Kabul/Geneva (ICRC) – The
protracted armed conflict in Afghanistan is causing great suffering for ordinary people across the country, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told the International Conference in
Support of Afghanistan, meeting today in Paris.
ew Document
''Afghanistan is still at war," ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger reminded the conference.
"Every day, men, women
and children get killed, maimed or displaced.
Millions live in fear for their lives and for the future of their children.
It is imperative for the parties to the conflict to
respect international humanitarian law and spare civilians both the direct and indirect effects of hostilities." As a result of fighting between Afghan and international forces on one side and the
armed opposition on the other, many communities in rural areas remain isolated.
They have to cope with the harsh reality of difficult access to basic health care, food, clean water and
sanitation.
Afghans taking their wounded and sick from remote areas for treatment in the cities do so at the risk of their lives because of the absence of security.
In many areas
the plight of the people is exacerbated by a looming drought and by the global food crisis resulting in sharply rising prices.
Many Afghans are also put in danger by explosive remnants of
war and landmines.
Thousands of Afghans in remote areas have fled their homes to move to safer areas, where they depend on aid from their relatives to survive.
Their presence
then puts an additional strain on already overburdened health and sanitation services in areas like Kandahar, Helmand and even Kabul.
''Our priority is to step up our response to urgent
large-scale needs that remain unmet because the lack of security prevents aid from reaching the most vulnerable communities,'' Mr Kellenberger said.
''The ICRC calls for a substantive
effort by all parties to the conflict in order to ensure, as a matter of priority, respect for international humanitarian law, especially with regard to protecting and assisting the civilian
population." The ICRC has been working in Afghanistan without interruption for more than 20 years.
The country constitutes the organization's fourth largest operation.
With over
1,200 staff working in Afghanistan, the ICRC has a budget for 2008 of some 60 million Swiss francs (60 million US dollars), a 25% increase over last year.
For further information,
please contact:
Graziella Leite Piccolo, ICRC Kabul, tel: +93700 282 719
Carla Haddad, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 2405 or +41 79 217 32 26
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