Evacuating people and assets from Baghdad during civil unrest

On August 29th, 2022, Inherent Risks broadcast a Flash Alert to its clients in Iraq to inform them of significant and worsening civil unrest in and around Baghdad.

This situation started to unfold when powerful cleric, Moqtada as-Sadr, announced that he is quitting politics, sighting a corrupt government as his reasoning.

Crowds made their way, in protest, to the heavily fortified Green Zone where they stormed Government Buildings.

As a result, embassy staff of several countries were evacuated, with helicopters landing on the roof to extract them to safety.

Reports from oil and gas, and NGO clients, with expat and local staff on the ground, reported the situation to us as deteriorating rapidly, with little to no warning, and "becoming quite scary."

Overnight, gunfire and explosions could be seen and heard around the capital. Major airlines, including Emirates had suspended flights into Iraq until further notice.

The Inherent Risks team rapidly coordinated transport options to safe havens, and issued a shelter-in-place order for clients, outside three major cities, enabling sufficient time to prepare and plan suitable and safe emergency evacuation options.

Over 48-hours, Inherent Risks safely evacuated a total of 31 expat and in-country national staff to safe locations, including 18 emergency evacuations outside of the country.

In addition, coordinated the recovery of over £2m in assets, including armoured vehicles, telecommunications and IT equipment, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).