In December 1989, the ICRC reacted rapidly to the violent events that led to the fall of the Ceausescu regime. An interview with Francis Amar, the former head of the ICRC's operations in Europe

The fall of the Romanian government in December 1989 was a key event in the ending of the Cold War. The need for emergency aid was less acute than media reports had indicated, but the ICRC responded swiftly to the crisis: a first team landed in Bucharest on 22 December, only eleven hours after the fall of the regime. On the ground, the ICRC had its hands full reminding parties of their obligations under IHL and managing the huge quantities of relief goods generously donated by National Societies and others.

Hundreds of families were separated by the upsurge in violence in the Ferghana Valley that ocurred in May 2005. So far, the ICRC has facilitated the exchange of more than 460 Red Cross messages comforting refugees forced to live far from their loved ones. Marcin Monko of the ICRC delegation in Budapest reports from Timisoara.