ICRC urges parties in Somalia to protect civilians

The International comitee of red cross ICRC and the Somali Red Crescent reminded on Monday all parties to the conflict in Somalia that civilians and civilian properties must be respected and protected at all times. "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", said the ICRC in a press release. On December 10, 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 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 for food assistance." The ICRC has been working in Somalia since 1977 when it responded to the crisis that arose from the war between Ethiopia and Somalia. Since 1982, it has maintained presence in Somalia, basing its delegation in Nairobi since 1994. Somalia - one of the ICRC's largest operations - remains in the grip of a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Fighting between government forces backed by African Union troops (AMISOM) and opposition groups, and among the groups themselves, is dragging on, raising concerns about the population's security to new levels. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have been displaced and millions continue to depend on humanitarian assistance.