to Camp Hurriya has stalled and the UN chief in Iraq says he fears violence if the transfer isn’t resumed.
Martin Kobler, the United Nations envoy to Iraq, said Monday he is “concerned” that violence may break out if the relocation does not resume as planned.
Under a December 25 deal between the Mojahedin, the UN and Iraq, all 3,400 members of the Mojahedin are to move from their long-time base of Camp Ashraf to a new location called Camp Hurriya, a former American military base near Baghdad airport. At Hurriya, they are being processed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with a view to transferring them to other countries around the world.
“I urge the remaining residents of Camp Ashraf to relocate to Camp Hurriya without delay,” Kobler said in a statement, indicating that he was blaming the Mojahedin for the halt to the transfers.
“The relocation process should not be stalled. I am concerned that there will be violence if the relocation doesn’t recommence.”
Kobler did not specify what party he was concerned might instigate violence. But the Iraqi government has threatened to close Ashraf by force and has twice raided Ashraf, in July 2009 and April 2011. Those raids were said to have left 11 and 36 Mojahedin members dead respectively.
“Any violence would be unacceptable,” Kobler said, calling on “the government of Iraq to avoid any forceful relocation.”
The first group of the exiles moved to Camp Hurriya February 18. All were expected to be transferred in eight batches of little more than 400 each. The UN statement said that two-thirds of the Iranians have now been moved. It did not say when the last group went to Hurriya.
Kobler called on countries to include Mojahedin members “who are eligible for refugee status in their resettlement quotas” so they can be resettled outside Iraq. Last month, the UNHCR told the Iran Times only three Mojahedin members had yet been accepted for resettlement by other countries.