ICRC News 48 / 14-Dec-00
ICRC News 48 / 14-Dec-00
** SHORT MENU....
Ethiopia/Eritrea: Ethiopians repatriated from Eritrea
Some 1,500 Ethiopians crossed the Mereb river from Eritrea into Ethiopia
under ICRC auspices on Saturday 9 December.
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Learning about landmines
Almost 46,000 primary school children have been competing in recent weeks
in ICRC-sponsored mine-awareness competitions throughout
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Chile: ICRC attends regional meeting in advance of World Conference against
Racism
>From 5 to 7 December the ICRC took part in a regional meeting for the
Americas held in Santiago, Chile, under the auspices of the Office of the
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in preparation for the UN World
Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance.
** STORIES IN FULL...
Ethiopia/Eritrea
Ethiopians repatriated from Eritrea
Some 1,500 Ethiopians crossed the Mereb river from Eritrea into Ethiopia
under ICRC auspices on Saturday 9 December. The repatriated Ethiopians had
been transferred from three different locations in Eritrea: 500 civilians
had been held at Ala camp and nine women at Haz Haz prison, 78 others had
been living outside the Ala camp and 919 more came from Adi Abeto. ICRC
delegates on both sides of the border helped them cross the river dividing
the two countries. Once across, they were placed in the care of the
Ethiopian authorities. The ICRC was supported throughout the operation by
volunteers from both the Red Cross Society of Eritrea and the Ethiopian Red
Cross Society.
The ICRC acted as an independent and neutral intermediary to ensure that
these civilians were repatriated in accordance with the provisions of the
Fourth Geneva Convention. The ICRC will continue to offer its services to
the parties to the conflict with a view to facilitating the transfer of
those wishing to go from Ethiopia to Eritrea or vice versa, and to promote
compliance with the rules and principles of international humanitarian law,
in particular the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.
Further information: Bruce Mokaya, ICRC Asmara, tel. ++29 11 20 24 60
Franziska Aebi, ICRC Addis Ababa, tel. ++25 11 51 83 66
Juan Martinez, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 22 730 22 81
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Learning about landmines
Almost 46,000 primary school children have been competing in recent weeks
in ICRC-sponsored mine-awareness competitions throughout
Bosnia-Herzegovina. Of the 444 teams from the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina and 324 teams from the Republika Srpska which took part, 20
reached the finals. These were held in Bijeljina on 9 December and in
Sarajevo on the next day.
A team from the primary school in Pale, in the Republika Srpska, won the
Bijeljina final. In Sarajevo, Zavidovici primary school beat nine other
teams in a lively competition that included games, drawings, and a quiz
about the safety measures to adopt when finding mines or unexploded
ordnance.
Even those who won nothing felt that the competitions had been useful and
fun. "They were the event of the month in the Republika Srpska", said
Marica Seatovic, Red Cross mine-awareness coordinator in Banja Luka. "They
really attracted a lot of attention."
For Aida Semic, Red Cross mine-awareness coordinator in the Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, the children's creativity was the most remarkable
thing. "It was the youngsters' ability to express their vision of the mine
problem through slogans, drawings, and simple warning messages that struck
me most", she remarked.
Many mines still contaminate the soil throughout Bosnia as a result of
three and a half years of war. Within months of the signing of the Dayton
peace agreement in December 1995, the ICRC began its mine-awareness
campaign. The programme is being run in cooperation with other
organizations in 130 municipalities by 128 mine-awareness instructors and
19 coordinators. Since the campaign began in 1996, the number of mine
accidents in Bosnia-Herzegovina has dropped from almost 50 a month to the
current average of nine.
Further information: Vincent Lusser, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 22 730 24 58
Chile
ICRC attends regional meeting in advance of
World Conference against Racism
>From 5 to 7 December the ICRC took part in a regional meeting for the
Americas held in Santiago, Chile, under the auspices of the Office of the
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in preparation for the UN World
Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance. The Conference is to take place in South Africa in 2001.
The ICRC regional delegate for southern Latin America took the floor to
address the issue of non-discrimination in armed conflicts, stressing that
the problems discussed at the meeting should be tackled by the
international community in the context of war as well as peace. Indeed, as
seen in armed conflicts past and present – especially those involving
ethnic or identity-related issues – inequality or exclusion, whether
affecting an entire population, a group or individuals, is one of the root
causes of violence and frequently also one of its most tragic consequences.
The ICRC delegate further underscored that the principle of
non-discrimination is a key aspect of impartiality, one of the fundamental
principles that guide the work of the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement. In conformity with that principle, and as stipulated in
its statutes, the Movement "makes no discrimination as to nationality,
race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions" and "endeavours to
relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their needs,
and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress".
Further information: Gerard Peytrignet, ICRC Buenos Aires, tel. ++5411 43
28 77 71
New on the ICRC Public Server - http://www.icrc.org :
- Update 00/01 on ICRC activities in Algeria, dated 6.12.00.
During the weekend of 16 - 17 December 2000, for all information please
call the press officer on duty Juan Martinez, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 17