RCRC Movement pledges more assistance for displaced people in Iraq

Xinhua

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The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (RCRC Movement) on Sunday pledged to increase assistance for more than 1.5 million Iraqis displaced as a result of continuous fighting in the war-torn country.

The pledge was made during a visit to Iraq by Movement leaders that included the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Elhadj As Sy, and the director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Yves Daccord, according to an ICRC statement issued in Geneva.

The delegation was seeking to step up coordination among the various RCRC Movement components that are working in Iraq to alleviate the suffering caused by the armed conflict.

"IFRC will mobilize its collective force, namely its 189 Red Cross and Red Crescent members, to provide further support for the Iraqi Red Crescent's efforts to increase assistance to displaced people," As Sy said in a statement.

The ICRC delegation in Iraq had announced earlier that it had provided food, clean drinking water, medicines and medical supplies, and other relief assistance to large numbers of displaced people in various locations in Iraq.

Daccord said ICRC stands ready to provide more assistance to the conflict victims.

He appealed to all parties to the conflict to facilitate the work of RCRC Movement personnel and to allow them access to all locations, "so that they can help to preserve the lives and dignity of people affected by these difficult circumstances."