ICRC News 03 / 03-Feb-00
ICRC News 03 / 03-Feb-00
** SHORT MENU....
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a camp for the displaced
"They came down the river to escape the fighting", said Moise, a clergyman
who also works for the government agency in charge of reintegrating
displaced people into society.
Sudan: Vaccination programme in Chelkou:
Carrying out vaccination programmes in conflict areas has long been a
priority for humanitarian organizations despite the logistic and security
problems that are sometimes involved.
Yugoslavia / Kosovo: Handover at Merdare
It was a scene that could have come straight from a novel by John Le Carre:
the icy roadway gleaming white under a canopy of stars in a cloudless sky,
temperatures edging the wrong way past minus 10 degrees, soldiers in combat
uniform carrying automatic rifles, a line of vehicles standing empty by the
roadside while their occupants, huddled in small groups, peered anxiously
towards the checkpoint, their breath condensing in the frosty air and
mixing with the smoke of fast-burning cigarettes.
India: The International Criminal Court: Challenges ahead
A one-day seminar aimed at focusing the attention of academic circles on
the International Criminal Court (ICC) was held on 29 January by the ICRC
in cooperation with the law department of Punjab University in Chandigarh,
the joint capital of the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana.
Jordan: Regional seminar on juveniles in detention:
Experts and officials from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,
Egypt, Qatar and the Palestinian Authority met in Jordan on 24 and 25
January at a regional seminar held to discuss issues relating to juveniles
in detention.
** STORIES IN FULL...
Democratic Republic of the Congo
At a camp for the displaced
"They came down the river to escape the fighting", said Moise, a clergyman
who also works for the government agency in charge of reintegrating
displaced people into society. "They" - two women - had recently arrived at
a camp for the displaced in Kinkole, on the outskirts of Kinshasa.
Moise runs the camp, which shelters slightly more than 1,100 people (around
580 families), including 641 women (most of whom were separated from their
husbands during the hostilities) and 470 children. The camp, which opened
in November 1999, initially took in 400 of the 1,800 displaced persons
repatriated from Bangui (Central African Republic) by UNHCR. Mostly women
and children, these people had fled the fighting in Equateur province, in
the north-western Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Stretched out above the river Congo, the camp, which is not fenced in, is
surrounded by dense vegetation and rice fields cultivated by local farmers.
The displaced people have moved into abandoned buildings, of which it can
at least be said that they have roofs (repaired by the ICRC) and sturdy
walls. The shelter afforded is especially welcome at the end of the rainy
season, with its sudden, heavy downpours. A dozen policemen patrol the
grounds, adding to the feeling of security.
On the day of the visit, a truck marked with a red cross pulled into the
camp and the children immediately gathered around: it was distribution
time. There was no mad scramble for the rice, red beans, salt and oil, only
laughter and wide-open eyes.
The ICRC has been providing these people with food aid and basic medical
supplies from the very start. It turns the medicine over to a specialized
Congolese NGO, which comes to the camp once a week. In between visits, two
women who live in the camp and have some medical knowledge act as nurses.
Two ICRC delegates, one of them a doctor, had come to talk with Moise about
daily problems in the camp. Now it was time for the Congolese authorities
to find a way to reintegrate these people into society so that they could
lead active lives again. The two delegates explained this to Moise, who
listened attentively. Assistance is important, but the authorities must
also be made aware of the need to shoulder their responsibilities if this
camp is not to go the way of so many other camps in Africa and become a
permanent place of exile.
Further information: Roland Sidler, ICRC Geneva, Tel. ++ 41 22 730 20 45
Sudan
Vaccination programme in Chelkou
Carrying out vaccination programmes in conflict areas has long been a
priority for humanitarian organizations despite the logistic and security
problems that are sometimes involved. So when ICRC delegates based in
Chelkou, in the Bahr al-Ghazal region of southern Sudan, were approached by
the population, the local authorities and the Sudan Relief and
Rehabilitation Association on the subject, they responded immediately. As
part of the ICRC's ongoing primary health-care activities in the area, the
delegates undertook to train nine health workers in vaccination procedures
and to set up a far-reaching immunization programme.
The nine workers, who were trained by two ICRC health delegates from 17 to
31January, have now passed their final exams and are ready to take up their
tasks. When the programme starts up in March, its aims will be twofold.
Regular immunization sessions will be organized at the ICRC's primary
health-care unit for people living in Chelkou and nearby villages. In
addition, outreach sessions will be held for the inhabitants of remote
villages. The goal is to cover 70% of the population in the Chelkou area.
The new programme will further heighten the impact of the health services
which the ICRC has been providing in the area for many months. In the past,
these have included training for health workers in disinfection procedures,
dressing techniques and traditional midwifery. At present, the ICRC's
antenatal clinic is vaccinating pregnant women against tetanus. Such
activities have helped improve the health of those living in the area,
which is currently controlled by the Sudanese People's Liberation Army
(SPLA).
Further information: Roland Sidler, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 2045
Yugoslavia / Kosovo
Handover at Merdare
It was a scene that could have come straight from a novel by John Le Carre:
the icy roadway gleaming white under a canopy of stars in a cloudless sky,
temperatures edging the wrong way past minus 10 degrees, soldiers in combat
uniform carrying automatic rifles, a line of vehicles standing empty by the
roadside while their occupants, huddled in small groups, peered anxiously
towards the checkpoint, their breath condensing in the frosty air and
mixing with the smoke of fast-burning cigarettes.
This was Merdare, a crossing point into Kosovo, at 5.30 p.m. on 28 January
as another desperately cold winter night was falling. The groups of
civilians, both children and adults, were waiting for their first,
eagerly-anticipated glimpse of relatives coming from the other side of the
boundary line: 22 men who had just been released from Serbian prisons.
The British soldiers manning the checkpoint were friendly, but vigilant:
blocking the road were two busloads of Serb civilians leaving Kosovo to
visit relatives in Serbia, or perhaps leaving for good as the province had
become increasingly dangerous for them in the past half year.
At last the buses moved on, opening the way for incoming vehicles, first
among them three ICRC Land Cruisers. A murmur of excitement arose from the
waiting crowd, some of whom had been standing there for nearly eight hours.
No longer able to restrain themselves, people surged forward as the
vehicles pulled up.
Alexandra, head of the ICRC team, reassured the eager relatives that the
necessary formalities - one last check of the lists and the signing of
release forms - would be completed as quickly as possible so as not to
delay further the moment of freedom that everyone gathered there had been
dreaming of for months.
Soon the men began to pour from the vehicles and, for those whose families
were present, received that first embrace.
The dozen or so men whose relatives were nowhere to be seen climbed back
into the waiting vehicles and began the hour-long journey to Pristina.
There, outside the ICRC office, another crowd of perhaps a hundred had
gathered, scrutinizing each vehicle as it turned into the car park. After a
quick coffee and a cigarette, and the chance to see a doctor if they
wished, the men moved into the reception hall and began to search the
throng for their relatives, some of whom were looking almost panic-stricken
at the thought that their husband, brother or father might not, after all,
be in the group.
The last man to emerge was the oldest, a grandfather: almost blind, a
simple black cap on his head, his shabby jacket buttoned up against the
cold. In a scene that moved everyone, even ICRC delegates used to
witnessing such events, he was met by his small granddaughter who ran
straight into his arms. While the men who had been claimed by their loved
ones quickly dispersed, one forlorn family stood there facing bitter
disappointment. All they had left was the hope that, one day soon, he too
would come home.
This release brings to more than 400 the number of detainees who have been
returned to their families by the ICRC since June 1999. About 1,600
detainees are currently still being visited by ICRC delegates in Serbia.
The ICRC is trying to ensure that they are treated humanely, that their
conditions of detention are decent and that they can keep in touch with
their families through Red Cross messages.
Further information: Nic Sommer, ICRC Pristina, tel.: ++381 38 590 074
Amanda Williamson, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 26 78
India
The International Criminal Court: Challenges ahead
A one-day seminar aimed at focusing the attention of academic circles on
the International Criminal Court (ICC) was held on 29 January by the ICRC
in cooperation with the law department of Punjab University in Chandigarh,
the joint capital of the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana.
A senior judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court opened the seminar,
stressing the need to set up an internationally acceptable mechanism to
punish heinous crimes against humanity committed in times of armed
conflict. A number of eminent academics from universities in northern
India, senior lawyers, students and journalists discussed various aspects
of the ICC. In spite of differences of opinion on specific points, they
concluded that the ICC marked an important step forward in strengthening
the international judicial system, especially given the complexity of
today's conflicts. Topics discussed by international law experts and ICRC
representatives included the jurisdiction and structure of the ICC, the
crimes that come under its purview and national implementation of
international humanitarian law.
The seminar was a landmark event, not only because it brought to the fore a
pressing issue of international law but also because it highlighted certain
misconceptions about the ICC which could hamper its establishment. The
issue of State sovereignty and national interests versus the powers of the
ICC, the difficulty of collecting evidence, the problem of finding
impartial prosecutors acceptable to the entire international community and
the definition of crimes that would come within the ICC's jurisdiction
emerged as some of the challenges that needed to be addressed as quickly as
possible. The seminar made it clear that broader dissemination of the ICC
statute adopted in July 1998 in Rome was needed. Moreover,
confidence-building measures between States and efforts at placing the ICC
in the context of geopolitical realities would be crucial to its widespread
acceptance.
Further information: Savita Varde-Naqvi, ICRC New Delhi, tel.: ++9111 462
23 38
Jordan
Regional seminar on juveniles in detention
Experts and officials from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,
Egypt, Qatar and the Palestinian Authority met in Jordan on 24 and 25
January at a regional seminar held to discuss issues relating to juveniles
in detention. The seminar was organized by the ICRC delegation in
cooperation with the Public Security Directorate and the Ministry of Social
Development. Participants formed three working groups that examined,
respectively, policy on juvenile offenders, international standards for the
treatment of juveniles deprived of their liberty, and the health and
psychological, educational and social environment of such detainees. One of
the groups also considered possible alternatives to the incarceration of
juveniles. ICRC legal and medical experts outlined the rules of
international humanitarian law applicable to detained juveniles and the
role and duties of medical staff dealing with juveniles in non-specialized
places of detention. The UNICEF representative in Jordan talked about the
social environment of juvenile offenders in relation to the pertinent
international instruments.
At the closing session participants summed up the two days of intensive
discussions and adopted several recommendations that are to be conveyed to
the relevant authorities in their countries. They also called on the ICRC
to organize similar workshops in the future to monitor the implementation
of the recommendations.
The seminar, the first of its kind in the region, was held under the
patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania, who was represented at the opening
ceremony by Princess Aisha Bint El Hussein.
Further information: Mu'in Kassis, ICRC Amman, tel.: ++962 6 5688645
During the weekend of
5 - 6 February 2000, for all information please call the press officer on
duty Corinne Adam, on (mobile) 41 79 202 36 80