Does ICRC become involved in evacuations from besieged or encircled areas?
Any initiative that gives civilians a respite from violence and allows them to voluntarily leave for safer areas is a welcome one.
As a neutral and impartial humanitarian intermediary, the ICRC may help facilitate the safe passage of civilians out of besieged areas once the parties have reached an agreement. Such measures must be well planned and implemented with the agreement of the parties to the conflict and must ensure the safety of the evacuees and humanitarian personnel? (see above Does IHL protect civilians leaving, or being evacuated from, a besieged area?).
Notwithstanding the agreement of the parties, safe passage operations remain hazardous operations. They encompass major risks for the affected populations and the humanitarian personnel involved. These risks must be managed in a way to minimise the potential damages for all the stakeholders. Over the past few decades, safe passage operations have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
As a humanitarian organization, the ICRC never helps organize or carry out forced evacuations. (see also above Can sieges be used to compel civilians to leave a particular area?) This applies everywhere we work. We do not take part any operation against people’s will, our fundamental principles, or international humanitarian law.
For more details on how safe passages or humanitarian corridors work to help people in conflict zones, including sieges, see https://www.icrc.org/en/document/how-humanitarian-corridors-work.
We acknowledge Source link for the information.
