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YUGOSLAVIA/KOSOVO: ICRC ASSISTS CIVILIANS CAUGHT UP IN CLASHES: ICRC teams have been travelling daily to villages in the area of Kosovo bordering on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to assist civilians caught up in the fighting which erupted there last week between Serbian security forces and the Kosovo Liberation Army.
CAMEROON: PRISON VISITS BEGIN: On 1 March the ICRC began to visit places of detention throughout Cameroon after the authorities accepted its offer of services. In accordance with the ICRC's customary procedures, ICRC delegates will have free access to all places of detention and will be able to talk with the detainees in private and repeat their visits on dates set by the ICRC.
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: "WAR IS A KILLING GAME": War begins where diplomacy ends, and international humanitarian law is most likely to be violated when ordinary citizens take up arms. That is the opinion of Zoran Grujic, assistant director of information for the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Centre.
** STORIES IN FULL... YUGOSLAVIA/KOSOVO ICRC ASSISTS CIVILIANS CAUGHT UP IN CLASHES
ICRC teams have been travelling daily to villages in the area of Kosovo bordering on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to assist civilians caught up in the fighting which erupted there last week between Serbian security forces and the Kosovo Liberation Army.
Earlier this week, the ICRC was the only organization to reach civilians trapped in the village of Globocica, where it delivered food and other relief items to around 400 people. It also visited Kotlina, Lac and other villages in the same area following successful negotiations with both sides for access to the frightened civilians. Along with the relief supplies, the ICRC brought a medical team to perform on-the-spot surgery on the wounded and arranged for over 50 women, children and elderly persons to be evacuated.
Robin Bovey, ICRC relief delegate based in Pristina, said: "The situation of these people is pitiful. They are completely surrounded by the fighting and extremely frightened. We have been coordinating our work with other agencies such as UNHCR, and the ICRC has been concentrating on the most exposed communities. It is impossible to know exactly how many people are caught up in the fighting and we will continue to visit the areas involved to find out exactly what the needs are and attempt to meet them."
Further information: Daloni Carlisle, ICRC Pristina, tel. ++ 381 11 590 074
Amanda Williamson, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 2678
CAMEROON PRISON VISITS BEGIN
On 1 March the ICRC began to visit places of detention throughout Cameroon after the authorities accepted its offer of services. In accordance with the ICRC's customary procedures, ICRC delegates will have free access to all places of detention and will be able to talk with the detainees in private and repeat their visits on dates set by the ICRC. A confidential report on the conditions of detention and the treatment of detainees will be submitted to the authorities concerned.
Further information: Daniel Augstburger, ICRC Yaounde, tel. ++237 22 58 59 / 23 94 25
People on War
The 50th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, which are the most important international instruments aimed at upholding human dignity in times of war, will be celebrated on 12August 1999.
This anniversary is more than a simple commemoration. It is an opportunity to reflect on the past, come to terms with the present and look to the future. The ICRC has therefore launched a project entitled People on War that will assess the role of humanitarian law in modern-day warfare.
Although People on War has many facets, its basic purpose is to ensure better protection for people affected by armed conflict.
At the heart of the project is a worldwide survey of thousands of people in around a dozen countries affected by armed conflict. ICRC staff will ask these people about their personal experiences, how they feel about the idea of imposing limits on warfare and how they think respect for humanitarian law can be improved. The results of this survey, which started in October 1998 and is scheduled to continue until August 1999, will be communicated to the participants and shared with the world at large.
Starting with the article printed below, we shall be publishing on a regular basis the personal stories of some of those who have already taken part in the survey: refugees, combatants, detainees, mine victims and displaced people in various countries. The views expressed in these stories are those of people who have been directly affected by conflict and do not reflect the ICRC's position on the issues involved.
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA "WAR IS A KILLING GAME"
War begins where diplomacy ends, and international humanitarian law is most likely to be violated when ordinary citizens take up arms. That is the opinion of Zoran Grujic, assistant director of information for the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Centre.
"There were endless negotiations before the war", Grujic said. "We became quite famous for drawing maps and carving up the country. When people finally realized they couldn't agree on anything, they decided to fight it out. War does away with the need for diplomacy. All you need is rifles."
"If only someone had forced us to come to terms back then - and Dayton clearly shows that in such cases force can be effective - I think the war would never had begun. We were left to decide on matters that we obviously couldn't deal with by ourselves."
Surrounded by exhibits of landmines and maps of minefields, Grujic spoke without emotion. As he explained: "Those who lived through the war in Sarajevo became inured to all sorts of things. It was horrible enough to be walking along safely and to see people being shot at just down the street... After the war, it took me quite a while to feel like a civilian again."
"If anyone had told me we would go to war - however obvious it was at the time - I would have said, 'Maybe in Bosnia, but never in Sarajevo.' Nobody used to care about names. Then the war began, and names became associated with ethnic groups. That's the way it goes. You think war could never break out and suddenly things change."
Although Grujic became a soldier, he never fired a shot. "I consider human life far too precious to be wantonly destroyed," he said.
Instead, he removed landmines and collected unexploded munitions. All too often he found himself gathering body parts into piles for burial later.
"My understanding used to be that war was a killing game with strict rules set by the Geneva Conventions. Now that the war is over, I would drop the second part of that sentence," Grujic said. "War is a killing game, full stop. War victims were ill-treated here, it was terrible... But I'd rather not go into that."
Most soldiers were ordinary men who were dragged into war. They were not highly trained killers, Grujic said.
"I mean, if someone shoots at you, you're going to shoot back. That's how it happens," he said. "Most soldiers are very young, with a lot of Rambo movies behind them. So they have to prove themselves. It's very difficult to explain to them why they have to obey rules they didn't make. It's war. They make up their own rules."
Further information: Francoise Derron, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 29 15 Bea Vanhove, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 25 92
During the weekend of 13 - 14 March 1999, for all information please call the press officer on duty Juan Martinez, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 17