Afghanistan: ICRC concerned over escalation in fighting
In Afghanistan, Alongside ongoing tensions, there are fears that fighting will escalate
as the weather changes and mountainous areas become accessible with the Spring thaw.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is once again reminding all parties to
the conflict, of the imperative under international humanitarian law to protect civilians.
The ICRC's spokesperson in Geneva, Christian Cardon told Vatican Radio they are working
closely with the Afghan Red Crescent Society, providing assistance to help it deliver
services to the community and to implement a range of programmes. “It is very important
for us in Afghanistan and in all the countries, all the places where we work, to walk
together with the national society,” he said.
The projects they have jointly
advanced in Afghanistan this year include the installation of pipelines and drilling
of wells as part of an effort to bring clean water to over 84,300 people in urban
areas of Herat, Nangarhar, Kandahar, and Kunduz provinces; installation of hand pumps
and training in their maintenance, along with upgrading of spring catchments as part
of an effort to bring clean water to over 37,230 people in rural areas of Farah, Nangarhar,
Balkh and Kunduz provinces; hygiene-promotion sessions for some 10,450 people in Kabul,
Herat, Farah, Laghman, Jalalabad, Kunduz and Balkh (Mazar-i-Sharif); work to improve
water supplies and sanitary conditions for 1,619 detainees in three provincial prisons;
continued renovation work at Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar. Listen to Chris Altieri’s
extended interview with the ICRC’s Christian Cardon: