MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th October, 2019) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is ready to tackle humanitarian issues that may be triggered by anti-government protests in Iraq, ICRC President Peter Maurer told Sputnik in an interview.
People in Iraq have been protesting for days, calling for economic reforms, an end to corruption and dismissal of the government. Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi ordered a probe into the death of over 100 protesters.
"We have already addressed [the protests] in the immediate emergency. Our colleagues have provided surgical kits to hospitals nearby who have treated the wounded from the street fighting. We have supported the Iraqi Red Crescent, we have supported the authorities in order to treat the wounded from this situation and we will see how the situation evolves, but we are always interested and ready to engage in prevention as well as in mitigation of the effects of the present situation," Maurer said.
The ICRC has a "big operation" in Iraq and is trying to "respond to those new challenges," Maurer said.
