ICRC News 12 / 06-Apr-00
ICRC News 12 / 06-Apr-00
** SHORT MENU....
Russian Federation / Northern Caucasus: ICRC surveys under way in Chechnya
On 29 March, a team of four ICRC local staff based in Nazran, Ingushetia
carried out a one-day assessment of the situation in the town of
Achkhoy-Martan and surrounding area west of Grozny and not far from the
Ingush border.
Republic of the Congo: ICRC starts humanitarian flights to northern Pool
On 3 April, a civilian aircraft landed on the Kindamba airstrip in the
remote northern Pool area of the Republic of the Congo for the first time
in 12 years.
Sri Lanka: Help for displaced people on Jaffna Peninsula
Hundreds of civilians on northern Sri Lanka's Jaffna Peninsula who fled the
latest upsurge of fighting between government forces and the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) eight days ago have sought refuge in churches,
temples, schools and empty houses in Jaffna, Point Pedro, Mirusuvil,
Velvettiturai and other towns.
Afghanistan: ICRC repairs irrigation system
The ICRC in Afghanistan has completed the cleaning of a five-kilometre-long
irrigation canal, in a densely populated area of Parwan province, north of
Kabul, that supplies tens of thousands of people.
Rwanda: ICRC repatriates Zimbabwean prisoner of war
The ICRC repatriated a member of the Zimbabwean Defence Forces on 5 April
who had been captured in connection with the conflict in the Democratic
Republic of Congo and was being held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Bolivia: President inaugurates travelling ICRC exhibition
The ICRC travelling exhibition "Man in a War-torn World" was inaugurated on
30 March at the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ceremony was
attended by senior national authorities, the diplomatic corps and specially
invited guests.
** STORIES IN FULL...
Russian Federation / Northern Caucasus
ICRC surveys under way in Chechnya
On 29 March, a team of four ICRC local staff based in Nazran, Ingushetia
carried out a one-day assessment of the situation in the town of
Achkhoy-Martan and surrounding area west of Grozny and not far from the
Ingush border. Contact with the local administration and the director of
the main referral hospital provided a clearer picture of the needs of the
civilian population.
While the area appears to be calm, most of its inhabitants are facing
difficult living conditions owing to shortages of food, medicines and
drinking water. Recent statistics indicate that of a local population of
some 120,000, over a third are displaced people without any means of
subsistence. In one village a number of typhoid cases have been diagnosed.
During this short mission, basic ICRC medical assistance was provided to
the 250-bed Achkhoy-Martan hospital, which was damaged during the
hostilities, though not hit directly. The hospital's staff is doing its
best to continue working despite lack of water and electricity, which among
other things makes it difficult to sterilize instruments and provide
adequate, clean bedding. The ICRC will shortly be organizing further
distributions of medicines and other medical supplies needed by the
hospital.
In the light of last week's clear commitment by the Russian authorities at
the highest level to facilitate development of Red Cross activities in
Chechnya, the ICRC is working in conjunction with the local branch of the
Russian Red Cross to expand its emergency assistance programmes in the
republic. Another ICRC survey is currently under way in Gudermes, east of
Grozny, with the aim of restoring contact with the local authorities and
assessing the need for humanitarian aid.
Further information: Suzanne Berger, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 23 07
Republic of the Congo
ICRC starts humanitarian flights to northern Pool
On 3 April, a civilian aircraft landed on the Kindamba airstrip in the
remote northern Pool area of the Republic of the Congo for the first time
in 12 years. This marked the beginning of an ICRC airlift to bring
humanitarian aid to victims of the latest fighting in the country, which
ended in December 1999. The ICRC plane, a DC-3(TP), is now making several
flights a day. Since last year large parts of the northern Pool have been
inaccessible by road. Tens of thousands of civilians spent months hiding
from the fighting in the forest.
The ICRC is setting up a feeding centre in Kindamba for severely
malnourished people, while the moderately malnourished will receive special
meals served in a public kitchen. In cooperation with volunteers of the
Congolese Red Cross and the regional health authorities, it is also
providing the civilian population with medical care. At the same time, the
ICRC has started repairs on the Kindamba hospital, including the
rehabilitation of wells and the construction of latrines.
In parallel with the assistance programme, information sessions on
international humanitarian law are being held for those bearing weapons.
The airlift is the result of an initial ICRC visit to Kindamba on 8 March
and is scheduled to last for a month. Before the operation could begin, the
airstrip had to be made practicable by the ICRC, which is currently the
only humanitarian agency working in the area.
Further information: Juan Martinez, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2281
Sri Lanka
Help for displaced people on Jaffna Peninsula
Hundreds of civilians on northern Sri Lanka's Jaffna Peninsula who fled the
latest upsurge of fighting between government forces and the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) eight days ago have sought refuge in churches,
temples, schools and empty houses in Jaffna, Point Pedro, Mirusuvil,
Velvettiturai and other towns. Hundreds more have taken refuge with
relatives and friends.
In conjunction with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and government
authorities, the ICRC is monitoring the situation and assessing the needs
of the population, in particular the wounded, sick and displaced.
Working in a volatile environment, the ICRC and the Sri Lankan Red Cross
have distributed mats, bed sheets, towels, soap, jerrycans, buckets,
cooking utensils and lanterns to 392 families (totalling 1,772 people),
with the civilian authorities providing food aid. Ten civilians wounded by
the fighting have been taken by the ICRC and National Society staff to the
Jaffna Teaching Hospital. The ICRC is continuing discussions with the
warring parties to obtain security guarantees and access to civilians still
in the conflict zone, in particular people who have reportedly fled their
homes and are attempting to reach safer places.
The ICRC is reminding both the Sri Lankan security forces and the LTTE of
their obligations under international humanitarian law, in particular the
duty to spare combatants who have laid down their arms and to protect the
civilian population from the effects of the fighting.
The ICRC sub-delegation in Jaffna has a staff of six expatriates and 35 Sri
Lankans.
Further information: Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 22 24
Harasha Gunawardene, ICRC Colombo, tel. ++ 941 503 346
Afghanistan
ICRC repairs irrigation system
The ICRC in Afghanistan has completed the cleaning of a five-kilometre-long
irrigation canal, in a densely populated area of Parwan province, north of
Kabul, that supplies tens of thousands of people.
The repair of the canal, which draws water from the Panjshir River, lasted
three weeks and involved nearly 1,100 residents of surrounding villages,
who were employed on a food-for-work basis and/or paid in cash by the ICRC.
The rehabilitation of Afghan irrigation systems such as canals and karezes
(extensive traditional underground channels) is part of an ICRC five-point
plan that targets areas to which refugees and internally displaced people
have returned or are expected to return. The plan consists of a large-scale
distribution of seed and seedlings for crops such as improved-quality wheat
and potatoes and a range of fruit trees and vegetables; wide distribution
of agricultural implements to complement the seed distribution; advice on
caring for orchards and other crops; training for beneficiaries of the
distribution in order to compensate for the steady drain of knowledge from
these communities over the last 20 years; and the above-mentioned repair of
canals, springs, wells, karezes and other means of irrigation.
In 1999, the ICRC worked with local communities to rehabilitate 166 canals
and karezes, making it possible to irrigate over 60,000 hectares of land.
Further information: Jon-Hans Coetzer, ICRC Kabul, tel. ++ 873 761 242 260
Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 22 24
Rwanda
ICRC repatriates Zimbabwean prisoner of war
The ICRC repatriated a member of the Zimbabwean Defence Forces on 5 April
who had been captured in connection with the conflict in the Democratic
Republic of Congo and was being held in Kigali, Rwanda. The decision to
release the prisoner of war was taken by the Rwandan authorities on medical
grounds, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. The prisoner had been
registered and regularly visited by the ICRC during his captivity in
Rwanda.
In 1999, the ICRC repatriated from Rwanda a member of the Zimbabwean
Defence Forces in April and three others in October. In July, a member of
the Rwandan Patriotic Army detained in Zimbabwe was returned to Rwanda.
Those repatriations were also carried out on medical grounds.
The ICRC will continue offering its services to all parties in order to
help them meet their obligations under international humanitarian law, in
particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of
1977.
Further information: Juan Martinez, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 22 81;
mobile phone ++ 41 79 217 32 17
Bolivia
President inaugurates travelling ICRC exhibition
The ICRC travelling exhibition "Man in a War-torn World" was inaugurated on
30 March at the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ceremony was
attended by senior national authorities, the diplomatic corps and specially
invited guests. The exhibition, consisting of 52 photographs illustrating
the ICRC's work and the challenges of humanitarian action, is the final
stop in a tour of more than 30 cities in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile,
Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
Addressing the assembled guests, Bolivian President Hugo Banzer Suarez
expressed his government's appreciation of the work carried out by the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and his interest in the
activities of the Bolivian Red Cross. The ICRC representative pointed out
that though the photos on exhibit were painful reminders of the sufferings
endured by victims of war, respect for the basic rules of humanitarian law
and the protection and assistance work of humanitarian organizations in aid
of the victims are powerful symbols of hope for the future. He also
emphasized the worldwide solidarity needed to ensure universal respect for
humanitarian rules and principles.
As the exhibition opened, a training course on the international law of
armed conflict was under way in La Paz for officers of the Bolivian armed
forces. Opened on 28March by the Minister of Defence and the ICRC delegate
responsible for the region in the presence of the chairman of the joint
chiefs of staff, the four-day course was given by the ICRC delegate in
charge of relations with South American armed forces. It provided basic
instruction in international humanitarian law to some 40 junior and senior
officers of the army, navy and air force.
Further information: Maria Ines Peytrignet, ICRC Buenos Aires, tel. ++ 5411
43 28 77 71
During the weekend of 8 - 9 April 2000, for all information please call the
press officer on duty Juan Martinez, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 17