Refuge for Third Country Nationals Fleeing War in Iraq

April 3, 2003

Amman, Jordan: As the first United States air strikes hit Baghdad two weeks ago, Malual Agu Malual Dor and his family headed for safety. Their destination was "Camp B," which has been set aside for third country nationals (TCNs), the acronym given people fleeing the war who are not Iraqi nationals.

In the eastern desert region of Jordan, near a remote outpost called Rusheiwa, Malual, his wife Halima and their five children found the secure campsite. A few hundred other TCNs originally from Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia were also there.

Originally from Wau in southern Sudan, Malual explained that he had been working in Baghdad for the last 19 years or so and that he had stayed in Iraq through the Iraq-Iran conflict and the 1991 Gulf War. He had since married, and therefore thought it best to leave this time for the safety of his family.

Speaking to Nils Carstensen of Action by Churches Together (ACT), Malual was emphatic that he would not return to his country of birth. "How can they send me back to Sudan? There is another war there and I cannot take my family there. It is not safe for us."

Carstensen reports that about 60 Sudanese are still in the camp -- all saying that it is too dangerous to return to that country. The majority of the TCNs have been repatriated. He said, "Conditions in the camp are reasonable, but not suitable for long stays. It was only intended as a transit camp. ...In the heat of summer the conditions will be blistering." He added that Malual and his family hope that the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will help them and recognize them as refugees and that this could eventually lead to their being settled in other countries such as Canada, Australia or the US.

Carstensen also travelled to "Camp A," another site that has been prepared for Iraqi refugees. "There is no one there," he reports. ACT member Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is, however, completing latrines in the camp, in anticipation of refugees crossing the border to escape the war.

Meanwhile, ACT has learned that the Middle East Council representative in Iraq, Edward Ishu, has sent a fax to the MECC-Beirut office, saying that he and his family have arrived safely in Mosul. They could however not return to Baghdad. He was trying to arrange for basic relief supplies to be brought in from Lebanon for the MECC/ACT relief centers in Mosul. MECC in Jordan has been preparing 1500 family-sized boxes of assorted dried food items that can be distributed at short notice, pending security. Each box should last a family at least two weeks.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is one of Action by Churches Together's (ACT) partners in this humanitarian response. ACT is an ecumenical coalition that includes many groups, such as the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and Church World Service (CWS). One hundred percent of your tax-deductible gift to Advance #623225 "Iraq Emergency" will be used for this response. The generous giving of United Methodists to the One Great Hour of Sharing supplements the cost of Advance gifts. Give through a local United Methodist church or send financial contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Call 1-800-554-8583 to make a credit card donation.

Source: Action by Churches Together, http://www.act-intl.org.

Photos: Halima and her daughter. Malual Agu Malual and his daughter. Credit: Nils Carstensen, ACT International.