ICC Note: Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil has unveiled a 2-3 year reconstruction plan for Iraqi Christians. Likening it to the Marshal Plan that rebuilt Europe after WWII, Warda is asking for aid from the international community in re-establishing the church communities that were ravaged by ISIS and occupied by the militants for the last two and a half years.

02/04/2017 Iraq (WWM): The Archbishop of Erbil in northern Iraq, who is overseeing the care of thousands of displaced Christians who fled Islamic State jihadists, has announced ambitious plans for the Church and charities to reconstruct their towns and villages.

Archbishop Bashar Warda told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that he is raising funds for the rebuilding of the villages and their social infrastructure so that the IDPs (internally displaced persons) can return to their villages “with hope and security”.

He made his comments as a priest involved in aid work in the area urged the international community to launch “a new Marshall Plan” there, At the same time, he urged the international community to fund a “new Marshall Plan” there, akin to the large-scale US investment and aid that helped western Europe regain economic stability after World War II.

The archbishop noted that returning to villages liberated from IS had been a painful step for the Christians who were chased from their homes two and a half years earlier. “The desecration and destruction in the newly liberated villages was so personal in its hatred and anger that it dealt further deep and destabilising blows to the IDPs when witnessing their destroyed homes, livelihoods and communities,” he said.

He envisaged a “two-to-three-year transition period” before the IDPs might be able to return from Iraqi Kurdistan to their towns. This is to allow time for the nearby hub city of Mosul to be fully liberated and the city and surrounding areas to be cleared of mines and booby traps. He added that it was also vital that they “assess the state of mind of the Mosul people after two and a half years of being under ISIS”. He said reconciliation work will be needed to address high levels of fear, and the likelihood of revenge, in the city and the surrounding areas.

…

[Full Story]