ICRC News Release - Sri Lanka: ICRC makes urgent appeal for wounded to be given medical care

18 May 2009

Sri Lanka: ICRC makes urgent appeal for wounded to be given medical care

Geneva (ICRC) – For nine consecutive days the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been pursuing efforts, so far without success, to reach the area of north-eastern Sri Lanka hard hit by fighting in recent weeks. The ICRC has therefore been unable to obtain first-hand information about the needs of civilians and wounded people in the area. Although thousands of civilians have fled the conflict zone in the past days and weeks, the ICRC remains concerned about the wounded needing urgent medical care.

“Under international humanitarian law, the lives of all those who are not or are no longer fighting must be spared. Wounded and sick people must be collected and cared for immediately, and detainees must be treated humanely,” said the ICRC’s director of operations, Pierre Krähenbühl, from the ICRC’s headquarters in Geneva today. “This is all the more urgent since no humanitarian aid has reached those who need it for over a week.”

The ICRC has proposed to the authorities that it help evacuate any remaining civilians from the area where fighting has been taking place, care for the sick and wounded, and provide emergency assistance for the displaced. The ICRC will seize any opportunity that presents itself to enter the area and assess the situation.

ICRC News Release - Sri Lanka: humanitarian assistance can no longer reach civilians

ICRC News Release No. 09/103

14 May 2009

Geneva (ICRC) – In north-eastern Sri Lanka, hundreds of seriously wounded or ill patients blocked in the conflict area have been waiting in vain for several days for desperately needed medical care. For the third consecutive day, a ferry chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and anchoring only a few kilometres away from the patients has been unable to evacuate them because of continuous heavy fighting.

"Our staff are witnessing an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe," said the ICRC's director of operations, Pierre Krähenbühl, from the ICRC's headquarters in Geneva today. "Despite high-level assurances, the lack of security on the ground means that our sea operations continue to be stalled, and this is unacceptable," added Mr Krähenbühl. "No humanitarian organization can help them in the current circumstances. People are left to their own devices."

Thousands of people remain trapped in a small area along the coast within the conflict zone. As fighting goes on unabated, civilians are forced to seek protection in hand-dug bunkers, making it even more difficult to fetch scarce drinking water and food.

An ICRC ferry, the GreenOcean, is carrying 25 metric tonnes of urgently needed food. The last time the ICRC could offload food and medical supplies and evacuate patients was last Saturday, 9 May. In addition to the ferry, a cargo ship, the Oriental Princess, carrying another 500 metric tonnes of food from the World Food Programme, is waiting off the coast north of Mullaittivu, ready to deliver the food to civilians.

"We need security and unimpeded access now in order to save hundreds of lives," said Mr Krähenbühl. "The ICRC stands ready to carry out its humanitarian work as soon as conditions permit."

UN ASSESSMENT TEAM CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING AID EFFORTS IN ZIMBABWE

UN ASSESSMENT TEAM CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING AID EFFORTS IN ZIMBABWE
New York, Feb 26 2009 11:00AM

A United Nations inter-agency mission to Zimbabwe today stressed that the country's humanitarian crisis remains grave, and urged both the Government and the international community to support the strengthening of aid efforts.

The team, led by UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg, visited the southern African nation from 21 to 25 February to assess responses to, among other things, a food emergency in which up to seven million people need food aid and a cholera epidemic, which has infected some 83,000 people and already claimed more than 3,800 lives.

"Despite tremendous efforts by both the Government and the humanitarian community in Zimbabwe to contain the cholera epidemic, major challenges remain," Ms. Bragg said in a news release issued at the end of the visit.

While noting the international community's generosity to the people of Zimbabwe so far, the team highlighted the need for further resources in the coming months. This includes resources to effectively contain the country's worst-ever cholera outbreak, including through public health outreach and repairing water and sewage systems.

Additional resources will also be crucial for food aid and to help improve food security, noted the team, which included representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

"We have to ensure farmers have all the agriculture inputs they need for the next planting season, which begins in September. If we do not act now, we could end up next year with a situation similar to what we have today," Ms. Bragg said.

While in Harare, the mission met with Government officials, including President Robert Mugabe, who expressed his appreciation for the support Zimbabwe has been receiving from the humanitarian community, and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mr. Tsvangirai was sworn in earlier this month as Prime Minister in a unity government with President Mugabe, following months of political tensions after disputed presidential elections last March.

The mission stressed that the welfare of the people was largely the responsibility of the Government of Zimbabwe. "We trust that the all-inclusive government will quickly take the necessary steps to address the fundamentals of governance that would allow stability and economic recovery," it stated.
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