Afghanistan Times
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By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday termed insecurity and the ongoing conflict as a core obstacle ahead of its aid delivery to the needy family in 2016.
“Insecurity and ramp up conflicts has drastically impeded delivery of the humanitarian aids all over the country in 2016,” said ICRC Spokesman Ahmad Ramin Ayaz.
“Due to growing of insecurity and increase of uncertainty, more needy people were badly suffered, while they were in dire need of help,” he added.
He added that the humanitarian aid staffers and humanitarian organization needs security and protection to quickly response to the problem of the conflict effected people.
He insisted that ICRC staffs would do their best to help needy and suffered people in every nook and cranny of Afghanistan. “But to do so, the humanitarian staffers need protection.”
He furthered, all involved parties should pave the ground for aid workers in a bid to quickly respond to the needy people throughout the country.
It is worth mentioning that the abduction of ICRC staffer in Kunduz province had a devastating impact over ICRC aid delivery. The staffer was abducted on 19 December and freed back after nearly four weeks of captivity.
In a statement, ICRC expressed deepest concern over ramp up insecurity and said that intensification of conflict related violence, growing insecurity, lack of access, attacks on health facilities and health workers, are among the main issues that have made 2016 a difficult year for Afghan people and the humanitarian community. “Despite it all, the ICRC has remained true to its commitment to the people of Afghanistan, as it has throughout the last 30 years of its continuous presence in the country,” the statement added.
The ICRC’s work in Afghanistan focuses on visiting detainees to monitor their living conditions and treatment as well as on assisting people affected by the ongoing conflict, by providing basic aid and medical care, improving access to water and sanitation, reconnecting families separated by conflict and working in cooperation with the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS).
In 2016, the ICRC has carried out 130 visits in 35 detention centers (housing over 30,617 detainees), visited 1,682 people in detention, arrested in relation to the conflict, exchanged over 10,915 Red Cross messages between detainees and their families, with the support of the ARCS, helped families of detainees in the Afghan National Detention Facility in Parwan to reestablish and maintain contact with relatives through more than 11,358 phone calls.
ICRC also has organized 85 family visits for detainees held in Pul-i-Charkhi prison, received 389 queries from families about arrested out of which 260 cases were successfully solved and received 426 queries about 972 people sought by their families, as well as facilitated the transfer of more than 1,355 mortal remains of fighters and civilians to their families in 2016.
In the aspect of health care also the ICRS has helped tens of thousands of people through medical care, providing limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation services programs across the country.
ICRC also has helped displaced people through granting relief items in 2016.
