ICRC registers 71,000 missing persons across Africa

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said they have registered more than 71, 000 missing persons across Africa as of June 2024.

Mr Patrick Youssef, ICRC’s Regional Director for Africa, made the disclosure in a statement on the International Day of the Disappeared with the theme ‘We Who Remain Behind Remember’.

Youssef said the number represented a 75 per cent rise from 40,708, the number recorded in 2019.

The regional director stated that Africa is the continent with the highest missing persons caseload, the highest number of unaccompanied children, and the highest number of family reunifications, based on ICRC-registered cases.

“The issue of missing persons, including those who forcibly disappeared, remains one of the most damaging and long-lasting humanitarian consequences of armed conflicts and other situations of violence for all loved ones, whether a waiting wife or a heartbroken one.

“Behind every missing person, there are countless more suffering from the anguish and uncertainty. It’s a humanitarian tragedy for families, one that has consequences across all of society,” Youssef said.

He said that protracted armed conflicts in Africa had resulted in the disappearance of thousands of people.

According to him, the continent is also prone to natural disasters, some of which are exacerbated by climate change, while perilous migratory journeys put vulnerable people at risk of separation and disappearance.

Youssef said the day observed every Aug. 30 would help raise awareness of the plight of the missing, honour their memories, and ease the emotional distress of families.

According to him, the day will help focus attention on the need to help prevent and respond to the issue of missing persons.

He called for a more determined international effort to prevent and respond to the issue of missing persons, whatever the circumstances.

“Political will is an essential step to obtain the necessary resources to respond to this issue, including the cooperation between authorities, both at the national level and across borders.

“In armed conflict, both civilians and combatants go missing.

“They can go missing when they are arrested or captured, detained, and are held incommunicado.

“They may be alive but simply do not have the means to contact their relatives,” Youssef said.

He said that under international humanitarian law, state authorities have the primary responsibility to clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing persons.

“However, these authorities may lack resources, knowledge, or political will to do so. The ICRC and the national societies can play a crucial role,” the director said.

According to him, in Nigeria, the ICRC registered around 24,000 people as missing, which likely only represents a fraction of the total number.

He said that more than half of the total cases were children at the time they disappeared.

“In the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, for example, volunteers from the Nigerian Red Cross have been working on delivering Red Cross messages to many families who have lost contact with their loved ones due to armed conflict.

“The ICRC provides the families with mental health support, legal advice, and, in some cases, financial support,” Youssef said