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January 9, 2020 The tense climate between the US and Iran in Iraq - after the killing of Iranian general Suleimani and the subsequent Iranian retaliation - is now in danger of leaving hundreds of thousands of people exhausted without the humanitarian aid on which they depend. This is the alarm launched by Oxfam in the face of the limitations that the current situation imposes on the circulation and distribution of aid in the areas where some of the most vulnerable communities are located.

"At the moment, for safety reasons, we have been forced to suspend our work in three locations where we economically support many families for the purchase of basic necessities. If the current status quo persists in the coming weeks, they would suffer further 100 thousand extremely vulnerable people, "said Riccardo Sansone, Oxfam Italia's humanitarian emergency manager.

"Oxfam is one of the few humanitarian organizations working in the areas most affected by the latest conflict and is rescuing over 1 million Iraqis in 5 governorates together with our local partners, ensuring access to clean water and food, and targeted interventions to ensure the safety and protection of women. As far as possible, we will continue our work, but now we can do nothing but transfer part of our staff while keeping the others under close observation, to ensure their safety, he continued. Oxfam also had to close his offices in Erbil, asking the field staff to avoid travel. "Our office in Erbil is only three kilometers from the airport hit by one of the missiles launched. Our personnel heard the rockets and witnessed the impact, while the operators who were in Ramadi saw the missile pass over the city before it hit the Ain - al Asad military base, "said Samson.

Faced with the current escalation of tension in the area, Oxfam calls on all parties to the conflict to get to work immediately to build lasting peace in the area and prevent people who have already suffered the effects of decades of wars from being affected by further suffering. "The impact of another regional conflict in the Middle East would be catastrophic for tens of millions of civilians and would bring the current humanitarian aid system in the area to a breaking point, which is already facing one emergency after another for years, with a very high number of displaced people, who depend on aid to survive ", according to Samson. "Just look at the numbers. In the Middle East and North Africa over 18 million people have already been forced to leave their homes because of violence and persecution: more than a quarter of all the displaced and refugees in the world. Iran alone it hosts almost a million refugees from Afghanistan, where the war, which started almost 20 years ago, seems to never end, "he continued.

Oxfam has also launched an urgent appeal to the US and Iran and to all interested parties in the area to respect international humanitarian law, guaranteeing the protection of civilians and the arrival of aid to an exhausted population. He asked the Italian government for an active role, also in Europe, for a peaceful resolution of the tensions in the area through its diplomatic action. "The protection and safety of civilians must be the first priority, as clearly established by international law. The international community must therefore act courageously in defense of these fundamental principles by reminding the leaders of the countries involved that it is their responsibility to avoid further suffering to population ", concluded Samson.