LOCATION AND DATE: Geneva (SWITZERLAND) 24 May 2007
Somalia, Elgaras, central Somalia,
Sudan, Darfur, IDP camps, various
Colombia, Bogota

PRODUCTION: Virginie Louis, Sudan Colombia; Pedram Yazdi, Somalia;
LENGTH: 9'15"
SOURCE: ICRC – ACCESS ALL

Preview extracts (RealMedia stream 56Kbs - 128kbs)

For broadcast tapes and information on footage: Virginie Louis, International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva,

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SHOTLIST:

00 00
ITW Pierre Kraehenbuehl, Director of Operations, ICRC

"In today's conflicts around the world - and one can take examples in Sudan or Chad Somalia and Colombia and elsewhere - the phenomenon of displacement is at the very heart of how the conflict dynamics unfold, and that's why we felt it important to give a profile to this particular consequence of conflict, that has consequences for people because they loose their livelihoods , away from their roots, they loose their coping mechanisms that are traditional to any situation around the world.

00 29
SOMALIA (MAY 2007)
Following heavy fighting in Mogadishu at the beginning of 2007, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, taking refuge in central and southern Somalia.

Elgaras Camp for displaced people, in central Somalia, 50 kms from Dusamareb.

GVs tents, huts, displaced people

ICRC distributes food and household items to 8-900 displaced families from Mogadishu.

Mathias Frese, ICRC Relief Coordinator, inspects grain

Interview Mathias Frese, ICRC Relief Coordinator,
"The families, the people fled from Mogadishu recently because of the heavy fighting. and here they are seeking protection from their clans. They found maybe some place they can stay here and the ICRC is doing the food distribution."

GVs crowd waiting for food distribution

Interview Somali displaced woman
"We were already a poor family in Mogadishu. My husband was injured during fighting in Mogadishu and he cannot work anymore. We left Mogadishu because of the fighting."

People carrying sacks of food, sharing out grain with family groups

GVs women and children in front of huts

02 36
Interview Pierre Kraehenbuehl, Director of Operations, ICRC

"Clearly the responsibility for preventing displacement from taking place in the first place lies clearly and squarely on the shoulders of the armed groups that take part in the confrontations. Be they state actors or non state actors it’s the way in which they distinguish or not between civilians and military targets that has a huge impact on whether the population can stay in their environment or have to move. A greater respect for the provisions of international humanitarian law would make a huge difference ."

03 04
SUDAN
GVs camps for displaced, Hassa Hissa IDP camp, Zalingei, West Darfur.
Women from Kassab IDP camp collecting firewood a few kilometres outside the camp.
ICRC ante-natal clinic – Abata, West Darfur, near Zalingei Camp
ICRC nurse Catherine Fry (Australian Red Cross) treating displaced mother and baby

06 09
Interview Pierre Kraehenbuehl, Operations Director , ICRC

"There are specific needs for women and children as a result of displacement. We've seen that in many instances, from situations like Colombia, Sudan, we've seen it in Sri Lanka, where in fact first of all, they are cut off from the traditional breadwinner of the family, they have to cope on their own. And that may involve exposure to new risks, such as when women leave a displaced camp to collect firewood and others , and are exposed to attacks , violence, in many instances …. and situations of sexual violence. Issues that the ICRC has learned to address with, I think, today, greater sensitivity and hopefully greater impact , as we go on , understanding that there are differences in ways of responding to these particular situations which are of great concern to us. "

07 00
COLOMBIA (March 2007)

Colombia has one of the largest populations of IDPs in the world. Death threats, violent clashes and murder created a constant flow of displaced people throughout 2006. Many seek safety in and near the cities, where they face social and economic marginalization. Women and children make up more than half the displaced population. ICRC provides emergency assistance for newcomers to Bogota.

Bogotá city, rooftops, children in the street

Displaced people waiting to register in road outside UAID – Unidad Attention Integral Desplacados, Office for the Integrated Care of Displaced People, State institution

Interview Displaced woman
"My husband was killed in the open road (via puesta Gaitan) and the Fiscalia (District Prosecutor) is looking for me, I need to testify, of course, because he was killed. They came to my house, they threatened me, and they said : get out of the village, you can't go back to the Prosecutor, you can't testify against us, I had to leave. "

Interior of UAID Office, Bogota where crowds wait to be registered.

08 38
Interview Pierre Kraehenbuehl, Operations Director , ICRC

"One fundamental issue for any displaced family is in fact the right to return home. Nobody leaves a home if there isn’t a life threatening issue at hand , the security of ones children, therefore the question of the right to return to one's residence is absolutely essential and that’s something that the ICRC strongly advocates for. That isn’t always possible certainly not in the short term, and meanwhile what we see is the great solidarity that many of the resident communities display in welcoming the displaced people. So we want to take both of their needs into consideration in our response."

09 15 END


STORY

Geneva (ICRC) – " The phenomenon of displacement is at the very heart of how conflict dynamics unfold, and that's why we felt it important to give a profile to this particular consequence of conflict," said Mr Pierre Kraehenbuehl, Director of Operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross, as the organisation launched its Annual Report in Geneva, 24 May 2007.

The report looks back at a year marked by acute violence in countries such as Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, highlighting the issue of internal displacement as one of particular concern to the ICRC.

In a year when the Geneva Conventions finally gained universal acceptance, there nevertheless remained a glaring lack of respect for international humanitarian law. "The responsibility for preventing displacement from taking place in the first place lies clearly and squarely on the shoulders of the armed groups that take part in the confrontations. A greater respect for the provisions of international humanitarian law would make a huge difference," said Mr Kraehenbuehl.

Women and children make up the majority of displaced people and have specific needs. Cut off from the traditional breadwinner of the family, they must cope on their own. They may find themselves exposed to new risks, such as attacks and sexual violence when they leave the camp to collect firewood or water, "issues that the ICRC has learned to address with … greater sensitivity and hopefully greater impact, " said Mr Kraehenbuehl.

With a network of some 12,000 staff in 80 countries, the ICRC worked in a wide variety of conflict zones in 2006. These operations ranged from rapid response in the case of sudden or worsening crises, such as those in Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Somalia, to ongoing aid in chronic emergencies such as those in Chad, the Central African Republic and Colombia. Over the year, ICRC expenditure reached its highest level in half a century – with over 40 per cent going for Africa.

The ICRC assisted a total of 3.5 million displaced people in 19 countries – an increase of some 300,000 over the previous year. Millions of other people affected by armed conflict – including vulnerable rural populations, the sick and wounded, detainees and relatives of the missing – also benefited from the organization's humanitarian work. Water, sanitation and construction projects, for example, met the needs of close to 16 million people. Visits to detainees, tracing and other work to restore family links, and efforts to promote international humanitarian law with all concerned remained key ICRC activities.