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CRISIS IN THE BALKANS: TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NEWLY DISPLACED PEOPLE IN NEED With the beginning of the withdrawal of Yugoslav security forces and the deployment of an international security force in Kosovo, an estimated 24,000 internally displaced people, mainly of Serb but also of Montenegrin and Roma origin, have crossed into other parts of Serbia since 11June, while another 9,000 have headed for the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: AID FOR THE DISPLACED ON GUADALCANAL In view of the internal tension on Guadalcanal, which has caused large numbers of civilians to flee their homes, three ICRC delegates have gone to the island.
COLOMBIA: RELEASE OF 33 PERSONS ABDUCTED BY ELN Late on 15 June, 33 of some 70 people held for the last 17 days by the National Liberation Army (ELN) were released with the logistic support of the ICRC delegation in Colombia.
AFGHANISTAN: ICRC STARTS "PEOPLE ON WAR" CONSULTATION On 12 June the ICRC embarked upon a process to elicit the views of Afghans on their experiences and concerns, their hopes and their fears, in a society that has seen 20 years of war.
NIGERIA: "PEOPLE ON WAR": ICRC CONSULTATION ON BIAFRA CIVIL WAR "Attacking civilians is the work of the Devil", exclaimed a mother who had lost several of her children in the Biafra civil war (1967-70).
PERU: FIRST COURSE IN LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT FOR INSTRUCTORS FROM ARMED FORCES AND POLICE In early June the ICRC's Lima delegation, in cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Peruvian military, organized the first training course in the law of armed conflict for the country's armed forces.
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CRISIS IN THE BALKANS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NEWLY DISPLACED PEOPLE IN NEED
With the beginning of the withdrawal of Yugoslav security forces and the deployment of an international security force in Kosovo, an estimated 24,000 internally displaced people, mainly of Serb but also of Montenegrin and Roma origin, have crossed into other parts of Serbia since 11June, while another 9,000 have headed for the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro.
The Yugoslav Red Cross responded rapidly to this new emergency, setting up transit points on all the roads linking Kosovo with the rest of Serbia where the displaced are given water, food and medical treatment. Three reception centres have also been established in Prokuplje, Nis and Ribarice to provide them with shelter. The ICRC has donated 12,000 individual food parcels and 5,000 litres of fuel to the Yugoslav Red Cross in support of this latest assistance programme. Furthermore, two tonnes of tinned food were purchased locally for distribution by the local Red Cross branch in Nis, and two tonnes of flour, salt and oil - enough to bake about 1,000 loaves of bread - were supplied to the Novi Pazar branch. During the past two months, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, together with the Yugoslav Red Cross, has distributed over 335 tonnes of food, 50,000 food parcels, more than 16,700 blankets and hygiene products to the most vulnerable groups in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. Over 25,000 sq m of plastic sheeting and 76,000 sq m of tarpaulin have been handed out to people whose homes were damaged by bombing. In addition, sufficient surgical supplies and medicines for the treatment of 1,300 war-wounded have been delivered to 11 hospitals in Yugoslavia.
KOSOVO
Since its return to Kosovo on 24 May, the ICRC has continued to distribute aid directly to internally displaced people in the Podujevo, Stimlje, Glogovac and Srbica areas. To date it has supplied more than 20,000 individual food parcels, around 100 tonnes of bulk food, over 5,000 blankets, 500 kitchen sets, 2,100 baby parcels, 2,400 jerrycans and 2,000 sq m of plastic sheeting. A great many of the displaced people are very anxious to have their families informed of their whereabouts. At present 2,500 such requests are being handled by telephone, by means of Red Cross messages or by broadcasting names over international radio networks.
Further information: Jette Soerensen, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2678
SOLOMON ISLANDS AID FOR THE DISPLACED ON GUADALCANAL
In view of the internal tension on Guadalcanal, which has caused large numbers of civilians to flee their homes, three ICRC delegates have gone to the island. On 14 and 15 June they supplied food and hygiene items for people who have taken refuge in six reception centres run by the Solomon Islands Red Cross. Further distributions are scheduled during the coming days for people taken in by relatives. The delegates are also helping the National Society to set up a system of registration for the displaced.
Some 7,500 people have now flocked to the capital Honiara. Of these about 2,500 have already left Guadalcanal for Malaita or other nearby islands, sometimes with the aid of the local Red Cross, 2,000 are sheltering in the National Society's six reception centres and 3,000 others are staying with relatives.
The ICRC is maintaining its contacts with all the parties concerned with a view to gaining access to all those in need of assistance, especially people in areas cut off from food supplies.
The Solomon Islands are covered by the ICRC's regional delegation in the Philippines, which also has offices in Sydney, Australia, and Suva, Fiji.
Further information: Thomas Gurtner, ICRC Manila, tel. ++61 40 911 99 05 Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2224
COLOMBIA RELEASE OF 33 PERSONS ABDUCTED BY ELN
Late on 15 June, 33 of some 70 people held for the last 17 days by the National Liberation Army (ELN) were released with the logistic support of the ICRC delegation in Colombia. The persons concerned were among those abducted while attending Mass at the church of La Maria in Cali in the southern Valle department.
The release took place following complex negotiations between the government and the ELN. The latter requested on the one hand that a commission be set up comprising government bodies, representatives of the Church, political parties and the international community, and journalists, and on the other that the ICRC and the Colombian Red Cross take charge of the actual release operation.
The process began at about 6 p.m., when the hostages were transferred aboard buses marked with the red cross emblem from the place where they had been held to the small village of El Cedro in the south of the country. They were then taken to the Pascual Guerrero stadium in Cali, where they were reunited with their families.
Negotiations for the release of the remaining hostages taken at the La Maria church and those abducted following the hijacking of the Avianca aircraft in April are due to begin on 21June.
During their period of captivity in a cold, mountainous area, the ICRC provided the hostages with humanitarian assistance in the form of clothing, blankets and medicines.
Further information: Carlos Rios, ICRC Bogota, tel. ++571 636 73 46 Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2224
AFGHANISTAN ICRC STARTS "PEOPLE ON WAR" CONSULTATION
On 12 June the ICRC embarked upon a process to elicit the views of Afghans on their experiences and concerns, their hopes and their fears, in a society that has seen 20 years of war. The programme, which was launched with two focus group discussions in Peshawar, Pakistan, and will be pursued in various parts of Afghanistan during the coming weeks, is part of the ICRC campaign entitled "People on War". The aim is to sound out the opinions of thousands of people in a dozen countries which have been directly affected by armed conflict and six countries at peace. The programme in Afghanistan is one of the last stages in a process which has now been completed in nine countries scarred by war.
Women from the Afghan refugee community and former mujaheddin who fought against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan are taking part in the first two focus groups in Peshawar. Six other groups comprising specific sectors of the Afghan population, such as religious leaders, farmers, fighters, housewives and female medical staff, will be set up as a team of ICRC expatriate and national staff, moderators from the BBC Afghan Education Programme and an external research consultant proceed to various locations inside Afghanistan. The focus groups will be supplemented by in-depth interviews with a selection of individuals and an opinion survey carried out by distributing questionnaires to 1,000 people throughout the country.
The "People on War" project reaches out to people who have vast and valuable experience, their own hopes and dignity, and the potential to shape their own future. It is intended to increase worldwide awareness of the rules that already exist for the protection of people in wartime and to encourage discussion of humanitarian law in the context of today's conflicts.
Finally, ordinary people caught up in war will be asked what suggestions they have for achieving a greater degree of humanity in such circumstances. The ICRC expects this pragmatic project to make a major contribution to the humanitarian agenda of the twenty-first century. In view of the pressing need for a thorough review of humanitarian issues, the ICRC hopes to stimulate a universal debate which will take stock of the past and look to the future.
Further information: Paul-Henri Arni, ICRC Islamabad, tel. ++9251 920 30 09 Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2224
NIGERIA "PEOPLE ON WAR": ICRC CONSULTATION ON BIAFRA CIVIL WAR
"Attacking civilians is the work of the Devil", exclaimed a mother who had lost several of her children in the Biafra civil war (1967-70). She was taking part in one of eight group discussions on that war and the rules of international humanitarian law which the ICRC and the Nigerian Red Cross Society have organized since 1 June in Lagos, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Kaduna.
These discussions are part of the "People on War" project now being conducted in 12 countries stricken by war in their recent history. To mark the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, which protect the victims of armed conflict, the ICRC wants to give a voice to those involved in and affected by war. In Nigeria the mothers of victims, medical staff, captured soldiers, contemporary journalists, students and teachers, together with former field commanders of both the Federal armed forces and the Biafran army, have expressed their feelings and opinions on topics such as the protection of civilians, the blockading of humanitarian aid and the process of reconciliation. The group discussions will be followed by a representative survey carried out in 12 Nigerian states, and will be supplemented by a series of in-depth interviews with individuals.
Even now, 30 years after the civil war came to an end, many Nigerians are still overwhelmed by the suffering it caused. "I was so small, so helpless", sighed a nurse who tried to treat wounded soldiers and civilians near Port Harcourt. Recalling images she has only seen on TV, a young university student said: "I feel pain, agony and suffering over and over. I see useful talents wasted. I see dreams that never came true. I see events that cast a cloud over this nation. I see regrets."
The results of the worldwide "People on War" consultation will be presented to the 27th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in November 1999, with the aim of achieving fuller respect for the rules of international humanitarian law in the twenty-first century.
Further information: Jean-Jacques Gacond, ICRC Lagos, tel. ++2341 2690082 Christian Frutiger, ICRC Abidjan, tel. ++225 222460 / 222461
PERU FIRST COURSE IN LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT FOR INSTRUCTORS FROM ARMED FORCES AND POLICE
In early June the ICRC's Lima delegation, in cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Peruvian military, organized the first training course in the law of armed conflict for the country's armed forces.
Twelve officers from the three armed services and two from the national police took part. In the second phase of the training programme, which began on 20 July, the instructors visited a number of military bases in emergency zones and gave their first courses. Representatives of the ICRC and of the Joint Chiefs of Staff accompanied them to help with the presentations and assess the results.
Further information: Grazielle Leite Piccolo, ICRC Lima, tel. ++511 460 2719 Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++4122 730 2224
New on the ICRC Public Server - http://www.icrc.org : - Fact sheet on ICRC activities in Peru, dated 14.06.99 - Fact sheet on ICRC activities in Mexico, dated 14.06.99 - Fact sheet on ICRC activities in Afghanistan, dated 14.06.99
During the weekend of 19 - 20 June 1999, for all information please call the press officer on duty Juan Martinez, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 17