ICRC Calls On Actors In Conflicts To Respect International Humanitarian Law

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called on all actors of conflicts to respect international humanitarian law inorder to avoid cases of civilians becoming casualties of such conflicts.  

Public Relations Officer, International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr. Aliyu Dawobe who stated this in Abuja, Nigeria's Capital said the consequences of armed conflict can often times result in traumas that may last a life time.

He said there are some unquantifiable kind of loss that people can experience during conflicts that goes to the depth of their being affecting their mental health. And for these category of people, he said the international Committee of the Red Cross have specialised and qualified individuals that support them by providing mental and psychosocial help to bring them out of the traumas. 

"We have volunteers and the staff of the ICRC that try to see how they can revive their life. They trained them, they coach them and try to see that they bring out the life in them which has been working. ICRC is mandated to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict, meaning that most of the places or if not all of the places we operate are places that are affected by armed conflict and violence"

"Nigeria has been having these situations of armed conflict and violence for a long period now. In the North East of Nigeria, it has been over a decade of armed conflict going on. So whenever you have conflict going on, you have people that are directly affected, either killed or injured, separated, displaced and so on and so forth. So these are some of the vulnerabilities that we try to address" stated Mr. Dawobe. 

He said part of the challenges the ICRC is experiencing is that humanitarian needs occasioned by armed conflicts are huge and no organisation has the resources to be able to sustain provision with the current situation going on. 

The ICRC Public Relations Officer highlighted the critical role the media can play in changing and molding opinion on conflict, hence the ICRC tries as much as possible to work closely with the media and understand the landscape. 

He stressed that the Red Cross had been training media on humanitarian reporting of conflict and first aid administration in critical situations.