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Somalia: Red Crescent nutritional centre hit by air strike

11-12-2011 News Release

Geneva (ICRC) – On 10 December, a nutritional centre run by the Somali Red Crescent Society in the southern Somali town of Bardera was hit by an air strike. The facility, which was empty at the time of the incident, suffered material damage.

"We are alarmed about the situation in Bardera," said Pascal Mauchle, head of the Somalia delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "This incident is particularly worrying at a time when the population is in dire need of food assistance."

Once again, the ICRC and the Somali Red Crescent remind all parties to the conflict that civilians and civilian objects must be respected and protected at all times, in accordance with international humanitarian law. When launching an attack against enemy fighters, all those involved in the hostilities must take every feasible precaution to minimize the potential harm to civilians and to civilian objects, including clinics and nutritional centres.

 

For further information, please contact:
Yves Van Loo, ICRC Somalia, tel: +254 736 084 015
Anna Schaaf, ICRC Nairobi, tel: +254 722 512 728
Vassily Fadeev, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 79 536 9248