Services slowly returning in Sadr City

With the tenuous ceasefire in effect in Sadr City, life is slowly beginning to return normalize for the 2.5 million inhabitants of the run-down east Baghdad borough, the United Nations’ IRIN new agency reported on Sunday.

Schools have opened, shops are selling their wares, and the government has begun clearing the many mines that were put down by militants.

While peace is greatly appreciated by the residents of Sadr City, the lull in violence has also led them to reflect on the host of other issues they must contend with.

“We went through very bad and hard days since the clashes began,” said Ammar Wathiq Yousif, a cab driver and father of two. Now, he adds, “we’ve only returned to our normal daily suffering, which is of course better than what we’ve been through the past few weeks. We lack basic services, electricity is available for about six hours a day at best, and some streets are frequently flooded with sewage.”

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