ICRC News 25 / 28-Jun-01


** SHORT MENU....

Democratic Republic of the Congo: End of aid operation in Nyunzu Last
week, the ICRC completed the second phase of its aid operation in Nyunzu,
a town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Katanga province.

Yugoslavia: ICRC steps up mine-awareness campaign
ICRC teams in southern Serbia have stepped up their efforts to warn the
population of the threat posed by mines and unexploded ordnance, the
dangerous legacy of recent violence which has already claimed the lives of
five people in the area and injured several more.

Bosnia-Herzegovina: Exploring humanitarian law
A month-long pilot programme to introduce secondary schoolchildren to the
principles of international humanitarian law has just been completed in
Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of the 'Exploring Humanitarian Law' project
currently being developed by the ICRC in more than a dozen countries
worldwide.


On 29 June, the ICRC will hand over Dili National Hospital to the United
Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor.
For detailed information visit our web page http://www.icrc.org/eng/news
tomorrow.

The United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture was
observed on 26June. 
Information on this subject is available on the ICRC Website
http://www.icrc.org .


** STORIES IN FULL...

Democratic Republic of the Congo
End of aid operation in Nyunzu

Last week, the ICRC completed the second phase of its aid operation in
Nyunzu, a town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Katanga province.
The aid, which was distributed to the resident population, included
foodstuffs (beans, flour, maize, oil and salt) as well as soap and
buckets.

Over a period of slightly more than two months, a Hercules made 18 flights
and a DC-3 one flight to bring in 320 tonnes of food and other relief
supplies for some 27,000 people.

According to delegates on the spot, who have evaluated the harvest of food
crops in the region, the nutritional status of the residents has improved.
This is because developments in the conflict allowed the people living in
the area to cultivate more land and thus to avoid being completely
dependent on humanitarian aid.

Further information: Patrick L'Hôte, ICRC Goma, tel. ++250 083 00461


Yugoslavia
ICRC steps up mine-awareness campaign

ICRC teams in southern Serbia have stepped up their efforts to warn the
population of the threat posed by mines and unexploded ordnance, the
dangerous legacy of recent violence which has already claimed the lives of
five people in the area and injured several more.

The easing of tension in and around the so-called Ground Safety Zone has
prompted farmers to start tending their fields again and displaced
families to return home. This has heralded a new problem, since members of
these groups, and especially children, are the most likely to be injured
by mines and unexploded ordnance.

To respond to the danger, the ICRC has expanded its existing
mine-awareness programme in the schools so as to reach as many
schoolchildren as possible before the end of the term. In addition, all
relief beneficiaries are receiving mine-awareness leaflets and posters,
and local TV and radio stations have agreed to broadcast an ICRC public
information campaign. The ICRC is also actively recruiting and training
volunteers from the Yugoslav Red Cross and the local community in order to
ensure that the message reaches as many people as possible.

Further information: Daniela Cavini, ICRC Belgrade, tel. ++381 11 450 590
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Exploring humanitarian law

A month-long pilot programme to introduce secondary schoolchildren to the
principles of international humanitarian law has just been completed in
Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of the 'Exploring Humanitarian Law' project
currently being developed by the ICRC in more than a dozen countries
worldwide.

Designed to encourage children and adolescents to think about respect for
life and humanitarian principals, the project uses a participatory
approach to stimulate discussion and analysis of issues such as the
protection of civilians in wartime, the role of combatants, the
displacement of communities, child soldiers, mob violence and other forms
of civil disturbance.

The pilot programme was carried out in three different schools in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and involved around 100 pupils between 15 and 16 years
of age. Each of the sessions included discussion groups, exercises and
role play and brought back many of the children's own memories of their
experiences during three and a half years of war.  Some found the issues
under discussion still highly relevant, given the country's current
climate of post-conflict tension and uncertainty.

The programme, which received the blessing of the Ministries of Education,
was led by school teachers in collaboration with ICRC dissemination
officers, representatives of local educational institutes and personnel
from the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, where learning by rote is still the rule - a legacy
of the country's communist past - both professors and students appreciated
the interactive methods used in the course. The pupils' comments during
the project's evaluation showed that many of them had taken the principles
of international humanitarian law to heart.

"Neutrality means stretching out a hand of friendship to anyone in need,"
commented one pupil, "not because we agree with them, but because we
respect them as human beings."

Further information: Jessica Barry, ICRC Sarajevo, tel. ++ 387 71 656 835


During the weekend of 30 June - 1  July 2001, for all information please
call the press officer on duty Juan Martinez, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 17