Armed man walks past a burned military vehicle on a check-point in the city of Brovary outside Kyiv on March 1, 2022. – Russian troops will carry out an attack on the infrastructure of Ukraine’s security services in Kyiv and urged residents living nearby to leave, the defence ministry said on March 1, 2022. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP)
Ukraine latest: Mariupol evacuation halted AGAIN – the Red Cross
The Red Cross international aid organisation has been facilitating the evacuation of 200 000 civilians of Mariupol in Ukraine
Armed man walks past a burned military vehicle on a check-point in the city of Brovary outside Kyiv on March 1, 2022. – Russian troops will carry out an attack on the infrastructure of Ukraine’s security services in Kyiv and urged residents living nearby to leave, the defence ministry said on March 1, 2022. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP)
Yet another attempt by humanitarian group The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to evacuate civilians out of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol has failed.
A ceasefire had been in place to allow for the evacuations on Sunday, 6 March 2022, but the Red Cross aborted the mission amid reports of attacks by Russian troops.
“Amid devastating scenes of human suffering in Mariupol, a second attempt today to start evacuating an estimated 200,000 people out of the city came to a halt. The failed attempts yesterday and today underscore the absence of a detailed and functioning agreement between the parties to the conflict,” it said.
READ: LIVE UPDATES: Russia’s war in Ukraine: Latest developments
RED CROSS READY TO HELP EVACUATE MARIUPOL CITIZENS, BUT…
The Red Cross international aid organisation had been facilitating the evacuation, with the first operation planned for Saturday, 5 March 2022. But similarly, things couldn’t go ahead as scheduled as Russia violated its agreement with Mariupol officials to temporarily halt its attacks while innocent civilians are allowed to flee.
“The ICRC is not and cannot in any way be the guarantor of a ceasefire agreement between the parties or of its implementation. As a neutral and impartial humanitarian intermediary, the ICRC has been facilitating the dialogue between the parties on the safe passage of civilians.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
The Red Cross says for the safe passage of civilians in Mariupol to happen with the required levels of trust, both city officials and Russia need to agree between themselves not just in principle but also on the details and parameters, namely:
• The specific time, locations, evacuation routes and other logistical details
• The people who may be voluntarily evacuated
• Whether the agreement also allows assistance to be brought into cities
“In addition, the ICRC needs satisfactory security guarantees in order to operate. Today, our teams began opening up the evacuation route from Mariupol before hostilities resumed. Our teams remain in Mariupol and are ready to help facilitate further attempts if the parties reach a detailed agreement, which is for the parties alone to implement and respect.”
“We remind the parties that staff, vehicles and buildings bearing the Red Cross emblems are protected under international law, as are the emblems themselves which must not be misused.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
