Geneva/Bamako (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirms that on 8 February it lost contact with one of its vehicles, which had been travelling between Kidal and Gao, in northern Mali, with four staff and a veterinary assistant on board.
"We are extremely worried about the fate of our colleagues," said Christoph Luedi, head of the ICRC delegation in Mali. "We're doing everything we can to locate them as quickly as possible. They were on the way from Kidal to their base in Gao. We don't know yet in what circumstances contact was lost," he added. "It's important not to speculate about what might have happened, although no possibility has been ruled out."
The ICRC is hard at work providing impartial humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable in Mali. "We're calling for our personnel to be treated with respect so that they can perform their tasks," said Mr Luedi.
The ICRC is in contact with all parties concerned. Every effort will be made to find the missing personnel.
For further information, please contact:
Valery Mbaoh Nana, ICRC Bamako, tel: +223 76 99 63 75
Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, ICRC Geneva (currently in Dakar), tel: +41 22 730 31 49 or +41 79 244 64 05
Alexis Heeb, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 79 218 76 10
