Nairobi/Geneva (ICRC)
– The latest outbreak of armed clashes in Mogadishu has left dozens of people dead and hundreds wounded, leading to a new wave of displacement. Since May, tens of thousands civilians have been
forced to flee the city in an attempt to escape the deadly violence.
Since last weekend, almost 300 weapon-wounded patients have been admitted to Keysaney Hospital, run by the Somali
Red Crescent Society, and the community-based Medina Hospital.
"Doctors and nurses are working strenuously to care for the patients," said Valery Sasin, a surgeon working for the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who coordinates the organization's health activities in Somalia.
"Their capacities are often stretched to the limit; nevertheless, they have
been able to cope with the influx of new arrivals.
The hospitals receive enough medical supplies from the ICRC to be able to maintain all services even in times of great demand." Both
Medina and Keysaney accept all patients, regardless of their clan or their religious or political background.
The ICRC and the Somali Red Crescent Society are deeply concerned about the
plight of civilians caught up in the fighting.
They call on all warring parties to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law, and in particular to draw a distinction at all
times between civilians and civilian objects on the one hand, and persons taking direct part in hostilities and military objectives on the other.
Attacks may be directed only against
persons taking direct part in hostilities and military objectives, and constant care must be taken to spare the civilian population and civilian objects.
Indiscriminate attacks are
prohibited.
Moreover, all parties to the conflict are reminded of their obligation to respect and protect medical staff, medical facilities and vehicles assigned to assist the wounded and
sick.
For further information, please contact:
Anna Schaaf, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 22 71 or +41 79 217 32 17
Nicole Engelbrecht, ICRC Nairobi, tel: +254 20 2723
963 or +254 722 512 728
see also interview with the director of Medina Hospital on our web page
Policemen question men standing near the body of a deceased security guard at a hospital in the northwest city of Peshawar July 16, 2009. Gunmen shot dead a U.N. official and ...
