Red Cross Says The Afghan Humanitarian Crisis Has Become Too Big For Aid Groups To Handle

 

The Hill: Red Cross says Afghan humanitarian crisis too big for aid groups to handle alone 

The Red Cross said in an interview with Reuters on Friday the Afghan humanitarian crisis is too big for aid groups to handle alone. 

"Humanitarian organizations joining forces can only do so much. 

They can come up with temporary solutions." the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Director General Robert Mardini told the outlet. 

"Afghanistan is a compounded crisis that is deteriorating by the day," he added.  

Read more ....  

Update: Red Cross warns aid groups not enough to stave off Afghan humanitarian crisis (Reuters)  

WNU Editor: Everyone knew this was going to be a humanitarian disaster. A good portion of the Afghan economy was dependent on foreign aid, but with the Taliban in power this aid is not going to be restored.

Red Cross Fails To Get An Agreement That Would Have Strengthen Respect For The Geneva Conventions

AFP: Red Cross meet fails to agree on global plan to track rules of war

Geneva (AFP) - More than 100 nations attending a global meeting of the Red Cross in Geneva on Thursday failed to approve a new system for monitoring compliance with the rules of war.

The measure had been sought by the government of Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) but it fell in the face of stiff resistance, a statement said.

"It is disappointing that states could not agree on the original proposal," ICRC president Peter Maurer said.

Though not legally binding, resolutions adopted at the Red Cross's quadrennial meet can have significant impact, given the ICRC's status as the protector of the Geneva Conventions, which form the backbone of international humanitarian law.

Update #1: No agreement by States on mechanism to strengthen compliance with rules of war -- ICRC
Update #2: No deal to strengthen respect for Geneva Conventions -- IRIN
Update #3: Roundup: No agreement on IHL compliance as RCRC Int'l Conference ends -- Xinhua News Agency

WNU Editor: A good part of the world is now engulfed in war .... much of what was proposed is not a priority for most states.

Red Cross: The World Is Facing Conflict On An "Unprecedented" Scale

Photo: Dominik Stillhart, deputy director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, speaks during a press conference in Datu Odin Sinsuat in southern Philippines on September 6, 2008 (AFP Photo/)

AFP: UN Security Council is 'failing' war-wracked world says Red Cross

Dakar (AFP) - The Red Cross has warned that the world is facing conflict on an "unprecedented" scale, fuelled by the international community's failure to work together to end wars and humanitarian crises.

Dominik Stillhart, director of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told AFP the UN Security Council was failing in its mission to maintain peace -- leading to protracted crises which were escalating into regional conflicts.

"Looking at the entire world, what we see is an unprecedented number of armed conflicts -- an unprecedented number and simultaneous -- generating ever-growing humanitarian needs," he said.

WNU Editor: The two paragraphs in this report that caught my attention are the following ....

.... The Global Peace Index 2014, published by the Sydney-based Institute for Economics and Peace think tank, showed just 11 of 162 countries representing more than 99 percent of the global population were not involved in conflict of any kind.

The study said the world had been getting less peaceful every year since 2008, highlighting tensions in the Ukraine, the Syria conflict, civil war in South Sudan and an increased intensity of terrorist activity as major threats to world peace.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent Tries It's Best To Stay Neutral

Rushing To Aid In Syrian War, But Claiming No Side -- New York Times

DAMASCUS, Syria — Inside the cordon of government checkpoints that ring the Syrian capital, residents are used to the crack of outgoing mortar fire. Scores of shells fly each day from bases atop Mount Qasioun, overlooking the city. For most people, their impact is left to the imagination, as state-run news media contend they are hitting “terrorists,” rebels led by foreign fighters who are bent on destroying the ancient, diverse culture of Damascus.

But a handful of ambulance crews from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are among the few who regularly see for themselves what is on the other side. As Red Crescent volunteers, they are not allowed to be overtly political. But they cross the checkpoints to help in contested suburbs, and on coming back, describe what they see to one another and to friends and family. It does not always match the government’s description.

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My Comment: In a conflict that is increasingly becoming sectarian in it's nature, it is hard to see how such men and women can stay neutral. But kudos to them for doing just that .... they are trying their best to serve a higher cause and are doing an admirable job in view of all of the obstacles that are being thrown in their way.

Red Cross To Withdraw Some Staff Following Afghan Attack

Red Cross To Withdraw Foreign Staff From Afghanistan Following Attack -- Red Cross

(Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is removing some international staff and curtailing operations in Afghanistan following last week's fatal attack on their Jalalabad compound, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

The ICRC has held emergency meetings since the May 29 attack in the east of the country in which an Afghan guard was shot dead and three people, including one international staff member, were wounded.

Seven international staff were rescued from the compound by police as a group of suicide bombers and gunmen went on a rampage, shooting and throwing grenades at staff members.

One of the world's best-known humanitarian agencies, the ICRC works in conflicts around the world.

Its decision to remove international staff from Afghanistan is likely to bring significant unease to the international community in the country. There has already been an increase in attacks on and kidnappings of foreigners as U.S.-led NATO forces prepare to withdraw next year.

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More News On the Red Cross Withdrawing It's Foreign Staff From Afghanistan

Red Cross pulls some staff out after Afghanistan attack -- NDTV/AFP
ICRC To Withdraw Some Staff Following Afghan Attack -- Radio Free Europe
Red Cross Pulls Some Staff From Afghanistan After Attack -- Wall Street Journal
In Afghanistan, grief for a husband who shouldn't have died -- Reuters

Red Cross To Scale Back Operations In Pakistan Following Khalil Dale Murder

Hospital staff and rescue workers carry the casket of Khalil Rasjed Dale to an ambulance at a hospital in Quetta. ((Naseer Ahmed/Reuters) / May 10, 2012)

Red Cross Suspends Operations In Two Major Pakistani Cities -- L.A. Times

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The International Committee of the Red Cross suspended operations in two of Pakistan’s largest cities Thursday and announced it would review its presence in the South Asian country after the brutal murder of one of its workers who had been kidnapped in January.

The beheaded body of Khalil Rasjed Dale, a 60-year-old British national and a Red Cross health program manager, was found near the southwestern city of Quetta on April 29, about four months after gunmen seized him in Quetta while he was on his way home from work in a Red Cross-marked vehicle. A note attached to his body claimed that the Pakistani Taliban was responsible for his murder and stated that he was killed because no ransom was paid.

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More News On the Red Cross Suspending Operations In Major Pakistani Cities

Red Cross cuts operations across Pakistan following Khalil Dale murder -- The Telegraph
Red Cross suspends work in Pakistan after doctor's murder -- Chicago Tribune/Reuters
Red Cross suspends operations in much of Pakistan after killing of aid worker -- Washington Post/AP
Red Cross Further Suspends Work in Pakistan After Killing -- Voice of America
ICRC suspends operations in Peshawar and Karachi -- BBC
ICRC halts Pakistani work after slaying -- UPI
Killing forces ICRC to suspend activities -- Swiss Info

Staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Libyan Red Crescent evacuate a patient from Sirte last year. Photograph: ICRC

Red Cross Presses For International Action To Protect Medics In War Zones -- The Guardian

From Libya to Afghanistan, medical workers now face threats of death from relatives of patients injured in the fighting

As rebel troops hunting Colonel Muammar Gaddafi besieged the Libyan town of Sirte in the final days of the uprising, Dr Ali Mohamad al-Khamli made a dangerous choice. The 26-year-old Libyan surgeon decided to stay on in the Ibn Sina hospital, knowing that his humanitarian gesture meant he was risking his life. But he did not realise that he might face death at the hands of patients' relatives.

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My Comment: The Libyan doctor is right when he said ....

.... the normal boundaries between care and conflict could simply disappear.

War brings out the worst in mankind, a fact that doctors and medics are only too aware of.

Red Cross: Attacks Against Their Personnel Increasing In War Zones

International Committee of the Red Cross director Yves Daccord says disregard for healthcare delivery is costing millions of lives. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Red Cross: Rise In Violence Against Medics In Warzones -- BBC

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned of an alarming rise in attacks on medical facilities and personnel in conflict zones.

The ICRC report, Healthcare in Danger, lists 600 attacks worldwide on doctors, nurses, ambulances and hospitals from mid-2008 to the end of 2010.

It covers 16 nations, including Libya, Afghanistan, Somalia and Colombia.

The report notes that while some attacks are accidental, many deliberately target healthcare workers.

The right of those wounded in war to receive medical treatment - and the right of medical workers to move freely - are enshrined in the first Geneva Convention.

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More News On The Red Cross warning About Attacks Against Their Personnel

Hospitals, medical staff targeted in wars, ICRC says -- Reuters
Red Cross: attacks on medics a 'humanitarian tragedy' -- CNN
Red Cross warns of rising attacks on medics -- AP
Health care workers face growing dangers, says ICRC -- Deutsche Welle
Health workers targeted in war zones says Red Cross -- Global Post
Red Cross brands assaults on medics in conflict zones a 'humanitarian tragedy' -- The Guardian
Violence Against Health Care In Conflict Zones Now Common, Red Cross -- The Economist
ICRC report: Hospitals, medical staff targeted in wars -- Jerusalem Post
ICRC alarmed by attacks on health workers -- UPI

Should The Red Cross Train Taliban Fighters To Treat Their Wounded?

Red Cross Defends Helping Taliban Treat Casualties -- Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross is defending its practice of providing medical training and basic medical supplies to the Taliban in Afghanistan – saying it is in line with the ICRC’s mandate not to discriminate between different sides in a conflict.

In the latest situation report issued Tuesday the Red Cross disclosed that in April its workers “reached over 100 Afghan security personnel, over 70 members of the armed opposition, taxi drivers involved in the transport of wounded people, first-aiders and its own staff.”

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More News On The Red cross Assisting The Taliban

Red Cross defends first aid courses for Taliban -- AP
Red Cross aids Afghanistan Taliban -- UPI
Red Cross defends first aid courses for Taliban -- AP
Red Cross trains Taliban -- The Age
Red Cross in Afghanistan gives Taliban first aid help -- BBC
Red Cross gives first-aid training to Taliban fighters -- the Telegraph
Red Cross gives first aid lessons to Taliban -- The Guardian
Conflict injuries stretch Afghan health services: ICRC -- AFP

Red Cross Marks Battle Anniversary

The battle at Solferino left 40,000 men dead or dying

From BBC:

The Red Cross is marking the 150th anniversary of the battle which inspired Henri Dunant to found the world's best known humanitarian movement.

At the end of June 1859, the armies of France and Sardinia, led by Napoleon III, confronted the Austrians at Solferino in northern Italy.

Henri Dunant, a Geneva businessman, happened to be passing, and witnessed the battle.

Horrified by what he saw, he documented the slaughter in his book, A Memory of Solferino.

"Here is a hand-to-hand struggle in all its horror and frightfulness," he wrote.

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My Comment: I never knew that the Red Cross was that old. The Wikipedia entry is a good place to get some background information, and that link is HERE.