Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani (center) inaugurates the second Baghdad International Conference on Combating Drugs on July 22, 2024. Photo: PM Sudani’s office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Monday highlighted the threat that drugs pose to the country’s future, likening the effects of narcotics to those of war and displacement.
Sudani’s remarks came during the Baghdad International Conference on Combating Drugs, which is being held in the Iraqi capital for the second consecutive year. Delegations of interior ministries and drug enforcement agencies from nine regional countries, as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime were among the attendees.
“The threat of drugs not only harms our youth but endangers our entire future… The effects of drugs are akin to those of wars, displacement, and the uprooting of peoples from their foundations,” said Sudani, referring to drugs as one of the main factors of instability in the Middle East.
The Iraqi premier also highlighted the connection between terrorism and drug groups, stating that both crimes are linked and aim to target societies and weaken nations. He emphasized the need to boost the level of cooperation and stressed Baghdad’s willingness to share its expertise and capabilities.
“Drugs are no longer merely chemical substances that affect the minds of some individuals and users but a means to destroy societies from within,” he added.
The rate of drug addicts and dealers has been on an alarming rise in Iraq in recent years, despite strict measures taken by the Iraqi government to curb the phenomenon.
Sudani has ordered the establishment of rehabilitation centers in all Iraqi provinces, excluding the Kurdistan Region, as part of his cabinet’s commitment to combat drugs with the same determination as it fights terrorism.
In 2023, more than 19,000 people were arrested across Iraq on drug-related charges and over 15 tons of psychotropic substances were seized. At least 17 drug suspects were killed in clashes with security forces last year, according to the Iraqi interior ministry.
In a quadrilateral meeting in Amman in mid-February, the interior ministers of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon agreed to establish a joint communications cell to keep up cooperation on addressing the alarming rise of narcotics in their countries.
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