs, would stop your car, or our school bus, with no cause, just to put money in their pockets, and we paid, it was easier than the hours of standing in line, being treated like second class citizens, and then paying in the end anyway!

They began to strangle the population with their corruption, and it became almost impossible for the youth to find the work they deserved, after finishing university, as the best jobs were all theirs.

University professors openly took bribes from their students in order to allow them to pass their exams. Don’t pay, don’t pass! It was clear and simple, and I know for a fact that the Alawi students during exam times, were given the answers to the exam questions beforehand, as they always finished their tests in amazing time, having not studied the night before, and would joke about this often!

Homs would be theirs! We knew this when the Mayor, Eyad Ghazal, came up with a new plan: ‘Homs Dream’. And what a dream it was! Property was bought from the Muslim and Christian owners in the Old City of Homs, forcibly by the government, at only a fraction of its true value to make way for car parks. Yes, people’s lives were ruined, and the greenbelt farmlands, between Homs and the Waar neighborhood were also in the plan to be taken, in order to make way, as they said, for public gardens. Also, of course, at less than 10% of the real estate value. The people of Homs began to become agitated, with good reason. The plan was obvious; the city was to be sold cheaply to the Alawi sect, and then they would start moving in!

The plan was already in action, many years before, as I noticed, with my own teachers in my school, many of whom were Alawi, that their identity cards, said Homs, Khaldiyi, or Bayada, when they certainly came from Latakia or Tartous! This is a rule never broken in Syria; identity cards MUST show the place of ancestry, so their plan was in action, they were already Homsis, even though they were never born there. The mayor was prepared to destroy the heritage of the old city just to get his people moved in, but the people of Homs saw this cunning trick and in the first demonstration called out for the removal of the Mayor and his horrific ‘Dream’. On being met with live bullets, as I saw myself, the first demonstration quickly turned for the worst. Horrified at the immediate attacks by government forces upon them, they began calling for the fall of the regime instead and ripping the pictures of the President from the Officers Club on the Hama Road in Homs.

Homs would stop the Mayor’s dream, the President’s dream. And Homs is still fighting today, stopping the government fulfilling their dream of destroying Old Homs and creating it into the Alawi Capital. Now more than 53% of the City of Homs has been destroyed, and 70% of the Muslim and Christian community displaced. Is this ethnic cleansing? Yes, personally I can think of no other way of describing it, and the world’s silence allows Bashar to push forward with his dream of Homs the Alawi Capital of Syria.

Helen Dayem is a Syrian Activist from Homs.