ICRC News 18 / 15.05.97**
CONGO / EMERGENCY OPERATION FOR RWANDAN REFUGEES:The ICRC has launched a temporary and exceptional operation to assist thousands of Rwandan refugees who are crossing the Zaire River into Congo, many of them in an appalling state of health.
ZAIRE / MORE WORK FOR THE TRACING AGENCY: The ICRC delegation in Kinshasa has seen a steep rise in the number of people anxious to restore contact with their families elsewhere in the country.
CAMBODIA / NOW THAT THE WAR IS OVER: RESTORING FAMILY LINKS: Since the end of the fighting in Cambodia's north-western district and former Khmer Rouge-controlled zone around the town of Pailin, the ICRC has been able to resume its task of restoring contact between family members separated by the war.
SENEGAL / STRENGTHENING HUMANITARIAN LAW: Some 30 high-ranking Senegalese officials from various ministerial departments and other sectors of the public administration took part last week in a seminar on the implementation of international humanitarian law.
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CONGO EMERGENCY OPERATION FOR RWANDAN REFUGEES
The ICRC has launched a temporary and exceptional operation to assist thousands of Rwandan refugees who are crossing the Zaire River into Congo, many of them in an appalling state of health. The refugees, who have walked through Zaire along jungle paths, are gathering near the Congolese fishing village of Liranga, where there is no drinking water, food or shelter for them.
The riverside village, surrounded by forests and swampland, is accessible only by boat or helicopter. An ICRC team from Brazzaville which carried out a survey in Liranga between 8 and 12 May found that over 3,000 refugees had been registered by the local authorities and several hundred more were arriving in the area each day. On the other side of the river, upwards of 20,000 are said to be waiting to cross -- provided they can pay local boatmen for the passage. Those with no money, or who are too sick to go any further, are left behind in Zaire.
Karen Thibaud, a member of the ICRC team on the spot, said the refugees were physically exhausted and malnourished. "There are likely to be many more crossing in the coming days, and they will need help urgently. We shall try to meet their immediate needs, but if we are to assist them in the longer term they will have to leave this area, which is barely suitable as a place of transit."
On 12 May the ICRC sent a first helicopter-load of food to Liranga. The following day a cargo plane arrived in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, with 11 tonnes of high-protein biscuits, medical supplies and water/sanitation material. This will be taken by a smaller aircraft to Lukolela, a missionary station with an airstrip some 80 kilometres south of Liranga.
The ICRC is in contact with the Congolese authorities, UNHCR and other organizations with a view to coordinating the operation for the refugees.
ZAIRE MORE WORK FOR THE TRACING AGENCY
The ICRC delegation in Kinshasa has seen a steep rise in the number of people anxious to restore contact with their families elsewhere in the country. In the past three and a half weeks, some 1,100 people have visited the office to write Red Cross messages -- a tenfold increase compared with just a few weeks ago. Philippe Beauverd, head of the tracing agency in Kinshasa, said that people separated from their families because of the conflict were learning about the service by word of mouth. Incoming messages are being distributed in the capital's 24 districts by Zairian Red Cross personnel.
Meanwhile, the Zairian Red Cross has organized the distribution of food parcels to some 17,000 displaced Zairians living in Kinshasa. The food (basic rations for one month, including flour, oil, salt, sugar and beans) was provided by various organizations in the capital, and the operation financed by the ICRC.
Further information: Nic Sommer, ICRC Kinshasa, tel. ++243 88 46 900 Rolin Wavre, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 2876
CAMBODIA NOW THAT THE WAR IS OVER: RESTORING FAMILY LINKS
Since the end of the fighting in Cambodia's north-western district and former Khmer Rouge-controlled zone around the town of Pailin, the ICRC has been able to resume its task of restoring contact between family members separated by the war. Taking small steps -- before the seasonal rains set in -- a local field officer sent to the area has managed to locate 12 people from a list of 15 sought by their next of kin. In two cases, this was the very first time the families had received any news of their relatives in over 20 years.
According to the field officer, Phnom Malai, "the parents burst into tears when they heard that their sons were still alive".
In the first quarter of 1997, tracing activities were carried out in all the Cambodian provinces. The overall volume of Red Cross messages collected (1,044) and distributed (701) during this period remained considerable as a result of the numerous visits conducted by ICRC delegates to the country's places of detention.
Further information: Kim Gordon-Bates, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2302
SENEGAL STRENGTHENING HUMANITARIAN LAW
Some 30 high-ranking Senegalese officials from various ministerial departments and other sectors of the public administration took part last week in a seminar on the implementation of international humanitarian law. The purpose of the seminar was to examine relevant national legislation and propose new measures for strengthening it.
The seminar issued several recommendations, including ratification by Senegal of the UN weapons convention (which restricts, in particular, the use of anti-personnel mines), the adoption of legislation to protect the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems and the continuation of dissemination programmes for the armed forces, the gendarmerie and the police.
Further information: Ibrahim Cissi, ICRC Dakar, tel. ++221 241 293
New on the ICRC Public Server - http://www.icrc.org : - Fact sheet on ICRC activities in Albania, dated 13.05.97
For any information you may need on the weekend of 17-18 May or on Monday 19 May 1997 (national holiday) please call Rubin Ortega, duty press officer, on: 079 217 32 03 (mobile)
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