Bujumbura / Geneva (ICRC) - The ICRC is extremely concerned by the humanitarian consequences of the violence in Burundi. It calls on all parties to exercise restraint, safeguard the civilian population and allow everyone wishing to leave the affected areas to do so.
Geneva / Bangui - The ICRC is deeply concerned by intensifying violence in the Central African Republic.
The conflict between Boko Haram and the Nigerian Army has forced more than two million to flee their homes. In the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, the number of widows is staggering - 7,000 have registered with many unable to feed their children three meals a day.
The anguish of not knowing what happened to loved ones who go missing can last for years. Added to the emotional and psychological turmoil, families are frequently left without economic support, access to inheritance, and with few resources to trace their missing family member. On the International Day of the Disappeared, (30 August), the ICRC is calling for greater support for affected families together with increased efforts to document the fate of missing persons. Such action could cut short the time families are left in anguish without answers.
At the first conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (Cancun, Mexico 24-27 August), the International Committee of Red Cross says the illegal transfer of weapons is rife.
For many Burundians on the run from the violence in their country, this will be home until it is safe enough to go back: Mahama Camp, a sprawling hillside of tents put up on Rwanda's eastern border with Tanzania in April 2015 to house 20,000 refugees. There are already around 30,000 refugees living here.
As the world's newest country nears its fourth year of existence, South Sudan is facing a disastrous reality. Extreme levels of violence in and around Leer over the last month have forced an estimated 100,000 people to flee their homes and to seek safety in low-lying swamps far from civilization.
TESTING
The armed conflict between Boko Haram and various armed forces is spreading from Nigeria into the surrounding countries of Niger, Cameroon and Chad.
It is one year since the beginning of the current crisis in the world's newest nation South Sudan. Millions of people have been affected by the ongoing conflict, which began on 15th December 2013 amid a dispute between its President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been internally displaced and have fled to the neighboring countries.