Baghdad – Chaldean Christian Suha Daoud Elias al Najjar is the new President of the Iraqi National Investment Authority, a government body also involved in the management of resources made available by foreign investors for the national economic revival and reconstruction of conflict-devastated areas. The appointment of Suha al Najjar is part of the recent change at the top of government, financial, administrative and military institutions implemented in recent days by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, a reshuffle which also saw the replacement of the Governor of the Iraqi Central Bank and the appointment of the new Mayor of Baghdad.
Suha al Najjar, who belongs to a Chaldean Christian family originally from Karamlesh, in the Nineveh Plain, had already been chosen by Premier al Kadhimi as economic affairs advisor, and is the only woman included in the list of new executives selected by the Chief of the Iraqi government. In June, as reported by Agenzia Fides (see Fides, 8/6/2020), the same al Kadhimi had appointed Chaldean Christian Evan Faeq Yakoub Jabro, as head of the Ministry for the migration emergency and relocation of internally displaced persons. She teaches biology and distinguished herself in the past for paying attention to social emergencies concerning the younger generations, usually neglected by the blocks that dominate Iraqi politics..
The new appointments are presented by sources close to the government as a fulfillment of the executive’s promises of reform and fight against corruption against protesters who have taken to the streets in Iraqi cities for over a year. The protests in the streets, marked by the violence of the security apparatuses and paramilitary groups against the demonstrators, led to the fall of the previous government led by Adel Abdul Mahdi, according to many observers linked to Iran.
The new appointments at the top of government, financial and military institutions wanted by Premier al Kadhimi was harshly criticized by Muqtada al Sadr, who at the head of the Sadrist movement was successful in the last Iraqi political elections (2018). The Shiite leader, considered non-aligned with Iran, accused the government of continuing to assign offices following the logic of sectarian partition.
According to church sources, relaunched by the Iraqi website ankawa.com, Suha al Najjar met with Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako on Monday 14 September, before her appointment as President of the Iraqi National Investment Authority was made public.
Source: Agenzia Fides
