The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Economic Community of West African states (ECOWAS) are set to begin a four-day meeting on the implementation of international humanitarian law in the West African region.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says over 9 million people are in urgent need of aid in the Lake Chad region of Africa. More than 2.4 million people have fled their homes in four countries, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria because of the conflict between government forces and armed opposition, which has lasted six years.
Five years since the Libyan revolution which ousted Colonel Gadhafi from power, bullets are still flying. The situation is getting worse as fighting intensifies, pushing people out of their homes.
The hospital in Kodok, South Sudan sits on the front line between warring parties. It is fully operational today, but the tension of conflict lies all around.
Over two million people in South Sudan have fled their homes because of conflict. Many, like Nyathon Pur, have come to Kolapach, a small village in Jonglei State in the northern part of the country. Most fled with little more than the clothes they were wearing. Everyone here is hungry.
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.