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AFGHANISTAN: AIRDROPS: WEATHERING THE STORM! Thousands of Afghan families are being cared for by humanitarian organizations working in Rostaq, a town near the epicentre of the earthquake that rocked north-eastern Afghanistan on 4 February.
SIERRA LEONE: BACK IN ACTION IN FREETOWN: After being confined to their compound during a week of heavy fighting in the Sierra Leone capital, ICRC delegates resumed their assistance activities for the population on 13 February.
CAMEROON: MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FOR BURN VICTIMS: After a train carrying petroleum collided with another and later exploded in a densely populated district of Yaounde last Saturday, initial estimates put the number of dead at 120. At least 150 more people were critically injured with severe burns.
IRIAN JAYA: AIRLIFT FOR FAMINE VICTIMS: In the dense forests of Irian Jaya there are no roads and no navigable rivers. The only way to reach the region's famine-stricken inhabitants is by helicopter.
TAJIKISTAN: SEMINAR ON LAW OF WAR FOR OPPOSITION COMMANDERS: On 10 February 1998 the ICRC held a seminar in the Tajik capital Dushanbe for 20 commanders of the 25th Battalion, a unit depending on the Ministry of Defence.
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AFGHANISTAN AIRDROPS: WEATHERING THE STORM!
Thousands of Afghan families are being cared for by humanitarian organizations working in Rostaq, a town near the epicentre of the earthquake that rocked north-eastern Afghanistan on 4 February. Food and relief supplies have so far been distributed in 16 of the 27 villages hardest hit by the tremor. The ICRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies now have some 25 specialists on the scene, including 16 expatriates.
In the past 48 hours bad weather and heavy snowfalls have further complicated aid deliveries, especially by air. On Monday 16 February the ICRC nevertheless managed to dispatch a fourth flight from Peshawar, Pakistan, to Khwajaghar, an airport 80 km west of Rostaq. The plane brought in six delegates, along with tents, blankets, mats and clothing. On the same day, an ICRC-chartered Hercules aircraft left Brussels for Peshawar, which will serve as the base for airdrops over Rostaq, weather permitting. The Hercules, with an airdrop capacity of 16 tonnes, will be made available to various United Nations agencies taking part in the relief operation, including the World Food Programme, which has large food stocks in the region. In addition, several road convoys have already reached Rostaq and others are on their way.
The medical emergency is now over. In ten days over 600 injured people were treated at the small hospital in Rostaq, and a vaccination programme is currently under way to reduce the risk of epidemics. The town's public buildings continue to provide shelter for the homeless, with some 5,800 people now housed in seven reception centres. It is estimated that 15,000 Afghans were displaced as a result of the quake. The local authorities' latest figures put the number of fatalities at 4,750.
Under the ICRC's plan of action, 300 tonnes of flour, 144 tonnes of rice, 108 tonnes of beans, 57 tonnes of vegetable oil and 10 tonnes of high-protein biscuits are to be delivered to Rostaq over the next two months. Some 20,000 blankets, 2,000 tents, 2,000 sheets of plastic and 3,000 jerrycans are ready to be airdropped, together with 1,500 stoves and 45 tonnes of coal.
Further information: Joerg Stoecklin, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2906 Amanda Williamson, ICRC Kabul, tel. ++873 761 242 260 Caroline Hurford, Federation Rostaq, tel. ++873 682 283 430-1
SIERRA LEONE BACK IN ACTION IN FREETOWN
After being confined to their compound during a week of heavy fighting in the Sierra Leone capital, ICRC delegates resumed their assistance activities for the population on 13 February.
Some 4,500 people who had taken refuge in the ICRC delegation began to return to their homes. The wounded, who had received first aid on the ICRC premises, were taken to hospital for treatment. The ICRC also provided the hospital with medicines and diesel fuel for its generator.
Some of the delegation's staff have been replaced during the last few days. A team of delegates, including a doctor, has arrived in Freetown to help carry out a survey of the inhabitants' needs.
The delegation is now assessing the damage to its warehouses in the wake of the fighting and looting, and is taking stock of the resources still available. At the same time, it is evaluating the need for medicines and food at various establishments such as hospitals and orphanages, which cannot cope without outside aid. Once the displaced people have returned to their homes, the ICRC will monitor the situation of the most vulnerable groups with a view to providing assistance as necessary.
In Bo, a town in the central part of the country where fighting broke out again on 17 February, a delegate who had remained on the spot worked with volunteers of the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society to organize the transfer of the wounded to medical facilities and the evacuation of the dead for burial before the new upsurge of violence.
The ICRC has made initial contact with the relevant authorities in Freetown with a view to gaining access to people detained in connection with the fighting.
Further information: Michael Kleiner, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2281
CAMEROON MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FOR BURN VICTIMS
After a train carrying petroleum collided with another and later exploded in a densely populated district of Yaounde last Saturday, initial estimates put the number of dead at 120. At least 150 more people were critically injured with severe burns. The explosion occurred four hours after the collision, and in the meantime a large crowd had gathered to try to scoop up petrol spilling from the damaged tanks.
Volunteers of the Cameroon Red Cross Society arrived on the scene immediately and began taking the injured to hospital. The National Society also set up a bureau to coordinate work to identify the victims and inform their families. ICRC delegates provided the city's central hospital with medicines and medical supplies for the treatment of burns.
France has sent in medical material and staff to assist local doctors, and the ICRC will contribute 400 units of blood, enough for 200 patients.
Today, 18 February, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in cooperation with the Cameroon Red Cross, is to initiate a food aid project and a programme of psychological support for survivors of the disaster and families of the victims.
Further information: Michael Kleiner, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2281
IRIAN JAYA AIRLIFT FOR FAMINE VICTIMS
In the dense forests of Irian Jaya there are no roads and no navigable rivers. The only way to reach the region's famine-stricken inhabitants is by helicopter. Apart from the logistic difficulties, the ongoing relief operation is hampered by frequent clashes between the OPM (Organisasi Papua Merdeka, or Free Papua Movement) and the Indonesian security forces.
Irian Jaya is suffering the effects of an unprecedented drought which could threaten the livelihood of up to 150,000 people in areas south of the mountains. Even if the long-awaited rains do come, the next crop of sweet potatoes will not be ready for harvesting before June. What is more, the population has not been able to preserve the cuttings needed to cultivate this staple food, and the conflict raging in Mimika district makes hunting and fishing virtually impossible.
Between October and December 1997 the mortality rate rose to alarming levels, especially among children and the elderly, and several hundred people died. In some villages up to 80 per cent of the population were malnourished. For the past three months the Indonesian Red Cross Society (PMI) and the ICRC have jointly been conducting a major humanitarian operation. Teams fly out of the Timika base every day, bringing food and medical supplies to the villages affected by the drought and famine. Many of the people in the region, weakened by hunger and the constant moves forced upon them by the poor security conditions, are also suffering from malaria, dysentery and respiratory ailments.
The helicopter used for the emergency operation has to make several round trips daily. Agronomists and nutritionists also travel to the area to set up a programme designed to restore the population's self-sufficiency as rapidly as possible. So far, the PMI and the ICRC have distributed 67 tonnes of food, seed and medicines to nearly 15,000 people in 19 villages in the security zone.
Further information: Sri R. Wahyu Endah, ICRC Jakarta, tel. ++6221 720 7252
TAJIKISTAN SEMINAR ON LAW OF WAR FOR OPPOSITION COMMANDERS
On 10 February 1998 the ICRC held a seminar in the Tajik capital Dushanbe for 20 commanders of the 25th Battalion, a unit depending on the Ministry of Defence. The battalion, which is made up of troops of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO), was recently incorporated in the government forces in application of the May 1997 peace agreement. The main objective of the seminar was to raise the UTO command structure's awareness of its responsibilities during combat operations, in accordance with the principles of the law of armed conflict and with Tajikistan's obligations under the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.
The event took place in the framework of a series of cooperation agreements between the Tajik authorities and the ICRC, aimed at including the principles of the law of war in the training of all military personnel, including troops belonging to the Ministries of the Interior and of Security. The Russian border troops based in Tajikistan recently expressed a wish to conclude a similar cooperation agreement with the ICRC.
Further information: Suzanne Berger, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2307
New on the ICRC Public Server - http://www.icrc.org : - Update 98/02 on ICRC activities in Afghanistan, dated 17.2.98 - Update 98/01 on ICRC activities in Sierra Leone, dated 12.2.98
During the weekend of 21 - 22 February 1998, for all information please call the press officer on duty, Ruben Ortega, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 03