ICRC News 44 / 08-Nov-01


** SHORT MENU....

Afghanistan
Preparing to help the most vulnerable through the winter
The ICRC's main concern in Afghanistan today is to ensure that the most
vulnerable people will receive the assistance they need to survive the
coming winter.

Algeria
Activities benefiting victims of violence
The Algerian Red Crescent, together with the ICRC, has developed
programmes to help the wounded and to provide women and children victims
of violence with psychological rehabilitation. These activities, carried
out in cooperation with the Ministries of Health and of Labour, are
intended to meet the needs arising from the situation in Algeria.

Armenia/Azerbaidjan
Repatriation under ICRC auspices
On 3 November 2001, the ICRC took part in the repatriation of three
Azerbaijanis, all civilians, and one Armenian serviceman.

Paraguay
ICRC signs detainee visits agreement
On 31 October, the ICRC signed a cooperation agreement with the government
of Paraguay covering visits by ICRC delegates to security detainees.

Sierra Leone
ICRC promotes humanitarian law in army
On 1 November the ICRC concluded a series of training sessions on
international humanitarian law for over 1,000 new recruits of the Sierra
Leonean armed forces at their base in Benguema.

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Rwandan finds family after seven years
Dieudonné* (29) from Rwanda is shortly to be reunited with the family he
last saw seven years ago.


Angola
International humanitarian law course for police instructors
The ICRC has recently held a second "To serve and protect" course in
Luanda for Angolan police instructors. The main purpose of the course,
which lasted two weeks, was to raise knowledge of international
humanitarian law and human rights law within the country's police force.

Russian Federation / Northern Caucasus
New initiative to promote the law
A five-day course on international humanitarian law was held from 22 to 26
October in Vladikavkaz for 29 officers of the 58th Army, which is
currently involved both in combat operations in Chechnya and in
peace-keeping operations in South Ossetia, in neighbouring Georgia.


** STORIES IN FULL...

Afghanistan
Preparing to help the most vulnerable through the winter

The ICRC's main concern in Afghanistan today is to ensure that the most
vulnerable people will receive the assistance they need to survive the
coming winter. In certain areas such as Ghor, Dar-i-Suf and Hazarajat, the
population will be cut off from the outside world, and in Herat,
Mazar-i-Sharif and the Panshir valley, where night temperatures sometimes
fall to minus 25 degrees Celsius, hundreds of thousands of displaced
persons will be at risk of illness and death.

"Last February a number of people froze to death in the camps for the
displaced in Herat," said Christophe Luedi, deputy head of operations for
Afghanistan and Pakistan, "and this is still very present in our minds."

Much-needed blankets and plastic sheeting will be distributed in Kabul in
the days ahead to people whose homes were damaged by the bombing. In
Mazar-i-Sharif, Herat, Kandahar and other cities, ICRC teams are assessing
needs with a view to carrying out further distributions.

The prepositioning of food, shelter material and medical supplies in
neighbouring countries has moved ahead. The ICRC now stands ready to
provide 540,000 people in Afghanistan with three-month food rations and
60,000 people with shelter material. It has enough basic medical supplies
to cover the needs of 140,000 people for three months, enough surgical
supplies to treat more than 4,200 war-wounded and enough first-aid kits to
provide care for more than 4,500 people. Two 100-bed surgical units have
also been prepositioned in Iran and Pakistan.

"We are still very concerned about the lack of access to rural areas,
where thousands of people have fled over the past weeks," said Luedi. "It
is hampering our ability to asses needs and provide direct assistance."

Support to medical facilities continues throughout the country. Some 25
civilian and military hospitals are currently receiving ICRC assistance
and visits from ICRC staff. According to the latest reports, most of these
facilities still have supplies. In the coming days, however, further
medical convoys are expected to be sent from Quetta to hospitals in
Kandahar and its surrounding area and from Mashad to hospitals in Herat.
Since September 16, five medical convoys have already reached Afghanistan
from Peshawar. With winter approaching, increased quantities of fuel will
also be delivered to hospitals.

The six ICRC limb-fitting and rehabilitation centres in Afghanistan are
still open.


ICRC medical convoy on its way to Gulbahar

On 2 November an ICRC medical convoy left Dushanbe, in Tajikistan, for the
ICRC sub-delegation in Gulbahar, in the Panshir valley (northern
Afghanistan). Because of poor road conditions, it will take one week for
the convoy to make the 600 kilometre trip.

The convoy is carrying 75 medical kits (anaesthetics, antibiotics and
dressings), plasma substitute, X-ray equipment and materials which the
ICRC rehabilitation centre in Gulbahar needs to manufacture artificial
limbs.

The medical supplies, which are intended for the Gulbahar hospital, will
make it possible to give first aid to about 1,000 people and to provide
basic medical care for about 20,000 patients for three months.

On its way to Gulbahar, which is controlled by the United Front (also
known as the Northern Alliance), the convoy will cross the 4,500 metre
high Anjuman pass. This is currently the only overland route between
Badakhshan province - whose capital is Faizabad - and Parwan province,
where the small town of Gulbahar is situated.

Given the height of the pass, it will become increasingly difficult to
reach this region as winter sets in. "The upper section has been blocked
by snow since early November, so the supplies will probably have to be
loaded onto pack mules", said Roland Sidler, the ICRC delegate in charge
of the operation. "Two empty vehicles will be waiting on the other side
for the last leg of the journey."

In late October, a convoy of 13 trucks had already crossed the pass to
provide the Gulbahar sub-delegation with food and emergency supplies meant
to see the local population through the winter.

The medical supplies now on their way will be distributed by two ICRC
delegates from the Gulbahar sub-delegation and a delegate who is
accompanying the convoy. All three will then remain snowbound for at least
two months.

Further information: Bernard Barrett, ICRC Islamabad, tel.: ++ 92 393 786
19 70,
Roland Sidler, ICRC Dushanbe, ++ 992 372 216 838
Macarena Aguilar, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++ 41 22 730 21 01


Algeria
Activities benefiting victims of violence

The Algerian Red Crescent, together with the ICRC, has developed
programmes to help the wounded and to provide women and children victims
of violence with psychological rehabilitation. These activities, carried
out in cooperation with the Ministries of Health and of Labour, are
intended to meet the needs arising from the situation in Algeria. The
country has had to face armed violence for over 10 years and, more
recently, disturbances in Kabylie. The ICRC is providing financial
support, equipment and supplies, and the services of a child psychologist,
who gives advice on the training of staff and on care for the victims.

>From 22 to 27 October, the Algerian Red Crescent and the ICRC organized a
seminar in Biskra for 40 first-aid trainers. Three similar seminars had
already been held in Algiers, Oran and Constantine. In all, 120 trainers
from all over the country benefited this year from the courses offered in
cooperation with the Ministry of Health and civil defence authorities. As
a result, the quality of first aid that Algerian Red Crescent volunteers
bring to victims will be improved.

Alongside the strengthening of National Society emergency services, five
seminars organized from February to October 2001 in Algiers, Tiaret,
Skikda, Bechar and Tlemcen were attended by a total of 200 mental-health
professionals.  The participants shared their concrete experience in
providing psychological care to women and children who have been victims
of the violence in Algeria. They emphasized the need to develop a
community-based multidisciplinary approach as a complement to individual
psychological support.

Further information: Mamadou Sy, ICRC Tunis, tel. ++216 1 960 179


Armenia/Azerbaidjan
Repatriation under ICRC auspices

On 3 November 2001, the ICRC took part in the repatriation of three
Azerbaijanis, all civilians, and one Armenian serviceman. The operation
was conducted at the request of the governments in Baku and Yerevan.
Before their hand-over, all four confirmed to ICRC delegates their wish to
return to their home countries.

The repatriation took place in the Tavush/Gazakh area with the full
cooperation of the Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities. In accordance
with its mandate, the ICRC has assisted the authorities in organizing such
repatriations since 1992 and stands ready to support any future operation.

Further information: Vincent Lusser, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 2458


Paraguay
ICRC signs detainee visits agreement

On 31 October, the ICRC signed a cooperation agreement with the government
of Paraguay covering visits by ICRC delegates to security detainees.

The agreement gives official status to the ICRC's humanitarian visits to
persons detained on suspicion of offences related to political disputes or
in connection with the security situation in the interior of the country.

"Here, as everywhere else in the world, our main concerns are physical
detention conditions and the way prisoners are treated at every stage of
their detention", explained Gérard Peytrignet, ICRC regional delegate for
southern South America.

The ICRC offered its services to the government of Paraguay following an
attempted coup in May 2000 and the subsequent detention of approximately
one hundred persons accused of having participated in the coup. Since
then, ICRC delegates based in Buenos Aires have visited the detainees on a
number of occasions.

During his recent visit to Paraguay, the ICRC regional delegate once again
visited 22 persons being held in a military prison - some of the 45
detainees who fall within the ICRC's remit.

Further information: Maria Inés, ICRC Buenos Aires, Tel.: ++ 54 11 43 28 77
71
Macarena Aguilar, ICRC Geneva, Tel.: ++ 41 22 730 21 01


Sierra Leone
ICRC promotes humanitarian law in army

On 1 November the ICRC concluded a series of training sessions on
international humanitarian law for over 1,000 new recruits of the Sierra
Leonean armed forces at their base in Benguema. Most of the recruits
involved were former Revolutionary United Front fighters and members of
the pro-government Civil Defence Forces who have opted to be integrated
into the country's new armed forces.

The soldiers were introduced to the basic rules governing the conduct of
hostilities in international and non-international armed conflict. Key
concepts such as the obligation to protect and respect civilians as well
as wounded, sick and captured combatants (i.e. those no longer taking part
in the hostilities) were covered. In addition to the law itself, the
combatants were also informed about the mandate and role of the ICRC, and
the Red Cross in general.

Over the past 14 months, the ICRC has instructed over 9,000 army soldiers
in the basic rules of international humanitarian law.

The conflict in Sierra Leone has caused unspeakable misery and pain to
thousands of civilians, who have frequently fallen victim to combatants
lacking any sense of moderation in their conduct. As the prospect of peace
becomes ever more real, it is important to inculcate the new national army
with respect for the law.

The ICRC in Sierra Leone also conducts training in humanitarian law for
other armed forces in the country. And talks on the subject are always
included in the training given to the hundreds of officers from the
various contingents of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, who
also have an obligation to abide by that body of law.

Further information: Eros Bosisio, ICRC Freetown, tel. ++232 22 230 954


Democratic Republic of the Congo
Rwandan finds family after seven years

Dieudonné* (29) from Rwanda is shortly to be reunited with the family he
last saw seven years ago.

In 1994, along with thousands of other Rwandans, he had to flee his native
land to stay alive. His first refuge was Goma, in what was then Zaire,
while his relatives ended up in South Africa and Europe. After several
years in the eastern part of the country, Dieudonné reached the capital,
Kinshasa, in September 2000.

It was in Kinshasa, last July, that he asked the ICRC to help him find the
relatives with whom he had lost touch since escaping from Rwanda. Several
Red Cross messages were sent to various people, including an uncle living
in Brussels for whom Dieudonné had no address.

After some months, Dieudonné's dream came true; the Belgian Red Cross had
picked up a lead in a Brussels suburb where many Rwandans have settled.
Someone recognized the surname on the envelope, and the message was
rapidly passed to his brother and to his sister, who lives in Paris. Both
had given their brother up for dead.

Dieudonné is busily preparing to be reunited with his relatives and has
been in regular phone contact with them since October. And his family are
getting ready to celebrate his return from the dead.

*Not his real name

Further information: Antoine Tawamba, ICRC Kinshasa, Tel.: ++ 243 12 341 91


Angola
International humanitarian law course for police instructors

The ICRC has recently held a second "To serve and protect" course in Luanda
for Angolan police instructors. The main purpose of the course, which
lasted two weeks, was to raise knowledge of international humanitarian law
and human rights law within the country's police force.

All the topics dealt with were examined from the viewpoint of ensuring
respect for the individual and human dignity, both in peacetime and in
wartime. They included the ethics of law enforcement, crime prevention and
detection, the problem of vulnerable groups (women, juveniles, displaced
persons and refugees), crisis management, arrest and detention. A major
part of the programme was devoted to the fundamental principles governing
the use of force in police operations - legality, necessity and
proportionality.

The officers who attended the course taught ethics, civics, investigation
methods and police tactics and techniques in training schools for public
order officers and rapid response units in Luanda and several of the
country's provinces.

The course was given by two police instructors from the ICRC delegation in
Brasilia. Beforehand, several refresher sessions were held for ten
instructors who had followed the first course last year.

Further information: Gianni Volpin, ICRC Luanda, tel.: ++ 2442 364 454


Russian Federation / Northern Caucasus
New initiative to promote the law

A five-day course on international humanitarian law was held from 22 to 26
October in Vladikavkaz for 29 officers of the 58th Army, which is
currently involved both in combat operations in Chechnya and in
peace-keeping operations in South Ossetia, in neighbouring Georgia.

The course, which was held on the initiative of the northern Caucasus
military command, was designed to implement an order issued in August 2001
by the Russian Minister of Defence Sergei B. Ivanov to ensure respect for
international humanitarian law by the Russian armed forces. It was
conducted jointly by instructors from the Combined Arms Academy and the
Main Military Prosecutor's Office and by ICRC experts based in Moscow and
the northern Caucasus.

"The law of war should be considered as a sort of insurance protecting
civilians and their property against illegal decisions", said one of the
participants. It was unanimously agreed that such training should be given
to other units engaged in operations in the Caucasus.

Meanwhile, a regular two-week course on international humanitarian law
drew to a close on 26 October in the town of Solnechnogorsk, in Moscow
province. This course, which is also supported by the ICRC and has now
been held 11 times, was attended by 29 senior officers from the Russian
Ministry of Defence and the Federal Border Service.

Further information: Erik Reumann, ICRC Moscow, tel.: ++ 70 95 926 54 26
(from Switzerland);
++ 75 02 220 26 16 (from other countries)


During the weekend of 10 - 11 November 2001, for all information please
call the press officer on duty Kim Gordon-Bates, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32
16