Fleeing to and from Basra

Forced migration has increased to and from Basra in recent months due to rising sectarian violence. Hussein al-Sa'idi, director of migration in Basra, said the province has been flooded with 900 families from Baghdad and (majority Sunni Arab areas) including Ramadi, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib. He described the situation as terrible and said there are not enough resources to care for the large numbers of families. Sheikh al-Hassan, representative for the Muslin Scholars Association in Basra, said 1,200 Sunni families from Basra (a majority Shia province) have been forced to leave because of threats from armed militias that he did not want to name. He maintained that many of the families have moved to Baghdad or left Iraq altogether. Hassan also said 25 (Sunni) citizens have been assassinated (in Basra) in May.