.Says Ethiopian reform going on the right direction
ADDIS ABABA– International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it is exerting joint effort with the government of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Red Cross Association to provide assistance for people who are affected by internal displacements.
Ambassador Julien Lerisson ICRC Head Delegation in Ethiopia told The Ethiopian Herald that though it depends on the type of assistance more than million people are receiving support. “We are coordinating in rehabilitation services providing water pumps, distributing medicines, nonfood items kits or essential household items etc. For instance we have given 10,000 of those kits recently.”
As people are being repatraited the ICRC is providing seeds and tools in the process of resuming their livelihood, including some livestock vaccination campaign, said Julien.
Speaking of Ethiopia’s ongoing reform the Ambassador noted situations have improved and the release of political prisoners is an indicator. According to him the change of setups has helped ICRC’s effort in addressing the conditions of detention and the treatment of detainees though it does not mean everything is perfect.
“I believe the reform is going on the right direction and is bearing fruits. Our aim is to engage with the authorities, to listen to them and to share concerns, in case we have and to find the way for solutions,” he stressed.
Operating with three major pillars, reestablishment of family links when people are separated by conflicts, detention and detainees and protection of civilian society, the ICRC does these tasks through confidential and bilateral dialogues, noted Julien.
Meanwhile, there are several constraints different from one country to the other that the committee is operating in. In cases of Ethiopia Julien said it is one of the countries with no conflict with neighboring countries. He also added there are no state armies fighting each other, which makes working here in Ethiopia easier.
The Ethiopian Herald June 16/2019
BY HENOK TIBEBU
