ICRC News 50 / 17.12.97

ICRC News 50 / 17.12.97


** SHORT MENU....

AFGHANISTAN: FOOD CONVOY REACHES BAMYAN: The first trucks in a food convoy
organized by the ICRC reached the district of Bamyan, in the Hazarajat
region, on 12 December. 

IRIAN JAYA: ALARMING REPORT: "It is the worst drought within living memory.
Malnutrition and malaria have taken on devastating proportions, especially in
the areas affected by the conflict. Famine has reached the final stages in
some of the villages in the highlands, with children and the elderly the main
victims." 

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: DISPLACED PEOPLE GO HOME ON BARGES: It is
on board what look like floating villages plying the waters between Kinshasa
and Kisangani that the ICRC has taken home many of those displaced during the
conflict which brought Laurent Desire Kabila to power. 

SOMALIA:  RESPONDING TO THE VICTIMS' NEEDS: The flooding of the lower Juba
and Shabelle valleys continues to give cause for great concern, with no
improvement in sight. 

PERU: BREAKTHROUGH: After President Alberto Fujimori announced last week that
the ICRC could at last resume its visits to persons convicted of "terrorism
and treason", a team of delegates, including a doctor, conducted a surprise
visit to the women's prison of Santa Monica de Chorrillos. 

COMOROS: NEW ICRC VISIT TO DETAINEES: In early December, an ICRC delegate
conducted a follow-up visit to detainees being held on the island of Anjouan,
in the Comoros archipelago, in connection with the clashes that took place
there between government soldiers and separatist forces on 3 September. 

GENEVA: FUNDING: THE LIFELINE OF HUMANITARIAN WORK: At a press conference
held on 16 December, ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga outlined the
organization's financial situation to the international community
(represented by members of the permanent missions in Geneva) and to the
media. 


** STORIES IN FULL...

AFGHANISTAN
FOOD CONVOY REACHES BAMYAN

The first trucks in a food convoy organized by the ICRC reached the district
of Bamyan, in the Hazarajat region, on 12 December. Traditionally one of the
poorest in the country, this region has been beset by chronic difficulties in
obtaining supplies. It is currently experiencing food shortages owing to the
partial blockade of its south-bound roads, which are held by Taliban forces. 

The convoy had long been delayed by dangerous conditions prevailing along the
only roads leading to this enclave situated at an altitude of close to 2,000
metres and surrounded by snow-capped peaks. Altogether, the trucks will bring
more than 300 tonnes of flour, or the equivalent of 3,000 rations, to Bamyan.
Two-thirds of this amount is to be distributed to the 2,000 vulnerable
families (some 15,000 people) that the ICRC has been assisting since 1996.
The remainder will be kept as emergency supplies. 

Several thousand people recently displaced from Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif have
taken refuge in Hazarajat. Like the 250,000 local inhabitants, most of them
Shiites, they are living in particularly difficult circumstances; some have
taken shelter in caves near statues of the Buddha which overlook the valley. 

Further information: Joerg Stoecklin, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 2906


IRIAN JAYA
ALARMING REPORT

"It is the worst drought within living memory. Malnutrition and malaria have
taken on devastating proportions, especially in the areas affected by the
conflict. Famine has reached the final stages in some of the villages in the
highlands, with children and the elderly the main victims." In an initial
report sent to Geneva, a team of ICRC and Indonesian Red Cross experts, who
have been conducting a survey in Irian Jaya since 19 November, gave an
alarming account of the situation there, especially in the Mimika district
and the Jayawijaya mountains. 

According to the report, crops in the central highlands have been destroyed
by the six-month drought. Food reserves, 80% of which consisted of yams, have
now been exhausted and the next harvest is not expected until June or July.
Those hardest hit by malnutrition and malaria are the people who fled the
conflict areas last year for the lower-lying forests and valleys. In two of
the villages visited, 20% of the population has died since October.  In
others, 55 % of all infants are

suffering from severe malnutrition and 95% of the villagers have malaria.
According to the team, "the fate of thousands of people will be decided in
the next two months". The survey is to continue in the Baliem valley, where,
according to Indonesian sources, more than 250,000 people are at risk. 

To alleviate the crisis, the ICRC plans to provide the affected population
with emergency food rations over the next six months. So far, it has only
been able to distribute some rice and a few medicines to about 2,500 people
in the nine villages already visited. A consignment of 50 tonnes of
high-protein biscuits donated by the Norwegian government arrived at the
beginning of the week and two helicopters (one light and one heavy) are now
available for use. 

Logistical problems and fund-raising are major concerns for the organizers of
this operation: a light helicopter costs 25,000 US dollars per month to run,
and few governments have so far agreed to help finance humanitarian work in
Irian Jaya. Meanwhile, meteorologists have predicted that El Nino will
continue to wreak havoc in the region until mid-1998. 

Further information: Sri R. Wahyu Endah, ICRC Djakarta, tel.: ++6221 720 7252
Joerg Stoeklin, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 2906


DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
DISPLACED PEOPLE GO HOME ON BARGES

It is on board what look like floating villages plying the waters between
Kinshasa and Kisangani that the ICRC has taken home many of those displaced
during the conflict which brought Laurent Desire Kabila to power. One of
these barge convoys, pulled by the Ketsy and carrying 613 passengers, took 43
days instead of the expected 21 to cover the 1,500 km that separate the two
cities. The delay was caused by a shortage of fuel in Mbandaka, the half-way
point, and by mechanical problems. 

On 5 December, the day before the convoy's arrival in Kisangani, the ICRC
sent another boat out to meet the barges and register all the passengers.
Because of an outbreak of measles on board, 34 people were taken to hospital
immediately on arrival in Kisangani; all the other passengers were vaccinated
and the barges were disinfected. Thanks to these measures, the outbreak was
contained. 

Now that these displaced people have returned to Kisangani, others originally
from Goma, Bukavu and Kindu are to be taken home by plane, boat or train. 

The third and final barge convoy between Kinshasa and Kisangani has now
arrived at its destination four days ahead of schedule. 

Further information: Paolo Dell'Oca, ICRC Kinshasa, tel.: ++243 12 33 533


SOMALIA
RESPONDING TO THE VICTIMS' NEEDS

The flooding of the lower Juba and Shabelle valleys continues to give cause
for great concern, with no improvement in sight. On the contrary, still more
people are reportedly on the move or have been stranded, and access to the
most hard-hit areas remains limited owing to the prevailing insecurity and
the fact that airstrips are partially under water. 

To make matters worse, little change is expected over the coming months. Even
if the floodwaters begin to recede, the damage to infrastructure, such as
housing, water-supply facilities and roads, combined with the depletion of
food stocks, will have a lasting impact on the population. 

Lack of clean water and unsanitary conditions are a growing problem as people
continue to rely on floodwaters for all purposes. Together with malnutrition,
this has been the main cause of death so far. On the basis of the most recent
information available, and with UN operations starting up, the ICRC is
presently focusing on three types of relief work, in coordination with the
other humanitarian agencies present in the field. 

First of all, the ICRC is continuing to distribute emergency food and other
relief to some 30,000 of the most severely affected people in the lower
Shabelle region. 

Secondly, health problems are being addressed in two ways: a small boat is
travelling around the lower Juba valley distributing antimalarial medicine,
and sanitation engineers are cleaning up wells and installing water-supply
and sanitation facilities for some 90,000 people in the same area. 

Lastly, food is also being distributed in bulk together with seed as a means
of ensuring that the seed will be saved for planting and not immediately
eaten. This programme, which has now begun in the Gedo, Bay and Shabelle
regions, will benefit some 46,000 farming families (215,000 people). 

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


PERU
BREAKTHROUGH

After President Alberto Fujimori announced last week that the ICRC could at
last resume its visits to persons convicted of "terrorism and treason", a
team of delegates, including a doctor, conducted a surprise visit to the
women's prison of Santa Monica de Chorrillos. During the visit, the ICRC was
able to follow its customary procedures. The ICRC welcomes this breakthrough,
which will go some way to enabling it to meet its humanitarian obligations in
Peru. 

Before the hostage-taking at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima on
17 December 1996, visits to detainees (over 4,000 people at the time) were
one of the ICRC's major activities in the country. These visits were
suspended by the authorities as a result of the hostage crisis. A new series
will begin in early 1998. 

Further information: Kim Gordon-Bates, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++ 4122 730 2302


COMOROS
NEW ICRC VISIT TO DETAINEES

In early December, an ICRC delegate conducted a follow-up visit to detainees
being held on the island of Anjouan, in the Comoros archipelago, in
connection with the clashes that took place there between government soldiers
and separatist forces on 3 September. 

After 30 detainees were released on 18 November, 27 people from the main
island, Grande Comore, were seen by the delegate, who came from the regional
delegation in Pretoria. During the visit, which took place in accordance with
the ICRC's customary procedures, the detainees received hygiene and leisure
items. They also had the opportunity to write personal messages, which
Comoros Red Crescent volunteers delivered to their families. 

The ICRC has taken a keen interest in the mediation efforts pursued by the
Organization of African Unity (OAU); in particular it closely followed the
international conference that brought together the various parties concerned
in Addis Ababa from 10 to 13 December. 

Further information: Michael Kleiner, ICRC Geneva, ++4122 730 2281


GENEVA
FUNDING: THE LIFELINE OF HUMANITARIAN WORK

At a press conference held on 16 December, ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga
outlined the organization's financial situation to the international
community (represented by members of the permanent missions in Geneva) and to
the media. For the second year running, the ICRC's operational costs are
expected to exceed the amount of the donations received: in order to cover
the budget of 696.99 million Swiss francs, an additional 58.11 million francs
must be raised by the end of 1997. The President described this shortfall as
a "matter of extreme concern", especially since a considerable sum already
pledged by donors (116.27 million francs) had not yet been received. 

Operational expenditure for 1998 is expected to drop slightly (to 675.25
million francs) as compared with this year. The greater part of the budget
(47%, up 7% from 1997) is to go to Africa, where the ICRC's humanitarian
activities will focus on Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Great Lakes region (in
particular, assistance to some 130,000 detainees in Rwanda) and Somalia, a
country that has been devastated both by war and by natural disasters. 

The second largest sum will be spent in Asia (19%, i.e. 6% less than in
1997). At present, the most extensive operation is taking place in
Afghanistan, where, on both sides of the front lines, the ICRC is assisting
landmine victims and the most vulnerable groups, responding to medical needs
and endeavouring to deal with problems arising from the unequal treatment of
men and women. Another major priority for the ICRC is its work in Sri Lanka
and in Irian Jaya, which has been extremely hard hit by conflict, drought,
hunger and malaria, among other things. ICRC activities in the Caucasus and
Tajikistan will account for 11% of the budget (down 25% as compared with
1997) and those in Western Europe and the Balkans will make up 10 % of the
budget (a decrease of about 2.5%). 

The ICRC's work in the Middle East, in particular in northern Iraq, Israel
and the occupied and the autonomous territories, will account for 7% of its
total budget (7.4% more than in 1997).  Expenditure in the Americas, in
particular in Colombia, will amount to only 6% of the budget (nevertheless an
increase of 16% over 1997). 

Generally speaking, most of the budget will cover activities that undoubtedly
can only be carried out by the ICRC: its "protection" work, which principally
involves visiting hundreds of places of detention throughout the world
(accounting for 28% of expenditure, up 17% from 1997). The second largest sum
of money will go to assistance operations (27% of the budget, an increase of
3%) and health-related work (14%, up by 1.5%). Less "visible" activities will
account for just under 6% of the budget, an increase of 10% over 1997; these
have become increasingly vital as a result of the worsening security
situation arising mainly from the lack of dialogue and from misunderstanding
between ICRC delegates and the parties to certain conflicts. 

The ICRC has been able to meet its stated aim of keeping administrative costs
down: its headquarters budget for 1998 (separate from its operational budget)
stands at 143.3 million francs, only 0.6% higher than in 1997, an increase
that is well below the annual rate of inflation in Switzerland. 

Further information: Philippe Lazzarini, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 2190


As 1997 draws to a close, we send our readers the season's greetings and our
very best wishes for the New Year. 

The next issue of ICRC News will appear on 8 January 1998. 


New on the ICRC Public Server - http://www.icrc.org :
- Update 97/11 on ICRC activities  in Albania, dated  16.12.97
- Update 97/03 on ICRC activities in Afghanistan, dated  15.12.97
- Update 97/01 on ICRC activities in Georgia, dated  15.12.97
- Update 97/02 on ICRC activities in Irian Jaya, dated  12.12.97


During the weekend of 20 - 21 December 1997, for all information please call
the press officer on duty, Doris Pfister, on (mobile) ++ 41 79 202 36 70,

from the 25 to the 28 December, please call duty press officer Philippe
Lazzarini on ++ 4179 333 20 46 (mobile phone)

or from the 31 December to the 4 January, please call duty press officer
Kim Gordon-Bates on ++ 41 79 50 03 (mobile phone)