ISHM: December 17 – December 24, 2020 – Iraq

Key takeaways:

• Parliament funds elections amid “consensus” reports on delay; Iraqi Leaders Condemn Attack on Embassy; Cabinet approves budget for 2021 – On December 17, the Iraqi Parliament voted to approve 329 billion Iraqi dinars in funding for the Electoral Commission to prepare for the next elections, scheduled for June 2021. On December 21, a lawmaker from the Kurdistan Democratic Party He said there was “consensus among the majority of political blocs to postpone the elections until October 30, 2021.” On December 20, the Iraqi president condemned a rocket attack that targeted the Green Zone in Baghdad, saying such “criminal actions endanger the lives, safety and property of citizens and represent an attack on the sovereignty of the country “. Moqtada al-Sadr and Hadi al-Amiri also condemned the attack. On December 21, the Iraqi cabinet voted to approve a draft federal budget for 2021. Prime Minister Kadhimi assured the public that the budget, which awaits Parliament’s approval, will not cut the salaries of low-income government employees. The budget includes $ 103 billion in expenditures with an estimated deficit of $ 43 billion. It imposes increasing taxes on employees who receive more than 50,000 Iraqi dinars a month. plus…
• ** The attacks target coalition activists and contractors; New Rocket Attack Targets US Embassy, ​​Inviting Stern US Warnings – ** Between December 20-23, ten IEDs exploded in Baghdad, Ninewa, Dhi-Qar, Babylon and Diyala, killing one Iraqi and wounding at least eight. Two of the improvised explosive devices targeted activists’ houses in Dhi-Qar, while three targeted trucks carrying supplies for the International Coalition. On December 20, at least eight rockets hit the US Embassy in the Green Zone, wounding an Iraqi soldier and damaging several buildings. Prime Minister Kadhimi said his government arrested several suspects, as well as security commanders in charge of parts of the capital. CENTCOM said it was “certain” that an Iranian-backed “rogue” militia was responsible for the attack, and said the United States will hold Iran responsible if any Americans are killed as a result of future attacks, a warning repeated by President Trump. Between December 19 and 23, Iraqi security forces killed at least 20 ISIS militants in operations in Jurf al-Sakhr, Ninewa, Kirkuk and Diyala. plus…

• The Netherlands and Germany finance water projects and job creation; WFP says there are 1.7 million in “acute need”; Camp closures affected 32,000 in November; Iraq closes borders – On December 21, UNDP and UNICEF said the Netherlands will provide more than $ 6 million to support programs to provide clean water to 960,000 people in Basra. UNDP also said that Germany will invest nearly $ 36 million in job creation programs in five Iraqi provinces. On December 21, the World Food Program reported that 1.28 million people remain internally displaced across Iraq and that 1.77 million are in dire need of assistance. On December 22, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that recent closures of IDP camps affected 32,000 internally displaced persons in the six-week period ending November 30, being “refuge, livelihoods and food ”the main concerns of the returnees. On December 22, Iraq issued new orders to counter the spread of COVID-19, closing land borders and banning travel between Iraq and eight other countries. On December 24, the Iraqi Ministry of Health reported that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased to 588,803. Deaths from confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 12,744, while the number of patients currently in hospitals decreased to 48,718. To date, 527,341 patients have recovered from the virus and Iraq has tested 4,294,885 samples for COVID-19. The daily average number of new cases decreased again from 1,313 / day last week to 1,193 / day this week. plus…

• The Central Bank devalues ​​the Dinar; Port projects are moving forward; Customs revenues increased 40%; Court permits mobile license renewals – On December 19, the Central Bank of Iraq said that the government decided to change the official exchange rate of the Iraqi currency against the dollar, devaluing the dinar by more than 20%. On December 21, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil announced that it will supply Lebanon with unspecified volumes of fuel oil starting in 2021. On December 22, the Iraqi Cabinet authorized the director general of the Iraqi Ports Company to execute agreements for a Estimated value of $ 2.6 billion with Daewoo E&C of Korea. in connection with the first phase of infrastructure construction at Iraq’s planned Fao port. On December 22, new government data showed that customs and tax revenue at seven of Iraq’s major ports of entry increased by nearly 41% during the period from June to November 2020 compared to the same period last year. . December 23th al-Mada reported, citing legal experts, that an Iraqi court has ruled that it allows license renewal for Iraq’s three mobile network operators: Zain, Asiacell and Korek. plus…