ICRC News 47 / 26.11.97

ICRC News 47 / 26.11.97


** SHORT MENU....

ETHIOPIA / SOMALIA: AID FOR 100,000 FLOOD VICTIMS:: Ten thousand people
stranded in the Jilib area, in the lower Juba Valley, have finally been
reached by ICRC relief teams bringing medical supplies, blankets,
tarpaulins and high-protein biscuits.

AFGHANISTAN: WOMEN GRADUALLY BEING READMITTED TO KABUL HOSPITALS: After
two months of patient negotiations with the Taliban authorities, the
ICRC has observed that women are being readmitted to Kabul's two main
hospitals.

SRI LANKA: 20 VILLAGERS RELEASED UNDER ICRC AUSPICES:  On 22 November,
20 villagers from Irrakkandy, Trincomalee district, who had been held
for months by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), were handed
over to the ICRC. The operation took place in the Vanni area.

CAMEROON: VISITS RESUMED TO PRISONERS OF WAR: ICRC delegates on 19
November resumed visits to 121 Nigerian prisoners of war and civilian
internees detained by the Cameroonian authorities following fighting on
the Bakassi peninsula in February and April 1996.

MOROCCO / WESTERN SAHARA: MOROCCANS HELD BY POLISARIO FRONT RECEIVE ICRC
VISITS: As part of the ICRC's activities to aid those held prisoner in
connection with the Western Sahara conflict, five delegates including a
doctor visited 1,227 Moroccan prisoners detained by the Polisario Front
near Tindouf, Algeria.

IRIAN JAYA: HUNGER THREATENS PEOPLE OF PARCHED HIGHLANDS:
A joint survey team from the ICRC and the Indonesian Red Cross Society
has been in Irian Jaya since 19 November to assess the food needs of
people hit by the drought in an area already affected by conflict.

LANDMINE ISSUE ON INDIA'S AGENDA: To promote understanding of the
worldwide landmines crisis among India's decision-makers, the ICRC and
the Indian Centre for Humanitarian Law and Research co-hosted a one-day
seminar in New Delhi on 23 November 1997.


** STORIES IN FULL...

ETHIOPIA / SOMALIA
AID FOR 100,000 FLOOD VICTIMS

Ten thousand people stranded in the Jilib area, in the lower Juba
Valley, have finally been reached by ICRC relief teams bringing medical
supplies, blankets, tarpaulins and high-protein biscuits. The area, one
of the worst hit by flooding, had been inaccessible for weeks.

Contacted by radio near Jilib while distributing relief to some 4,000
people on a piece of ground surrounded by flood waters, ICRC field
officer Abdi Khalaq said that most of the people there were women and
children, many suffering from malaria and diarrhoea. "The food situation
is critical and there is no shelter available", he added. His was the
first assistance received by the victims since they had fled the rising
waters. The ICRC has already identified three nearby villages in a
similar situation and relief is being organized for their inhabitants.

The present distributions come at the end of a long journey, which
started a week ago when 22 ICRC trucks set out from Mogadishu to Jilib,
loaded with 170 tonnes of relief for the 41,000 flood victims in the
region. Travelling along a levee, the convoy was halted 60 kilometres
from its destination at a portion of the structure that had crumbled
under the strain. Local people packed sand bags to make the stretch
passable, allowing the convoy to proceed. The trucks were later blocked
again, this time only 20 kilometres from Jilib, when sudden flooding
inundated 15 kilometres of road, whereupon volunteers from the Somali
Red Crescent Society and  local communities began to transfer the
supplies onto boats for distributions in the Jilib area. The operation
is continuing.

Since an ICRC airlift started on 11 November, staff have been able to
bring medical supplies, biscuits, shelter materials and blankets to over
50,000 people affected by the flooding in Somalia. Over 13,000 people
have been assisted in Belet Huen, 10,000 in Luuq and Burdubo, 20,000 in
Bardera and 10,000 in the Jilib/Marere area. A total of 230 tonnes of
relief have been airlifted from Nairobi to Somalia, with supplies then
being flown directly to Buaale, Luuq and Burdubo. Trucks have been used
to supply both Jilib and Belet Huen. All relief items were flown in from
Nairobi, with the exception of 96 tonnes that were purchased in
Mogadishu itself.

"A great deal has been achieved so far", says Patrick Berner, head of
the ICRC's Somalia delegation. "But the situation for tens of thousands
of people in Buaale, Belet Huen and the Jilib/Marere area remains
critical. Despite enormous difficulties, the operation is continuing."

In Ethiopia, meanwhile, distributions of humanitarian aid in the Gode
and Afder areas are gaining ground following the arrival of two
helicopters sent by French forces based in Djibouti and placed at the
disposal of a recently established regional Task Force to coordinate
efforts to assist tens of thousands of people affected by the persistent
rains and flooding in the south-east.

The Task Force is headed by a widely respected leader of local elders
and made up of representatives of various local authorities, the
Ethiopian Bureau for Disaster Preparedness and Health and the Ethiopian
Red Cross Society (ERCS).

The ICRC is actively supporting the ERCS. In three flights made by an
ERCS/ICRC-chartered Hercules transport aircraft, a total of 10,000
blankets, 80,000 square metres of plastic sheeting and 5,000 jerrycans
as well as dispensary and paediatric sets have been brought to Gode.
This assistance is calculated for the needs of some 50,000 people.
Around 1.8 tonnes of veterinary medicines to treat around 430,000 sick
camels, cattle, sheep and goats have also been delivered.

Further information: Josue Anselmo, ICRC Nairobi, Tel ++2542 717 443


AFGHANISTAN
WOMEN GRADUALLY BEING READMITTED TO KABUL HOSPITALS

After two months of patient negotiations with the Taliban authorities,
the ICRC has observed that women are being readmitted to Kabul's two
main hospitals. Likewise, many Afghan female medical staff resumed work
at both establishments last week. On 18 November, 25 women were admitted
to Karte Seh while 30 were being treated at Wazir Akhbar Khan. With a
total of 450 beds, the two hospitals together have over 600 Afghan
medical staff (including 140 women). Both have surgical facilities and
receive funding and supplies from the ICRC. During the first seven
months of this year, over 4,600 patients -- men, women and children --
were admitted, half of them with war wounds.

The gradual readmission of women into Kabul's hospitals follows a period
of crisis that began in early September, when the Ministry of Public
Health decided to channel all female patients into a single place of
medical care. Noting that the facility was ill-equipped, most of the
humanitarian organizations in the Afghan capital expressed their
concern. The ICRC immediately started discussions with the Ministries of
Public Health and Foreign Affairs. The aim was to find practical
solutions ensuring access for all to high-quality medical treatment,
while showing due respect for the religious traditions and practices
favoured by the Taliban leadership.

On 5 November, the Taliban officially informed the ICRC delegation of
its wish to reach an agreement regarding the existing "mixed"
facilities. To this end a special committee was set up with the task of
monitoring the situation in the capital's 22 hospitals. The body is
composed of representatives of the Ministries of Justice and Public
Health, the head of the religious police, and staff from the ICRC, the
United Nations and a number of non-governmental organizations in Kabul.

Further information: Joerg Stoecklin, ICRC Geneva, Tel, ++41 22 730 29
06




SRI LANKA
20 VILLAGERS RELEASED UNDER ICRC AUSPICES

On 22 November, 20 villagers from Irrakkandy, Trincomalee district, who
had been held for months by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),
were handed over to the ICRC. The operation took place in the Vanni
area.

The villagers were part of a group of 39 people captured by the LTTE in
early July, the rest of whom had been handed over to the ICRC in recent
months.

The ICRC has been present in Sri Lanka since 1989, carrying out its
traditional humanitarian activities and acting as a neutral intermediary
whenever required. Its daily tasks consist in protecting detainees and
the civilian population, restoring family ties, providing material
assistance to conflict victims and spreading knowledge of the basic
principles of international humanitarian law.

The ICRC has 50 expatriates and 300 Sri Lankans working in its offices
in Colombo and 11 towns in the north and east of the country.

Further information: Harasha Gunawardene, ICRC Colombo, Tel. ++ 941 503
346
Joerg Stoecklin, ICRC, Geneva, Tel. ++ 4122 730 2906


CAMEROON
VISITS RESUMED TO PRISONERS OF WAR

ICRC delegates on 19 November resumed visits to 121 Nigerian prisoners
of war and civilian internees detained by the Cameroonian authorities
following fighting on the Bakassi peninsula in February and April 1996.

The ICRC began regular visits in May 1996, but these were interrupted by
the Cameroonian government in August 1997.

On the Nigerian side, despite repeated representations to the
authorities in Abuja, no information has yet been obtained regarding
Cameroonian military personnel unaccounted for since the fighting in
1996.

The territorial dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria over the Bakassi
peninsula was submitted to the International Court of Justice in 1994
but remains unresolved.

Further information: Daniel Augstburger, ICRC Yaounde, Tel. ++ 237 225
859
Michael Kleiner, ICRC Geneva, Tel. ++ 41 22 730 22 81


MOROCCO / WESTERN SAHARA
MOROCCANS HELD BY POLISARIO FRONT RECEIVE ICRC VISITS

As part of the ICRC's activities to aid those held prisoner in
connection with the Western Sahara conflict, five delegates including a
doctor visited 1,227 Moroccan prisoners detained by the Polisario Front
near Tindouf, Algeria. During the visits, which took place between 14
and 22 November, all prisoners who so wished were able to send a Red
Cross message and a photo to their families.

Under agreements reached between the ICRC and the Polisario Front,
delegates have been authorized to see all 1,905 registered prisoners
over a period of one year.

These men's situation is a matter of deep humanitarian concern for the
ICRC. Most have spent over 15 years in captivity. The organization would
like to see a solution that provides for their speedy repatriation as
well as the return of Sahrawi refugees.

The next visit to the prisoners is due to take place in March 1998.

Further information: Werner Kaspar, ICRC Tunis, Tel. ++21 61 789 134


IRIAN JAYA
HUNGER THREATENS PEOPLE OF PARCHED HIGHLANDS

A joint survey team from the ICRC and the Indonesian Red Cross Society
has been in Irian Jaya since 19 November to assess the food needs of
people hit by the drought in an area already affected by conflict.

The work of the six-member team, based in the town of Timika, will
initially focus on the south-central part of the island, a particularly
remote and inaccessible area owing to the mountainous terrain. The
survey will then continue, starting in Wamena, in the southern Baliem
Valley. This mission is intended to establish the infrastructure and
logistics needed for an aid operation rendered urgent by the steadily
growing food shortage threatening the local population.

According to data gathered during an initial ICRC survey carried out in
September, the drought afflicting Irian Jaya, which extends over the
whole region, is the worst for nearly a century. With their plight
aggravated by night frosts, the local population of nearly 400,000
people have been deprived of their crops, and rivers and streams where
they traditionally fish have dried up. Of the people affected, 90,000
are said to be displaying worrying signs of malnutrition, which
increases susceptibility to diseases endemic to areas surrounded by
jungle, i.e. malaria, dysentery and respiratory infections. According to
the Indonesian authorities, the drought has already caused nearly 500
deaths from such causes.

The ICRC has taken action on many occasions in Irian Jaya, particularly
in connection with violence between the Indonesian authorities and the
Free Papua Movement (or OPM -- Organisasi Papua Merdeka). In addition to
visiting persons detained by the security forces, delegates have
monitored the situation of people repatriated from Papua New Guinea as
well as playing the role of neutral intermediary in connection with a
hostage-taking by the OPM last year in Wamena.

Further information: Sri R. Wahyu Endah, ICRC Djakarta, Tel.  ++ 6221
720 72 52
Joerg Stoecklin, ICRC Geneva, Tel. ++41 22 730 29 06

LANDMINE ISSUE ON INDIA'S AGENDA

To promote understanding of the worldwide landmines crisis among India's
decision-makers, the ICRC and the Indian Centre for Humanitarian Law and
Research co-hosted a one-day seminar in New Delhi on 23 November 1997.
The event was attended by more than 70 high-level Indian government
representatives and military and legal experts as well as by a
representative of the Canadian government. The discussion was lively and
centred around the issue of the humanitarian costs of anti-personnel
mines versus their military utility. Participants expressed strong
interest in the problem and said that the debate would continue. India
is among the countries that have indicated they will not sign the
Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and
Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction, at the
treaty-signing Conference to be held in Ottawa, Canada on 3 and 4
December.

Further information: Mary-Anne Andersen, ICRC Geneva, 
Tel. : ++ 41 22 730 23 29



New on the ICRC Public Server - http://www.icrc.org :
- Update No 97/02 on ICRC activities to assist the flood victims in
Somalia and Ethiopia, dated  19.11.97
- Update 97/01 on ICRC activities in Irian Jaya, dated  24.11.97


During the weekend of  29 - 30 November 1997, for all information please
call the press officer on duty, Joerg Stoecklin, 
on (mobile) 41 79 202 36 80