Launching a special report on internally displaced people (IDPs), the ICRC points out that an estimated 26 million people had fled their homes as a result of armed conflict by the end of 2008.*

Geneva (ICRC) – More action is needed to assist and protect people displaced within their own countries by armed conflict, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said today.

Internal displacement, affecting tens of millions of people, is one of the most tragic consequences of armed conflict and other violence. This new ICRC report highlights the reasons people are forced to flee, the risks they face and how they cope.

The displacement of people within their own country is one of the gravest humanitarian consequences of armed conflicts and violence. According to one estimate, nearly 26 million people are internally displaced around the globe, many of them by conflict.

Displacement due to armed conflict uproots people from their normal lives, often inflicting untold suffering on them. A new ICRC report, “Internal displacement in armed conflict,” paints a vivid, disturbing picture of this phenomenon. In this interview, Angela Gussing, ICRC Deputy Director of Operations, discusses the challenges faced by internally displaced people (IDPs).

As the armed conflict in northern Yemen escalates further, reportedly spilling over into Saudi Arabia, the ICRC is becoming increasingly concerned about the plight of civilians and is stepping up its activities.

Geneva (ICRC) – At its Assembly meeting of 11 November, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) appointed Yves Daccord to the post of director-general.

Two ICRC staff members were abducted in the past weeks: Gauthier Lefèvre was abducted in West Darfur, Sudan, on 22 October, and Laurent Maurice was abducted in eastern Chad on 9 November. The ICRC's head of operations for East Africa, Daniel Duvillard, speaks about how the organization is dealing with these crises.

Millions of people have been displaced over decades of armed conflict in Colombia, and tens of thousands are missing. Cruz del Carmen faces a triple tragedy: her husband was killed, two of her children are missing, and she was displaced from her farm twelve years ago.

Tashkent/Astana (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is co-sponsoring a three-day forum on "Contemporary Challenges to Humanitarian Norms" in the Kazakh capital Astana from 10 to 12 November.

Kabul (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is holding a kite-flying competition today for wheelchair-bound patients at its rehabilitation centre in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

In February 2009 Francisco, 20, and a friend from his hamlet set off to earn a day's wage and unknowingly stepped into a mine field. Francisco survived, but at a terrible cost. This is his story. In Colombia, many lives are broken in rural communities who continue to suffer due to the use of landmines.

N'Djamena/Geneva (ICRC) – An expatriate staff member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was abducted by several armed men last night in the village of Kawa, in eastern Chad, near the border with Sudan.

Heavy rains are severely affecting thousands of families displaced by the hostilities in Mogadishu who sought refuge between the capital and Afgoye. Many families moved to higher ground but are still exposed to the rain. The ICRC has distributed 7,000 tarpaulins as emergency shelter.

Abuja (ICRC) – From 27 to 29 October, legal experts from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and 35 government officials representing all 15 States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met in Abuja to discuss the implementation of international humanitarian law at the national level.

Statement by Jakob Kellenberger, president of the ICRC, to the conference on the challenges for IHL posed by new threats, new actors and new means and methods of war, organized by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the ICRC, Geneva, 9-10 November 2009.

Geneva (ICRC) – The use of forensics in humanitarian crises poses numerous challenges for forensic scientists and other specialists who investigate war crimes and human rights violations.

This list presents the latest additions to the library’s collection of books and articles.

Despite a recent attack on a guest house in Kabul housing United Nations personnel, the ICRC is continuing its efforts to help Afghans affected by the armed conflict. The organization’s neutrality and independence, intensive dialogue with all sides and the trust of ordinary Afghans are enabling the ICRC to provide aid where it is most needed. Reto Stocker is the ICRC’s head of delegation in Afghanistan. He explains how the ICRC continues to work in this challenging context.

For 11 years, young Yusuf Muhammad had not seen his mother because he had fled the conflict in Darfur and crossed into Chad while she remained in Sudan. Through sheer determination on his part, and help from the ICRC, mother and son are now back together.

Brice Osmer lost his arm in 2005 after being hit by a stray bullet near his home in Cité Soleil. Shortly thereafter, his wife was shot in the stomach and barely survived. Violence affects 98% of the population of this sprawling shanty town, one of the poorest in the Western hemisphere, hindering people's ability to work and thus put food on the table for their families.

Islamabad/Peshawar (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society have launched the first stage of an extensive economic assistance programme for families affected by violence in Malakand Division.

The ICRC is deeply shocked by the abduction of its staff member Gauthier Lefèvre in West Darfur on 22 October. It urges his abductors to release him immediately and unconditionally, and remains determined to continue to help Sudan's most vulnerable people. This is an update on ICRC activities in Sudan.

Israel, 16-19 November, 2009

Dakar (ICRC) – The Dakar regional delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Senegal's justice ministry are organizing a seminar on "the rights of detainees, hygiene and health," which will take place from 4 to 6 November at the national police academy in Dakar. It will be attended by 30 senior prison administration officials.

United Nations, General Assembly, 64th session, Third Committee, Items 41 of the agenda, Statement by the ICRC, New York, 3 November 2009

Baku (ICRC) – In the village of Hasangaya, in Terter district, almost 100 internally displaced people (IDPs), mainly women and children, now have unimpeded access to safe drinking water thanks to work carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in cooperation with local authorities and community members.

The ICRC continues to help those who are most vulnerable by supporting health facilities, repairing water systems and launching community projects. This is an update on these and other ICRC activities carried out in Israel and the occupied territories from July to September 2009.

The dire economic situation, compounded by the political violence in Zimbabwe in 2008, has left many people increasingly vulnerable. This is an overview of the ICRC’s main activities in Zimbabwe since the beginning of 2009.

This fact sheet highlights the achievements of the Mine Ban Convention, ten years after its entry into force. It also outlines the remaning challenges that will need to be addressed by the 156 States party to the Convention, at the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World (29 November-4 December 2009), the name given to the Second Review Conference of the Convention.

For the estimated 21,100 Syrian Arabs living in the occupied Golan, travel to Syria proper is severely restricted, if not impossible. The ICRC works as a neutral intermediary with officials in Syria and in Israel to help students and pilgrims cross the demarcation line for educational and religious purposes.

The suffering caused by anti-personnel mines is horrific. A victim who survives typically requires amputation, multiple operations and prolonged physical rehabilitation, commonly suffering permanent disability – with serious social, psychological and economic implications. Fortunately, 156 States have joined the Mine Ban Convention, which establishes a comprehensive ban on these weapons. The number of new mine victims has fallen significantly since the Convention was adopted.

This brochure examines the risks faced by children caught up in armed conflict, the steps taken by the ICRC to address their specific needs, and the rules of law defined to protect them.