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SENEGAL: ASSISTANCE FOR THE DISPLACED: From 15 to 21 April the regional committee of the Red Cross in Ziguinchor (Casamance) distributed some 80 tonnes of food to 15,000 displaced people who had previously been registered by the National Society.
SOMALIA: RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT HOSTAGE CRISIS ENTERS SECOND WEEK: The ICRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies remain extremely concerned that the ten people abducted a week ago on landing at Isley airstrip in Mogadishu North have still not been released.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: ICRC OPENS OFFICE IN BUNIA: On 7 April the ICRC opened an office in Bunia, the main town of one of the districts situated along the border between Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
COLOMBIA: ON THE MOVE: The latest upsurge in violence in several regions of Colombia has caused many people to flee their homes, and the ICRC and the Colombian Red Cross have launched emergency relief operations to assist the newly displaced.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION: COMBINING THE STUDY OF ENGLISH AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: In February 1997 the ICRC's Moscow delegation and the Russian State Military University, which is run by the country's Defence Ministry, undertook to produce jointly a bilingual Russian/English manual on international humanitarian law; the project has been successfully completed, and the handbook is already being used in the English course for fourth-year law students.
AWARD FOR THE ICRC: TRIBUTE TO TRUCK DRIVERS WORKING FOR THE HUMANITARIAN CAUSE: At a ceremony held on 23 April in Marrakesh, Morocco, where its 26th World Conference is currently taking place, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) presented its Grand Prix d'Honneur award to the ICRC.
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SENEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE DISPLACED
>From 15 to 21 April the regional committee of the Red Cross in Ziguinchor (Casamance) distributed some 80 tonnes of food to 15,000 displaced people who had previously been registered by the National Society. The distributions were carried out under cooperation programmes set up between the ICRC and the Senegalese Red Cross Society. Since mid-1997 the southern region of Casamance has been the scene of renewed clashes between the Senegalese armed forces and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance.
In early March the ICRC provided the regional hospital in Ziguinchor with one tonne of medicines to build up emergency stocks for the treatment of people wounded in the fighting. It also visited 235 persons arrested in connection with the events.
Previous distributions of food and medical supplies had been carried out by the Senegalese Red Cross and the ICRC respectively during the second half of 1997 and in early 1998.
Further information: Gilbert Delechat, ICRC Dakar, tel. : ++ 221 8 241 293
SOMALIA RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT HOSTAGE CRISIS ENTERS SECOND WEEK
The ICRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies remain extremely concerned that the ten people abducted a week ago on landing at Isley airstrip in Mogadishu North have still not been released.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of its staff.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO ICRC OPENS OFFICE IN BUNIA
On 7 April the ICRC opened an office in Bunia, the main town of one of the districts situated along the border between Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. Its activities there will focus on helping Congolese nationals displaced from elsewhere in the country and Sudanese refugees living in Congo-Kinshasa or in Uganda to re-establish contact with their relatives by means of Red Cross messages.
In addition to evaluating the situation in regions bordering Uganda and Sudan, the ICRC delegate in charge of the new office will set up the necessary infrastructure in preparation for the arrival of a British Red Cross team which will conduct a water and sanitation programme in the area.
The office in Bunia is manned by one expatriate and one local employee. Overall, the ICRC's delegation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo comprises 53 expatriates and 650Congolese staff.
Further information: France Hurtubise, ICRC Kinshasa, tel. ++2431 2 34 191
COLOMBIA ON THE MOVE
The latest upsurge in violence in several regions of Colombia has caused many people to flee their homes, and the ICRC and the Colombian Red Cross have launched emergency relief operations to assist the newly displaced. In the region of Uraba, for instance, some 110 people who fled the fighting have sought shelter in San Jose de Apartado. Some families do try to return home as soon as possible, as has been noted in the Pavarando reception centre, where only around 1,600 displaced remain.
In the department of Cordoba, around 400 people have left the region of Nudo del Paramillo and moved towards Tierradentro and Juan Jose (Puerto Libertador). The local branch of the Colombian Red Cross and delegates from the ICRC's sub-delegation in Apartado have started providing them with emergency aid.
In the eastern reaches of the department of Antioquia, over 200 people fled the San Rafael area following clashes between paramilitary groups and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In its capacity as a neutral intermediary between the parties to the conflict, the ICRC has stepped in to supply emergency relief assistance. In the west of the same department, about a dozen families who wanted to return to their places of origin in Nudo del Paramillo were prevented from doing so and have had to seek refuge elsewhere, this time in the region of Ituango.
Lastly, in La Guajira, one of the departments least affected by the internal conflict, several incidents reported since the beginning of the year have driven some inhabitants from their homes. A first group of 43 families has already received aid from the Colombian Red Cross and the ICRC.
Further information: Ruben Ortega, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2454
RUSSIAN FEDERATION COMBINING THE STUDY OF ENGLISH AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW
In February 1997 the ICRC's Moscow delegation and the Russian State Military University, which is run by the country's Defence Ministry, undertook to produce jointly a bilingual Russian/English manual on international humanitarian law; the project has been successfully completed, and the handbook is already being used in the English course for fourth-year law students. It includes extracts from "Constraints on the waging of war" by Frits Kalshoven and "Handbook on the law of war for armed forces" by Frederic de Mulinen, as well as from the Geneva Conventions and other instruments of international humanitarian law.
The handbook was designed and compiled by the head of the University's Chair of English, in cooperation with ICRC experts and with ICRC financial support. Its aim is to help future military lawyers broaden their knowledge of the law of armed conflict by studying specialized texts in translation.
The textbook, the first of its kind, has been so well received that the University's Chair of French has expressed a keen interest in producing a French-language version. In addition, there is every reason to believe that it could also be used in civilian institutions of higher education specializing in foreign languages and international law.
Further information: Suzanne Berger, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2307 Victoria Catliff, ICRC Moscow, tel. ++7502 220 2616
AWARD FOR THE ICRC TRIBUTE TO TRUCK DRIVERS WORKING FOR THE HUMANITARIAN CAUSE
At a ceremony held on 23 April in Marrakesh, Morocco, where its 26th World Conference is currently taking place, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) presented its Grand Prix d'Honneur award to the ICRC.
In his address, IRU President David C. Green stressed that this symbolic gesture, accompanied by a substantial donation, demonstrated that partnership initiatives strongly encouraged between the public and private sectors could also effectively bring together international organizations pursuing economic or humanitarian objectives. He encouraged IRU members to follow this example at the national level.
Peter Arbenz, a member of the Committee who represented the ICRC at the award ceremony, stated that the ICRC fully supported the partnership philosophy because, like the IRU, the organization operated worldwide, was not influenced by political, religious or racial considerations, and served the interests of the general public. He also highlighted the fact that road transport was indispensable for the ICRC, which made constant use of it when conducting its activities in aid of victims of war and violence the world over.
Driving together for a better future" is the motto chosen by the IRU to mark the 50th anniversary of its founding.
Further information: Tony Burgener, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2384
New on the ICRC Public Server - http://www.icrc.org : - Update 98/05 on ICRC activities in Afghanistan, dated 17.04.98
During the weekend of 25- 26 April1998, for all information please call the press officer on duty Kim Gordon-Bates, on (mobile) 41 79 357 50 03