ICRC News 48 / 04.12.96
PEACE IMPLEMENTATION CONFERENCE IN LONDON MAIN FOCUS ON MISSING PERSONS
The Peace Implementation Conference for the Dayton agreement will be held on 4 and 5 December in London. The ICRC's work in the former Yugoslavia continues to focus on the search for missing persons. Delegates have so far:
-collected nearly 16,000 individual files from the families of those who remain missing; -centralized all the available information about the missing; -assigned to each of the former warring parties, as part of a working group set up and chaired by the ICRC, specific responsibility for inquiring into cases of missing persons; -published the complete list of the names of those who remain missing and launched an extensive campaign among the general public to maximize the chances of obtaining data on the missing.
So far, answers have been found in nearly 1,000 cases. A few dozen persons for whom tracing requests were filed have turned out to be alive. None of them was 'found' by the ICRC in a 'secret' place of detention, and it is therefore to be feared that all the missing persons who could have come forward of their own accord have already done so, and that the remaining thousands are no longer alive.
In its capacity as a neutral intermediary between the families of the missing persons and the former warring parties, the ICRC will nevertheless actively pursue the search for reliable data and forward the information gathered to the families, who now face the difficult task of coming to terms with their loss and regaining some peace of mind. Ascertaining the fate of their missing relatives should aid them in that process.
A press briefing will be held in London by ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga today at 4.30 p.m.
Further information: Anton Burgener, ICRC Geneva, Tel: ++ 44 421 64 66 13 Michael Kleiner, ICRC Geneva, Tel : ++ 41 22 7302281
PRESS CONFERENCE ON 18 DECEMBER 1996 ICRC EMERGENCY APPEAL FOR 1997
On 18 December, the ICRC will make an emergency appeal for its 1997 field operations. At a press conference scheduled for 2.30 p.m. at ICRC headquarters, Director of Operations Jean de Courten will outline the challenges facing the organization as this year draws to a close and describe the ICRC's financial situation. The 1997 appeal will contain complete information regarding the finances and objectives of each of the 50 field delegations, and will be addressed to the ICRC's donors (mainly governments and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies).
Further information: Tony Burgener, ICRC, Geneva, tel: ++ 41 22 730 23 17
TAJIKISTAN A VALLEY UNDER FIRE
Opposition forces seized control on 1 December of the small town of Garm, north-west of Dushanbe, thus breaking the cease-fire that had been agreed between local representatives of the warring parties and had held for some two months. The local ICRC team reacted immediately to the renewed hostilities by providing medicines and other emergency medical supplies for the treatment of those wounded in the fighting. Finding themselves extremely close to the action, the five delegates also distributed food and blankets and managed to forward Red Cross messages across the battle lines. This work was welcomed on both sides.
Hundreds of displaced families have sought refuge in the many villages of the Garm Valley, itself divided between government and opposition forces. These people have fled the fighting that has been flaring sporadically in this mountainous region. A road with numerous checkpoints is the only access route for emergency relief, which the ICRC sends to groups of people cut off by the rugged terrain, the harsh weather conditions and the dangers of relentless warfare.
At present, over 23,000 displaced people are receiving regular ICRC assistance in the Garm Valley, Dushanbe and Khalaikhum, in Gorno-Badakhshan.
Further information: Suzanne Berger, ICRC, Geneva, tel.: ++41 22 730 23 07
LIBERIA THE ICRC VISITS 129 SIERRA LEONEANS
>From 28 to 30 November the ICRC visited 129 Sierra Leoneans held captive by members of the United Liberation Movement of Alhaji Kromah (ULIMO-K). During the visit, which took place in Bopolu, in the district of Lofa, ICRC delegates were able to interview the detainees in private and assess their state of health.
Several hundred Sierra Leoneans who recently fled the eastern part of that country and sought refuge in Liberia were arrested by members of ULIMO-K, a faction of the Liberian Council of State. The ICRC is planning to carry out similar visits in the coming days in order to register all the detainees.
It is up to the governments of Liberia and Sierra Leone to determine the status of these people. Should the parties decide to organize their repatriation, the ICRC will speak with each of the detainees individually to make sure that they indeed wish to return home.
Further information: Franz Rauchenstein, ICRC Monrovia, tel. ++231 226 306 Rolin Wavre, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 22 730 28 76
New on the ICRC Public Server - http://www.icrc.org : - Update 96/11 on ICRC activities in Zaire, dated 02.12.96 - Fact sheet on ICRC activities in Former Yugoslavia, dated 29.11.96.
During the week-end of 7 - 8 December 1996, for all information please call the press officer on duty, Amanda Williamson, on (mobile) 41 79 357 50 03