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AFGHANISTAN: ICRC FACILITATES THE RELEASE OF 40 PRISONERS: On 13 and 14 February the ICRC delegation in Afghanistan facilitated the simultaneous release of 20 prisoners held by the Taliban and 20 others held by the Jamiat-i-Islami forces of Commander Massoud.
AFGHANISTAN: RED CROSS / RED CRESCENT ASSISTS 10,000 EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN FOUR DAYS: Following the earthquake that hit the provinces of Wardak and Logar, south-west of Kabul, on the evening of 11 February, the ICRC, the Afghan Red Crescent Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies responded immediately to the crisis, pooling their logistical resources, manpower and expertise.
ICRC PRESIDENT WARNS OF GROWING DIFFICULTIES IN PROTECTING WAR VICTIMS: On 12 February, speaking at the invitation of the United Nations Security Council, ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga warned of the growing difficulty of protecting civilians in armed conflicts around the world and called for caution in the imposition of economic sanctions.
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AFGHANISTAN ICRC FACILITATES THE RELEASE OF 40 PRISONERS
On 13 and 14 February the ICRC delegation in Afghanistan facilitated the simultaneous release of 20 prisoners held by the Taliban and 20 others held by the Jamiat-i-Islami forces of Commander Massoud. The prisoners, some of whom were suffering from chronic illnesses and were released on humanitarian grounds, were taken across the front line just north of Kabul aboard an ICRC plane.
The negotiations which led to these releases started in January, when the ICRC enabled envoys from each side to visit prisoners held by the other. A plane was used to carry out the operation since this was considered the safest means of transporting the sick.
RED CROSS / RED CRESCENT ASSISTS 10,000 EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN FOUR DAYS
Following the earthquake that hit the provinces of Wardak and Logar, south-west of Kabul, on the evening of 11 February, the ICRC, the Afghan Red Crescent Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies responded immediately to the crisis, pooling their logistical resources, manpower and expertise. By 16 February in the morning, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams had assessed the situation in 63 stricken villages and 28 truckloads of shelter materials had been dispatched to 20,000 victims in the affected areas. Over 10,000 people had already received assistance and the distributions were continuing.
In the 63 villages where the assessment was carried out, 5,468 houses have been destroyed and 5,581 families are in need of assistance. So far, the earthquake is reported to have killed 37 people and injured 256.
"The relatively low number of casualties is due to the fact that the main shock wave was preceded by a minor tremor, which gave people time to rush outside", said ICRC delegate Rod Charters, who is coordinating the distributions. "The current humanitarian crisis stems from the massive destruction that occurred in villages. Tens of thousands of people are in urgent need of shelter."
While continuing its assessment and distributions on the spot, the ICRC and its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners are closely monitoring the health and food situation in the aftermath of the earthquake. The difficulty of their task has been compounded by bad weather and the remoteness of some of the affected villages.
Further information: Josue Anselmo, ICRC Kabul, tel. ++ 873 761 242 260
ICRC PRESIDENT WARNS OF GROWING DIFFICULTIES IN PROTECTING WAR VICTIMS
On 12 February, speaking at the invitation of the United Nations Security Council, ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga warned of the growing difficulty of protecting civilians in armed conflicts around the world and called for caution in the imposition of economic sanctions.
The ICRC was invited by Canada, which currently holds the presidency of the Security Council, to address an open session on the issue of protecting civilians in armed conflicts.
Mr Sommaruga stressed that genocide, ethnic cleansing and attacks on humanitarian personnel were becoming ever more widespread. Although they were increasingly repudiated by armed groups, the guiding principles of the ICRC - humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality - continued to be of vital importance.
He added that the politicization and devaluation of humanitarian action had made it more difficult than ever for the ICRC to assist victims in numerous conflicts throughout the world.
"This insidious trend", said the ICRC President, "has been observed in the Great Lakes region, in West Africa, in the Balkans, in the Caucasus, and in certain Asian countries. The full horror of the consequences is familiar to us all. The unimaginable pain borne by the populations in these areas can leave none of us indifferent."
The ICRC seeks to establish and consolidate close contacts with all belligerents - governmental or otherwise - in order to remind them of their duty to protect civilians from the effects of war. This and other vital aspects of the organization's work was being made more hazardous and problematic by "an ever greater tendency to demonize the enemy", said MrSommaruga.
The ICRC President warned of the "privatization" of tasks that had previously been the responsibility of States. He raised a number of related issues, such as the humanitarian responsibilities of economic groups which set up security forces to protect their own interests and the political obligations of States when such economic groups encroach on their areas of jurisdiction.
Turning to the question of sanctions, Mr Sommaruga said, "Nothing can justify punishing an entire population for its government's misdeeds." While it was not up to the ICRC to comment on the use of sanctions per se, the organization was duty-bound to request exemptions so that people in need could receive humanitarian assistance.
The 50th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Conventions, which have now been ratified by 188 States, will be celebrated in 1999. To mark the occasion, the ICRC has launched a worldwide survey on the theme "Even Wars Have Limits" in order to gather the opinions of ordinary people caught up in conflicts.
Further information: Francoise Derron, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 29 15
New on the ICRC Public Server - http://www.icrc.org : - Update No.99/02 on the 1998 ICRC Special Appeal "Assistance for Mine Victims", dated 16.02.99.
During the weekend of 20 - 21 February 1999, for all information please call the spokes man on duty Urs Boegli, on (mobile) 41 79 203 94 05