“We facilitate this operation, as a neutral intermediary, at the request of the parties involved and with a strictly humanitarian purpose.
The person we received was in adequate health conditions and after the delivery was reunited with his family.
To preserve the confidentiality with which we work and for the protection of this person, we will not give any more information on the subject,” said Eleni Galani, head of the ICRC office in Puerto Asís.
“We thank the armed actors for respecting our neutral humanitarian work and we invite them to continue facilitating our access to the areas most affected by armed conflict and violence so that we can impartially and independently protect and assist people who suffer because of this reality,” added Galani.
Respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) means a lot to people affected by armed conflict: when the protection conferred by these laws is respected, the magnitude of human suffering decreases. We insist to all armed actors their obligations and the importance of respecting IHL at all times.
The ICRC reiterates to the parties to the conflict that, in its capacity as a neutral intermediary, it is willing to carry out other humanitarian operations that lead to alleviating the consequences of armed conflicts and violence on those who do not participate or who have ceased to participate in the hostilities.
So far in 2023, the ICRC has facilitated the release of 26 people who were in the hands of armed actors.