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ANGOLA: ICRC STEPS UP ASSISTANCE ON THE PLANALTO On 16 August three cargo planes chartered by the ICRC carried more than 100tonnes of food and other supplies to Huambo.
COLOMBIA: ICRC TO ASSIST OVER 170,000 DISPLACED PEOPLE IN 1999 The internal conflict in Colombia has intensified over the last six months, taking an increasingly heavy toll on the civilian population and forcing more and more people to flee their homes.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: ICRC ASSISTS 7,000 DISPLACED PEOPLE ON THE ISLAND OF MALAITA ICRC delegates have recently mounted an emergency operation to assist some of the 17,000 people who have fled their homes and sought refuge in and around the capital, Honiara, and on the island of Malaita since violence broke out in the Solomon Islands four months ago.
COTE D'IVOIRE: A CULTURAL FESTIVAL AGAINST THE EXCESSES OF WAR "Even though war reflects lack of understanding among peoples, it still concerns us all". With these words the compelling voice of Ivorian singer Ano Mira soared over the crowd gathered in the open-air theatre at Abidjan City Hall.
LIBERIA: TRIBUTE TO THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS: To mark the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, a statue was unveiled on 10August in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, a country which has recently emerged from a fratricidal seven-year war.
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ANGOLA ICRC STEPS UP ASSISTANCE ON THE PLANALTO
On 16 August three cargo planes chartered by the ICRC carried more than 100tonnes of food and other supplies to Huambo. The planes - a Hercules and two Boeing 727s - made seven round trips in all.
The assistance was intended for the tens of thousands of people living in the outskirts of Huambo and Kuito - both displaced persons and local residents - who have been suffering since early this year from the escalation of the fighting. Now in full swing, the operation will continue for the next six months and provide these people with 3,000 tonnes of food a month. Agricultural supplies, including tools and seed, are being distributed as well.
On 9 August ICRC delegates flew back to Malange, where, for security reasons, they had not been able to go for months. After an initial assessment of needs, the delegates provided the city hospital with medical supplies for the treatment of some 200 war-wounded.
On 11 August an appeal was launched to raise 42 million Swiss francs (28 million dollars). With a total budget of slightly more than 54 million francs (36 million dollars), the ICRC operation in Angola will thus become the organization's third largest in Africa. Among other things, the money will be used to fund aid programmes for the civilian population.
Further information: Francoise Zambellini, ICRC Luanda, tel. ++ 24 42 364 454 Juan Martinez, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 22 81
COLOMBIA ICRC TO ASSIST OVER 170,000 DISPLACED PEOPLE IN 1999
The internal conflict in Colombia has intensified over the last six months, taking an increasingly heavy toll on the civilian population and forcing more and more people to flee their homes. The ICRC has therefore decided to expand its emergency assistance programme for 1999.
1In cooperation with the Colombian Red Cross, ICRC delegates will provide emergency aid for an estimated 171,000 internally displaced people this year. They also plan to ensure some degree of self-sufficiency for communities that have been displaced for long periods of time by providing them with relief items such as agricultural tools and fishing equipment.
Through their regular contacts with all the parties to the internal conflict, ICRC delegates seek to promote respect for international humanitarian law with a view to creating the conditions in which civilians can remain in their homes and live there in safety and dignity.
The ICRC has been active in Colombia since 1969. Fifty delegates and 150 local staff currently operate out of the delegation in Bogota and 14 other offices in the country.
Further information: Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 22 24
SOLOMON ISLANDS ICRC ASSISTS 7,000 DISPLACED PEOPLE ON THE ISLAND OF MALAITA
ICRC delegates have recently mounted an emergency operation to assist some of the 17,000 people who have fled their homes and sought refuge in and around the capital, Honiara, and on the island of Malaita since violence broke out in the Solomon Islands four months ago.
>From 23 July to 13 August, local Red Cross teams backed up by two ICRC delegates assessed needs in the northern, central and southern areas of Malaita and distributed six weeks' rations of rice and tinned fish to nearly 7,000 people. Other items such as vegetable seed, fishing kits and detergent were provided as well.
ICRC activities in the Solomon Islands will now shift back to Guadalcanal province.
Further information: Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 22 24 Thomas Gurtner, ICRC Manila, tel. ++ 61 40 911 99 05
COTE D'IVOIRE A CULTURAL FESTIVAL AGAINST THE EXCESSES OF WAR
"Even though war reflects lack of understanding among peoples, it still concerns us all". With these words the compelling voice of Ivorian singer Ano Mira soared over the crowd gathered in the open-air theatre at Abidjan City Hall. The occasion was a three-day cultural festival organized by the ICRC and the Red Cross Society of Cote d'Ivoire, in cooperation with the city authorities, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.
The events began in the afternoon of 12 August with a joint press conference given by the Movement (the ICRC, the Cote d'Ivoire Red Cross and the Federation) and the Ministry of Justice, which chairs the National Interministerial Committee for the implementation of international humanitarian law. Representing the Ministry of Justice, the director of the Legislation Department reaffirmed the government's support for Red Cross efforts to promote humanitarian law and expressed his pleasure at seeing the country resound to the rhythm of the concerts arranged for the festival.
On Friday 13 and Saturday 14 August, 50 of Cote d'Ivoire's best groups and entertainers performed on the open-air stage during two non-stop shows of music, dance, theatre and comedy. In addition, seven artists showed their works alongside the ICRC's "People on War" photo exhibition. Numerous information and activity stands and (of course) local culinary delights gave a real fairground atmosphere to the event, which was designed to raise awareness of the limits that must be placed on war. The festival attracted an audience of more than 5,000.
"It's wonderful - all the big names in Ivory Coast show business have taken part entirely free of charge", exclaimed Elina Salo, an ICRC administrative delegate in Abidjan, "and they have all made a real effort to get the message of humanitarian law across". Some of them, however, would have preferred to see war abolished completely. As famous comedian AdamaDahico put it, we need once and for all to "cross out the word war with a big red cross".
Further information: Christian Frutiger, ICRC Abidjan, tel. ++225 22 24 60/61
LIBERIA TRIBUTE TO THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, a statue was unveiled on 10August in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, a country which has recently emerged from a fratricidal seven-year war.
Placed on a pedestal in the city's main street, the statue depicts seven life-size combatants stretching out their arms towards a volume containing the Geneva Conventions. The signatory States are represented by flags on a huge globe.
The Liberian Ministers of Culture and Defence, a representative of the United States embassy, a representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and members of the Liberian Red Cross, the International Federation and the ICRC all publicly expressed their commitment to the Geneva Conventions. Along with the guests of honour and an audience of several thousand people, they later watched local cultural groups perform traditional dances and act out scenes portraying violations of international humanitarian law.
Further information: Charles Kpan, ICRC Monrovia, tel. ++ 231 226 306
During the weekend of 21 - 22 August 1999, for all information please call the press officer on duty Amanda Williamson, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 16