Return of sectarian displacement in Iraq

A United Nations official expressed deep concern at a fresh wave of "sectarian displacement" in a number of areas in north and south of Iraq. Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Gyorgy Posten, in a statement on Thursday, said there were recent reports about sectarian operations affecting tribes and some communities in Basra, Dhi Qar and Nineveh provinces. Violence practised by armed groups against these people to force them leave their homes is not acceptable and constitutes clear violation of basic human rights, he Posten said. He stressed that these practices may entail serious risks threatening communities in Iraq and the national reconciliation.