ICRC News 08 / 08-Mar-00
ICRC News 08 / 08-Mar-00
** SHORT MENU....
Yugoslavia / Kosovo: Emergency aid for displaced from Serbia:
The situation in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica continues to make
headlines. Meanwhile, recent tensions and security incidents in parts of
southern Serbia have caused several hundred people to flee into eastern
Kosovo.
Nigeria: Relief for victims of sectarian violence:
On 28 and 29 February, following violent clashes between Christians and
Muslims in the northern city of Kaduna, youths in four states of
south-eastern Nigeria (Abia, Akwa Ibom, Enugu and Imo) launched retaliatory
attacks on fellow countrymen from the north.
Sierra Leone: Red Cross helps farmers resettle:
In early March the ICRC and the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society will conduct
a survey in four of the country's districts to assess the population's
needs prior to a distribution of seed, tools and other items. Forty Red
Cross employees and volunteers will travel to Kenema, Pujehun, Tonkolili
and - security permitting - to Kailahun.
Sri Lanka: ICRC hands over four prisoners freed by LTTE:
A visit by family members to 13 soldiers and two navy personnel detained by
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Vanni region of northern
Sri Lanka ended on 28February. Organized by the ICRC, the visit lasted five
days.
War, money and survival - FORUM issue on war and the economy:
To what extent do today's economic conditions cause war? Who profits and
who loses out? Does business thrive on war? War, Money and Survival, the
latest in the annual FORUM series (to be published by the ICRC on 13
March), focuses on the crucial relationship between war and the economy.
Israel, the occupied territories and the autonomous territories: Workshop
on international humanitarian law for Palestinian university professors:
>From 19 to 21 February the ICRC, in cooperation with the Palestinian
Ministry of Higher Education, held a workshop for 26 university professors
involved in developing a course on democracy, human rights and
international humanitarian law.
** STORIES IN FULL...
Yugoslavia / Kosovo
Emergency aid for displaced from Serbia
The situation in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica continues to make
headlines. Meanwhile, recent tensions and security incidents in parts of
southern Serbia have caused several hundred people to flee into eastern
Kosovo.
The ICRC and the local Red Cross are helping to meet the immediate needs of
these displaced people. In Gnijlane/Gjilan and Vitina/Viti the ICRC's
public kitchens, run by the Netherlands Red Cross, have stepped up their
operations so as to provide them with regular meals. The Finnish Red Cross
team running the ICRC's health programmes in the two towns is also
extending its services to the newcomers.
The local Red Cross has provided clothes and other non-food items, while
the ICRC is distributing mattresses, blankets and hygiene sets.
Further information: Nic Sommer, ICRC Pristina, tel.: ++381 38 590 074
Nigeria
Relief for victims of sectarian violence
On 28 and 29 February, following violent clashes between Christians and
Muslims in the northern city of Kaduna, youths in four states of
south-eastern Nigeria (Abia, Akwa Ibom, Enugu and Imo) launched retaliatory
attacks on fellow countrymen from the north. The violence, which forced
around 20,000 people to take shelter in army camps and police barracks,
left scores dead and many more injured. It also resulted in large-scale
material damage.
The Nigerian Red Cross branches in the affected states responded
immediately to the crisis by providing emergency aid consisting of food,
water and basic medical supplies. From 3 to 5 March, the National Society
and the ICRC conducted a joint survey of the victims' needs.
In close cooperation with the local authorities, Nigerian Red Cross
volunteers are continuing to monitor the situation of the 20,000 displaced
persons, who are now housed in four military camps. The National Society,
with the support of the ICRC, is providing further emergency relief,
including medical supplies and items such as cooking pots, cups, mats,
jerrycans, soap and clothing for women and children. The International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies stands ready to respond
to any additional needs in the coming weeks.
In the northern state of Kaduna, the situation is gradually returning to
normal. According to government estimates, only 35,000 of the initial
80,000 displaced persons remain in protected areas. The number of victims
in hospitals has dropped from 738 to fewer than 300. The Nigerian Red Cross
Society is continuing its humanitarian work in this part of the country,
where it is striving to reach those who have not yet received any
assistance.
Further information: Jean-Jacques Gacond, ICRC Lagos, tel.: ++234 1 269 18
81
or ++234 1 269 00 82
Sierra Leone
Red Cross helps farmers resettle
In early March the ICRC and the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society will conduct
a survey in four of the country's districts to assess the population's
needs prior to a distribution of seed, tools and other items. Forty Red
Cross employees and volunteers will travel to Kenema, Pujehun, Tonkolili
and - security permitting - to Kailahun.
"We'll focus on people who are destitute", explained ICRC senior relief
officer Morison Boima in Kenema. "Among the 40,000 families targeted are
returning displaced persons and refugees, and resident farmers whose houses
or crops were looted during the war and who are starting again from
scratch. They all need our help."
Within weeks after the survey is completed the Red Cross will distribute
aid packages to each family consisting of 40kg of rice seed, 10 kg of
groundnuts, local and imported vegetable seed, hoes, plastic sheeting,
kitchen sets, blankets, sleeping mats and soap.
ICRC relief coordinator John Lapointe is responsible for the assistance
programme: "This distribution, involving 1,600 tonnes of rice seed, may be
the largest joint operation ever carried out by the ICRC and the National
Society in Sierra Leone. Returning farmers who are trying to resettle will
receive enough aid to make a serious impact on their lives. More than
200,000 people could be well on their way to food self-sufficiency thanks
to this programme".
Further information: Juan Martinez, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 2281
Sri Lanka
ICRC hands over four prisoners freed by LTTE
A visit by family members to 13 soldiers and two navy personnel detained by
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Vanni region of northern
Sri Lanka ended on 28February. Organized by the ICRC, the visit lasted five
days. On 25 February the prisoners suspended a hunger strike they had begun
15 days earlier in an effort to obtain their release.
On the day the visit ended, the LTTE freed four of the prisoners (three
from the army and one from the navy), whom the ICRC escorted to Vavuniya
and handed over to the military authorities there. The remaining 11 are
still in detention. All 13 soldiers had been captured in 1993 and the two
navy personnel in 1994.
Further information: Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 2224
War, money and survival - FORUM issue on war and the economy
Published on 13 March
To what extent do today's economic conditions cause war? Who profits and
who loses out? Does business thrive on war? War, Money and Survival, the
latest in the annual FORUM series (to be published by the ICRC on 13
March), focuses on the crucial relationship between war and the economy.
Key decision-makers, journalists, academics and insiders from the worlds of
business and humanitarian endeavour analyse the complex interactions
between war and the economy. They set out the problems from their
standpoint and discuss possible solutions.
"This issue aims to raise awareness and improve dialogue between people
from outside who become involved in war-torn countries - be they from the
private, public or non-governmental sectors", says Gilles Carbonnier, an
economist with the ICRC's Health and Relief Division and one of the
editors. "The ultimate objective is to better assist the people affected by
armed conflict."
"The ICRC hopes that this issue of FORUM will contribute to a cruelly
topical discussion", Mr Carbonnier goes on. "Understanding the complex
interactions between war and the economy is vital, not only for companies
operating in unstable areas but also for humanitarian organizations working
in an ever more complex environment."
War, Money and Survival discusses these issues under four headings:
- Globalization and war looks at the overall relationship between
globalization and the ever-changing pattern of warfare. It also studies the
twin processes of economic and political liberalization, and assesses how
making aid subject to certain conditions affects war-torn countries.
- Money and war sheds light on the economic dynamics of war. Focusing on
the underlying economic causes, one author argues that economics
constitutes a new analytical tool for understanding conflicts in the
post-Cold-War era. Contributors also look at non-governmental entities
involved in conflicts, beginning with mercenaries and security firms. A
journalist, a businessman and an agency that rates corporate conduct
discuss, from their own individual perspectives, the matter of doing
business in war-prone regions. The development of the "relief industry" is
also addressed.
- Survival and war looks at the variety of coping mechanisms used by
people living in war zones and refugee camps.
- The concluding section, International aid, takes a critical look at the
impact of humanitarian aid on local economies. One author suggests how to
minimize potential negative side-effects while humanitarian and development
organizations explain how they have adapted their strategies to cope with
today's emergencies.
FORUM is available for 20 Swiss francs from the ICRC's Public Information
Centre
(postal address: 19 Avenue de la Paix, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; e-mail
address: pkammer.gva@icrc.org; copies may also be ordered through the
ICRC's Website: www.icrc.org).
Further information:
Gilles Carbonnier, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 2835; e-mail:
gcarbonnier.gva@icrc.org
Sarah Fleming, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2747; e-mail:
sfleming.gva@icrc.org
Israel, the occupied territories and the autonomous territories
Workshop on international humanitarian law
for Palestinian university professors
>From 19 to 21 February the ICRC, in cooperation with the Palestinian
Ministry of Higher Education, held a workshop for 26 university professors
involved in developing a course on democracy, human rights and
international humanitarian law.
The ICRC, which has been working with the Ministry for the past two years,
helped design the humanitarian law component of the course. To be
introduced first as a pilot project in selected institutions, the course
will later become part of the compulsory curriculum in all Palestinian
universities.
The workshop opened with keynote addresses by the Palestinian Deputy
Minister of Higher Education, the ICRC head of delegation and a
representative of the Swiss government, which is funding the project. It
was conducted by Ameur Zemmali, ICRC legal adviser for the Middle East and
North Africa, who talked about the contexts in which humanitarian law is
taught, the methods used, prior experiences in Arab countries and
implementation of the law worldwide.
At the closing session participants summed up the three days of intensive
work and recommended that further training in humanitarian law be organized
and that a committee be formed to follow up on the topics agreed on and
discussed at the workshop.
Further information: Suzanne Berger, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 2307
During the weekend of
11 - 12 March 2000, for all information please call the press officer on
duty Chris Bowers, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 31