As Libya recovers from the 2011 conflict, wounds remain raw. On the International Day of the Disappeared, thousands of Libyan families still do not know what happened to relatives who went missing because of the conflict and the actions of the former regime.

The Missing

August 20, 2012 by Simon Schorno

World Humanitarian Day: videos on threats to health care

To mark World Humanitarian Day on 19 August, here is the last of a three-part video series shows how threats to health care are costing lives in DR Congo.

Mariam Akwera, the ICRC's health delegate in North Kivu, explains the direct effects on the population that derive from obstruction of access to health care and threats to ICRC staff and Congolese Red Cross volunteers.

Africa

DR Congo

World Humanitarian Day

Healthcare In Danger

August 08, 2012 by Simon Schorno

From the field - Violence and displacement on the rise in eastern DRC

Recent fighting in eastern DR Congo is intensifying and impacting thousands of civilians.

The levels of violence and the humanitarian situation prevailing in South Kivu are particularly worrying according to Franz Rauchenstein, head of the ICRC delegation in the DRC.

Mr. Rauchenstein explains that ethnic tensions are on the rise and that civilians in north and south Kivu are now routinely targeted by armed groups.

Health care facilites are also attacked and looted, a worrying development which compounds the suffering of the population.

The ICRC in Goma and Bukavu is responding by supplying food, medical supplies and medicines. Teams are also vaccinating children in areas affected by the violence and evacutating the sick and wounded by helicopter.

July 11, 2012 by Simon Schorno

From the field - A year after drought, too many Somalis vulnerable

In 2011, drought in the Horn of Africa triggered a serious food crisis in Somalia. Humanitarian agencies, including the ICRC, responded with massive relief operations, at least in the areas they could access.

Since, our Somalia team has provided food, seeds, fertilizer and tools to over two million people in central Somalia and in Puntland. A second round of distributions ended two weeks ago.

Despite these relief efforts, rain and the good harvest of last January and February, many Somalis remain malnourished.

Patrick Vial, ICRC head of delegation in Somalia, explains that the problem is particularly acute in the center and south of the country, where drought is compounded by armed conflict and limited access by humanitarian organizations.

Africa

Somalia

From The Field

July 05, 2012 by Simon Schorno

From the field - Insecurity and uncertainty in northern Mali

Fighting between armed groups erupted again last week in Gao, northern Mali, resulting in casualties and an influx of patients in the city's ICRC-supported hospital.

Providing water and healthcare to the population is the priority for our teams. They are also negotiating with all armed groups in the region to prepare urgently needed large-scale food distributions.

Jean-Nicolas Marti, head of the ICRC delegation in Niger and Mali, describes an uncertain situation in Gao and northern Mali, one that is driven by local, regional and international forces now fighting for control of the territory.

One thing seems certain, insecurity will continue to have significant humanitarian consequences for the people of northern Mali for weeks and months to come.

June 19, 2012 by Simon Schorno

Dispatch - Twenty years at Keysaney Hospital, Mogadishu

Short film on Mogadishu's Keysaney Hospital, where a new operating facility was inaugurated earlier this year.

Two decades of armed conflict have had a heavy toll on Somalis in and outside of Mogadishu.

Fighting has destroyed essential infrastructure, including hospitals, all over the country. Access to proper health care is precarious, at best.

Twenty years ago, the ICRC rehabilitated an old prison in north-eastern Mogasdishu. Since, Keysaney Hospital - now run by the Somali Red Crescent - has managed to treat over 200,000 people, including over 30,000 weapon-related injuries.

Here is a chance to hear the stories of a few patients and to meet the doctors who treat them.

June 14, 2012 by Simon Schorno

Stuff I read - 'A slow restart' in the Congo

Photojournalist Jonathan Torgovnik traveled to the Republic of Congo and the DRC with the ICRC to reveal the lasting effects of a battle over a lake on both sides of the border.

His photographs were recently published on CNN. Have a look, great stuff.

Africa

DR Congo

Republic of the Congo

Stuff I read

Decisive Moments

May 30, 2012 by Simon Schorno

From the field - Weapon contamination in Libya

The ICRC in Libya started to address the humanitarian consequences of explosive remnants of war immediately after the figting ended in April 2011.

In an effort to protect returning residents, our explosive ordnance disposal teams entered Sirte and Bani Walid at a time when unexploded ordnance caused on average one casualty a day.

They proceeded to train hundreds of Libyans in risk education, including members of the Libyan Red Crescent. These volunteers now work in local communities in the regions and cities most affected by the problem.

The total number of mines and explosive remnants of war in Libya is unknown but the weapons continue to kill and maim, primarily children and young men.

Africa

Libya

From The Field

Explosive Remnants of War

May 29, 2012 by Simon Schorno

From the field - A complex crisis in South Sudan

Sudan and South Sudan clashed repeatedly in recent weeks and are restarting talks today with the aim of ending hostilities.

The clashes have had grave humanitarian consequences for tens of thousands. Soldiers have been captured and detained. Civilians have been killed and displaced.

Melker Mabeck, head of the ICRC in South Sudan, estimates that there are over today 150,000 Sudanese refugees in South Sudan.

Working in South Sudan is a major logistical challenge: poor infrastructure means that many areas are difficult or impossible to access. To make matters worse, the upcoming rainy season will negatively affect our ability to reach the victims of the conflict. Be as it may, our colleagues in Juba will increase their presence and activities in South Sudan until the end of the year and into 2013.

Africa

South Sudan

From The Field

May 18, 2012 by Simon Schorno

From the field - Emergency response in Northern Mali

The humanitarian situation is precarious for the population of northern Mali, with little access to food, water and medical care amidst chaos and violence.

Tens of thousands have been displaced. Many have sought refuge in neighboring Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, and Algeria.

Access to areas affected by the violence by humanitarian organizations, including the ICRC, remains a major challenge due to the prevalence of banditry and the multiplicity of armed actors.

Access to health care by residents remains extremely limited. In the city of Gao for example, health structures were looted and medical personnel fled, leaving pregnant women and victims of gunshots on their own.

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Libya: thousands search for missing relatives

World Humanitarian Day: videos on threats to health care

From the field - Violence and displacement on the rise in eastern DRC

From the field - A year after drought, too many Somalis vulnerable

From the field - Insecurity and uncertainty in northern Mali

Dispatch - Twenty years at Keysaney Hospital, Mogadishu

Stuff I read - 'A slow restart' in the Congo

From the field - Weapon contamination in Libya

From the field - A complex crisis in South Sudan

From the field - Emergency response in Northern Mali

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