The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
Cross
(ICRC).25
Damage to
the high voltage electricity supply by the Coalition
had
affected
the water system. There were lessons to be learned.
45.
Cabinet
discussed the humanitarian situation later on 27
March.26
Ms Short
said
that Iraq
had been in a frail humanitarian state before the conflict. The big
risks now
were
inadequate water supplies and failed sanitation systems. The
military would have
responsibility
for providing humanitarian assistance once the shooting
stopped.
46.
A USAID
Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) crossed into Iraq for
the
first time
on 27 March, visiting Umm Qasr to assess the humanitarian situation
and the
condition
of the port, which was a major supply centre for the OFF
programme.27
The
team
reported that there were no major signs of humanitarian crisis, and
that the port
was in poor
but working condition.
47.
Also on 27
March, Mr Boateng agreed Ms Short’s request for £120m from
the
Reserve.28
Section
13.1 considers in more detail the resources that the
Government
made
available for humanitarian assistance (and
reconstruction).
48.
The UN
launched a Flash Appeal for Iraq on 28 March, requesting
US$2.22bn
to provide
six months’ food and non-food aid for Iraq.29
49.
DFID committed
£65m to support the Appeal.30
50.
The Royal
Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessel Sir Galahad docked at Umm Qasr
on
28 March
and finished offloading its cargo of 200 tonnes of water, food and
humanitarian
stores the
following day.31
It was the
first shipment of humanitarian assistance into Umm
Qasr since
the start of the invasion.
51.
The Kuwait-Umm
Qasr pipeline became operational on 30 March.32
The
pipeline
filled
three 24,000-litre tankers every 45 minutes.33
52.
DFID’s
internal update for 31 March reported that international ICRC staff
had
gained
access to Basra from Kuwait; the first international staff from a
humanitarian
agency to
do so since the beginning of military operations.34
25
Minutes, 27
March 2003, Ad Hoc Meeting on Iraq.
26
Cabinet
Conclusions, 27 March 2003.
27
Bowen SW
Jr. Hard
Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience. U.S.
Government Printing
Office,
2009.
28
Letter
Boateng to Short, 27 March 2003, ‘Iraq Humanitarian Funding:
Reserve Claim’.
29
United
Nations, 28 March 2003, Transcript
of Press Conference by Deputy Secretary-General Louise
Fréchette at
United Nations Headquarters, 28 March 2003.
30
Report
DFID, 1 April 2003, ‘Iraq Humanitarian Situation Update No.8
(Internal)’.
31
Report MOD,
29 March 2003, ‘Iraq: Update for the Number 10 Sitrep – as at 1630Z
29 March
2003’;
The
Guardian, 28 March
2003, Aid being
delivered by Sir Galahad; Daily Mail, 28 March
2003,
‘Sir Galahad
docks with aid shipment’.
32
Report MOD,
30 March 2003, ‘Iraq: Update for the Number 10 Sitrep – as at 0730
30 March 2003’.
33
Report
DFID, 3 April 2003, ‘Iraq Humanitarian Situation Update: No 10
(internal)’.
34
Report
DFID, 31 March 2003, ‘Iraq Humanitarian Situation Update: No 7
(internal)’.
12