ICRC News 18 / 10-May-01


** SHORT MENU....

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: ICRC responds to latest crisis
Only a few hours after fighting resumed in the Kumanovo region on Thursday
3 May, the ICRC provided the Kumanovo hospital with surgical supplies so
that it could better cope with any influx of war-wounded.

Israel and the occupied and autonomous territories: ICRC resumes
family-visit programme
1After being suspended for more than seven months owing to the Israeli
closure of villages on the West Bank and new conditions imposed on the
visits themselves, the ICRC resumed a programme on 22 April that enables
Palestinian families from the West Bank to regularly travel to see close
relatives being detained in Israeli prisons.

Sierra Leone:  Relief supplies for thousands of needy farmers
The ICRC in Sierra Leone is carrying out an extensive programme in aid of
thousands of vulnerable farmers in parts of Kenema, Pujehun and Tonkolili
districts.

Sri Lanka:Mortal remains returned
Over a three-day period from 28 to 30 April, the ICRC acted as a neutral
intermediary in the transfer of the mortal remains of 64 Sri Lankan Army
personnel killed in the latest round of fighting between government forces
and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Central America: ICRC rewards year's best newspaper reports

To mark World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2001, on the evening of 8 May
the ICRC presented prizes in Guatemala City to the winners of a competition
for the best newspaper reports in the "Printed press and photography"
category.

** STORIES IN FULL...

On 9 May 2001, an ICRC aircraft en route from Lokichokio, Kenya, to Juba,
in southern Sudan, was fired upon. Its co-pilot, Ole Friis Ericksen, a
26-year-old Danish national, was killed in the attack. The only other
person on board was the pilot, a Swedish national, who was unharmed. The
flight was on a routine supply mission and had been duly reported to all
parties concerned and had received all the necessary clearances.

The ICRC is profoundly shaken by the loss of Ole Friis Ericksen, whose
courageous and devoted work did so much to sustain our humanitarian
activities in southern Sudan. Our most sincere thoughts are with his
family, friends and colleagues.

(Please refer to our separate communications for further information on
this tragic incident.)


Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
ICRC responds to latest crisis

Only a few hours after fighting resumed in the Kumanovo region on Thursday
3 May, the ICRC provided the Kumanovo hospital with surgical supplies so
that it could better cope with any influx of war-wounded. The supplies
should be enough to cover the needs of 100 inpatients for 10 days and were
highly appreciated by the hospital director.

On the same day, the Macedonian authorities asked the ICRC to evacuate two
elderly wounded men from the village of Slupcan, also in the Kumanovo
region. Having obtained the necessary security guarantees from both sides,
an ICRC team entered the village only to discover that the two men had
died. The team was nonetheless able to deliver dressing material to the
community clinic, an operation that was repeated two days later after a
one-hour ceasefire had been negotiated to give the ICRC renewed access to
Slupcan.

On Sunday an extended cease-fire was agreed to, enabling two ICRC teams to
visit 19 makeshift shelters where civilians had taken refuge in the
villages of Slupcan and Vaksince. Acting as neutral intermediaries, the
teams evacuated 13 civilians, including two pregnant women and two
children.

The ICRC is increasingly worried about the precarious situation of the
thousands of civilians who remain trapped in the two villages and it has
urged both sides to take all necessary precautions to spare them from the
effects of the violence. During the past two days, ICRC teams have been
unable to reach the villagers because of the intense fighting.  

Meanwhile, the ICRC is strengthening its team in Skopje so that it can
respond to any humanitarian needs that may arise.

Further information:  Amanda Williamson, ICRC Skopje, tel. ++ 389 2 371 951

or mobile ++ 41 79 217 32 16


Israel and the occupied and autonomous territories 
ICRC resumes family-visit programme

After being suspended for more than seven months owing to the Israeli
closure of villages on the West Bank and new conditions imposed on the
visits themselves, the ICRC resumed a programme on 22 April that enables
Palestinian families from the West Bank to regularly travel to see close
relatives being detained in Israeli prisons. Visits by families from the
Gaza Strip resumed in mid-February.

ICRC delegates currently visit over 3,000 Palestinians held in 26 places of
detention inside Israel, of which 17 are included in the family-visit
programme. Before the programme's suspension, between 8,000 and 10,000
close relatives per month took advantage of the transportation and access
facilities provided by the ICRC. In practical terms, this has in the past
meant that on every working day about 25 ICRC-chartered buses or collective
taxis went to prisons at dawn and returned in the evening. These numbers
are expected to be reached again if the visits proceed smoothly from now
on.

Contacts between detainees and their loved ones are extremely important for
both their psychological well-being and family cohesion during their
prolonged absence. ICRC support for these visits is needed as a means of
dealing with administrative procedures, facilitating passage across the
"Green Line" separating Israel from the West Bank and helping poorer
families who cannot afford to pay for transportation. The programme has
been running since 1969.

Further information: Kim Gordon-Bates, ICRC Jerusalem, tel. ++972 2 5828845
Samira Abdallah, ICRC Jerusalem, tel. ++972 2 5828441

Sierra Leone
 Relief supplies for thousands of needy farmers

The ICRC in Sierra Leone is carrying out an extensive programme in aid of
thousands of vulnerable farmers in parts of Kenema, Pujehun and Tonkolili
districts. Working closely with the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society (SLRCS),
ICRC teams have already distributed rice and vegetable seed as well as hoes
to nearly 5,000 families; the same assistance for about 6,000 additional
families is planned before the end of the month, still in time for the main
planting season.

The distribution followed a careful assessment of farmers' needs and access
to resources and land. During these consultations, farmers pinpointed the
insufficient supply of seed as their main problem. As others lacked
household essentials, the Red Cross has also begun providing about 7,000
families with shelter materials, buckets, blankets, mats, cooking pots and
soap. 

Meanwhile, an ICRC nutritionist has been visiting the areas covered by
previous ICRC and SLRCS agricultural assistance programmes to get an idea
of how effective the help has been. On the basis of her findings, the ICRC
and SLRCS will discuss ways of further optimizing Red Cross relief
activities. 

In addition to the seed and tools programme for needy farmers, the ICRC and
SLRCS are also giving associations of vulnerable women support in the form
of vegetable seed, tools and training, and are assisting in the
resettlement of more than 4,000 internally displaced families to safe areas
by providing non-food items. 
Further information: Florian Westphal, ICRC Freetown, Tel: ++232 22
233162/172

Sri Lanka
Mortal remains returned

Over a three-day period from 28 to 30 April, the ICRC acted as a neutral
intermediary in the transfer of the mortal remains of 64 Sri Lankan Army
personnel killed in the latest round of fighting between government forces
and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).  The bodies were handed
over to the ICRC by the LTTE in the Wanni area, from where they were taken
south across the lines dividing the warring parties and handed over to the
military authorities in Vavuniya. On 30 April, the bodies of 10 LTTE
combatants were handed over to the ICRC by the Sri Lankan Army on the
Jaffna peninsula and taken across the Jaffna Lagoon for transfer to the
LTTE in Pallikudah.

As it does in other countries, the ICRC in Sri Lanka uses its neutral
status to return the mortal remains of combatants and civilians when asked
to do so by the parties concerned. Since the beginning of 2000, it has so
far transferred the remains of 273 Sri Lankan security forces personnel and
334 members of the LTTE.

The ICRC has been present in Sri Lanka since 1989. It currently has 52
expatriates and 342 Sri Lankan staff based at its delegation in Colombo and
in its 12 offices in the north and east of the country.

Further information: Macarena Aguilar, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 22 730 21 01
Harasha Gunawardene, ICRC Colombo, tel ++ 941 503 346


Central America
ICRC rewards year's best newspaper reports

To mark World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2001, on the evening of 8 May
the ICRC presented prizes in Guatemala City to the winners of a competition
for the best newspaper reports in the "Printed press and photography"
category. 

For the fourth successive year the ICRC regional delegation paid tribute to
the work done by the press, especially in conflict and post-conflict
situations. The prizes, which bear the name of Red Cross founder Henry
Dunant, were awarded in recognition of the contribution of journalists to
raising public awareness of the horrific effects of armed conflict and,
above all, of the educational role they play in promoting knowledge of and
respect for the rules of international humanitarian law.

First prize in the "Best photo report" category went to journalist Alberto
Morales for his work entitled "In search of the promised land", published
in the Salvadoran daily La Prensa Gráfica. Morales' pictures portray the
joy and hope that inspire displaced people returning to their homes in
Guatemala after the war that turned them into exiles in their own country. 

Alba Angélica Trejo Valenzuela was the winner of first prize in the "Best
press report" category for her article entitled "Children snatched away by
war", published in the Guatemalan daily El Periódico. The report sheds
light on the fate of the many children who disappeared during the armed
conflict in Guatemala. 

Further information: Jaime Arroyo, ICRC Guatemala City, tel. ++502 362 5237


During the weekend of 12 - 13  May 2001, for all information please call
the press officer on duty Juan Martinez, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 17