Title: Kenya - ICRC calls for an end to violence
Date and location: 30 January 2008 Geneva,
23 January 2008 Eldoret displaced camp.
Production: Pedram Yazdi, Virginie Louis, Louis Mouchet
Copyrights: ICRC Access All


The 8'51'' selection will be distributed worldwide today, 30 January 2008, on Associated Press Television News at 19:05 GMT with a repeat at 01:15 GMT as well as on Eurovision News Exchange at 11:45 GMT.

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

00:00 GENERAL SHOTS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED CAMP IN SHOWGROUND, ELDORET
00:54 DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC) AND THE KENYAN RED CROSS
02:01 ICRC CHRISTOPHE BENEY TALKS WITH KIDS IN CAMP
02:06 (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF ICRC OFFICE IN ELDORET, CHRISTOPHE BENEY,
SAYING:
"We are now distributing two weeks of rations for all the people
displaced, lots of oil, of maize of course, soy flour and sweet peas so that all families will be able to meet their needs for the next two or three weeks."

02:23 FOOD DISTRIBUTION CONTINUES
03:46 GILRS AT WATER TAP

04:14 (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF ICRC OFFICE IN ELDORET, CHRISTOPHE BENEY,SAYING:
"You know it's a population of 12.000 people and these people have to organise themselves so that the security within the camp is under control and the community leaders they have a very important role to play to make sure that the social live go about the best possible way. As per the external security, we have been of course liaising with the district commissioners, the police, so that they assume their responsibility to maintain this compound as safe as possible from any possible intruders that would like to come to the camp". (28 sec)

04:43 SOLDIER
04:47 LIVE IN THE CAMP
05:21 MEDICAL HEALTH CARE
06:01 WOMEN FEEDS HER BABY

06:09 (SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) MOTHER OF CHILDREN SAYING:
"I don't have any plans for now but I'm waiting for the peace to return and then I will go back"

06:17 RED CROSS WORKER POINTING OUT PICTURES OF CHILDREN WHO LOST THEIR PARENTS.

06:34 FAMILY REUNION. A FAMILY REUNION BETWEEN FATHER AND TEENAGERS.

06:42 (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEPUTY HEAD OF OPERATIONS FOR THE HORN OF AFRICA, ALEXANDRE LIEBESKIND, SAYING:

"We are calling for an end to violence. What we are seeing today is violence of a nature which is unbearable. We are seeing mutilations of bodies, we are seeing children and women being burned alive. We are seeing too many violence which is indiscriminate and which doesn't seem to have any limits. We are calling for an end to the cycle of attacks and revenge and we are calling for all persons who have a moral influence in Kenya to send messages of appeasement".

07:16 (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEPUTY HEAD OF OPERATIONS FOR THE HORN OF AFRICA , ALEXANDRE LIEBESKIND, SAYING:

"We are mainly trying to address the immediate problem of the victims of this violence. Be they wounded, be they displaced, be they separate children, be they bodies that are not identified. What we cannot do is to address the roots of violence".

07:40(SOUNDBITE) (French) CHEF ADJOINT DES OPERATIONS POUR LA CORNE DE L'AFRIQUE, ALEXANDRE LIEBESKIND, SAYING:

Nos soucis sont bien sûr les conséquences humanitaires de la violence mais ce qui nous soucie davantage encore c'est la nature de cette violence, c'est la nature inhumaine de la violence que nous voyons qui touche femmes et enfants, qui touche entièrement les civils et qui est une violence de civils contre civils qui comprend des mutilations, qui comprend des désacralisation de corps. C'est une violence qui est insoutenable et notre soucis est de briser le cycle de la violence.

08:14 (SOUNDBITE) (French) CHEF ADJOINT DES OPERATIONS POUR LA CORNE DE L'AFRIQUE, ALEXANDRE LIEBESKIND, SAYING:

Que toutes les personnes qui ont une influence morale au Kenya appellent à cesser le cycle de la violence, à cesser la vengeance, les attaques, la violence communautaire, à ramener l'ordre et la paix dans ce pays.

08:31 (SOUNDBITE) (French) CHEF ADJOINT DES OPERATIONS POUR LA CORNE DE L'AFRIQUE, ALEXANDRE LIEBESKIND, SAYING:

Nous ne pouvons que nous adresser aux conséquences humanitaires de cette violence, c'est-à-dire les déplacés, les blessés de guerre, c'est-à-dire, les corps et les enfants séparés de leurs parents. Ce que nous ne pouvons pas faire, c'est soigner les bases de la violence, les racines de la violence.

08:51 Ends

Kenya - ICRC calls for an end to violence

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is deeply concerned about the escalation of violence over the past week. "What we are seeing today is violence of a nature which is unbearable," says the ICRC's deputy head of operations for the Horn of Africa, Alexandre Liebeskind. "We are seeing too many violence which is indiscriminate and which doesn't seem to have any limits."

The ICRC calls upon all political, administrative, security and local community leaders in Kenya to do their utmost to uphold respect for life and human dignity, and to ensure that the Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies have unimpeded access to all those who require assistance.

In Eldoret, ICRC head of office Christophe Beney said "we have been of course liaising with the district commissioners, the police, so that they assume their responsibility to maintain this compound as safe as possible from any possible intruders that would like to come to the camp".


People from different tribes have grouped in camps and for them there are no possibilities of going back home as long as the violence continues to flare up. As a woman in Eldoret Showground camp says "I don't have any plans for now but I'm waiting for the peace to return and then I will go back"

"We are calling for an end to the cycle of attacks and revenge and we are calling for all persons who have a moral influence in Kenya to send messages of appeasement," says Liebeskind. "We are mainly trying to address the immediate problem of the victims of this violence. Be they wounded, be they displaced, be they separate children, be they bodies that are not identified. What we cannot do is to address the roots of violence".


The ICRC, working with the Kenya Red Cross Society, has been distributing essential household items such as blankets, kitchen sets and mosquito nets as well as emergency food rations. It has also provided the Eldoret and Nakuru hospitals with medical supplies for treating wounded patients and sent a surgical team to Eldoret hospital. In addition, ICRC and Kenya Red Cross staff are working together to ensure that proper water and sanitation facilities are in place in camps for displaced persons.

The ICRC is also helping Kenya Red Cross tracing staff to restore contact between persons separated from their families – unaccompanied children and elderly people especially –during the recent events. The ICRC and the Kenya Red Cross are working with police, hospital and morgue officials to ensure that appropriate procedures are followed allowing the eventual identification of bodies so that families can know what happened to their loved ones who have gone missing.