The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has requested to offer humanitarian service to the victims of ongoing conflict in Democratic Republican of Congo (DRC) which killed hundred of civilian and displayed many.
Check by GLOBAL TRACKER revealed that nearly 780,000 people were forced to flee their homes between November 2024 and January 2025 alone.
This newspaper learned that the number of people killed have increased between 900 to 2,000 as per united nations report.
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However, the president of ICRC Mrs Mirjana Spoljaric has visited Rwanda, the main backer of M23 rebels group terrorizing DRC especially in the mineral reached area ‘Goma’.
Spoljaric met with Rwandan president Paul Kagame and discuss the humanitarian situation in the great lakes region and the critical role of international humanitarian law in protecting civilians and alleviating suffering.
She also reaffirmed ICRC’s readiness to act as a neutral intermediary to support any humanitarian aspects of agreements reached by Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of wider peace negotiations.
The visit was also an opportunity to discuss how Rwanda can contribute to the global initiative to galvanise political commitment for international humanitarian law, which the ICRC launched together with six states in September 2024 as an exceptional effort to bring states across the world together and revive respect for the rules of war.
While in Kigali, President Spoljaric met with staff and volunteers of the Rwanda Red Cross Society, including the organisation’s president, Mr. Wilson Karasira, and secretary-general, Mr. Apollinaire Karamaga.
The ICRC has been present in Rwanda since 1963, including during and after the 1994 genocide.
Today, its work in Rwanda focuses on promoting international humanitarian law, reconnecting separated family members, and responding to the humanitarian needs created by the conflict in the Great Lakes region.
Spoljaric will travel to Kinshasa, DRC to meet with authorities, partners and civilian impacted by ongoing conflict.