Red Cross Blogs

International news round-up

By Katrina Crew
June 16, 2010 at 6:09 pm

Different parts of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have been in the news lately, so I thought I’d give you some links to more information.

Israel/Gaza: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has issued a statement calling for the blockade of Gaza to be lifted as it constitutes a collective punishment that is in clear violation of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL). They have also criticized Hamas for not allowing detained Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit contact with his family since his capture in 2006, also a violation of IHL. Read the ICRC’s full statement.

Kyrgyzstan/Uzbekistan: Ethnic fighting in Kyrgyzstan has spread to the south of the country, and an estimated 100,000 people have fled over the border to Uzbekistan. François Blancy of the ICRC said: “There seemed to be a number of wounded among the refugees. I saw roughly 40 men with gunshot wounds. Two mothers told me they had lost their children in the chaos. People are in a state of shock. Some spoke of homes burning with children inside and the ICRC is clearly worried about the accounts we’re hearing of extremely brutal violence.” The ICRC is working in both countries. Find out how the ICRC is helping.

Somalia: The ICRC says: “After 20 years of war, the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to worsen. The security climate is precarious, weather conditions have aggravated the problem of food insecurity, and water-related diseases are on the rise.” Read an interview with the ICRC’s water and habitat coordinator in Somalia.

Internally displaced people worldwide: Last year, the ICRC worked with Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies to help 4.6 million people who’d fled their homes but hadn’t crossed an international border. It was a record number. Find out where their help was most needed.

American floods: In several U.S. states, heavy rains have caused dams and riverbanks to overflow, killing several people. The American Red Cross is running shelters and reminding people how to prepare for floods.

Image ©ICRC/C. Goin

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Tags: American Red Cross, conflict, floods, Gaza, internally displaced people, International Committee, international humanitarian law, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Somalia, United States, Uzbekistan

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 6:09 pm and is filed under Emergencies, International. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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