Material relief action undertaken by the ICRC in Nigeria and in the secessionist state (Biafra) has made it possible to feed almost one and a half million people. The size of the operation has overshadowed the International Committee's activities of protection and information in these regions: visiting prisoners of war, mail routing via the Central Tracing Agency, evacuation of the seriously wounded and of foreigners. Nevertheless, all these are presenting the ICRC with very real problems.

Assistance to Displaced Persons in Syria.—In December 1968 the International Committee of the Red Cross appealed to several National Societies for relief supplies for some 100,000 persons displaced from the occupied Golan territory now living in camps outside Damascus. Their plight has been aggravated by the rigours of a severe winter. By the end of the month 100 tons of flour, 73 tons of powdered milk, 20 tons of rice, 3 tons of cheese, meat and 5115 blankets had been sent to Damascus. Part of these supplies was conveyed in an aircraft chartered twice by the ICRC.

Apart from the practical work it carries on in many regions of the world for the benefit of victims of war and internal disturbances, the International Committee of the Red Cross unremittingly pursues its mission of diminishing as much as possible the evils engendered by hostilities of all kinds. The United Nations, as is well known, has displayed its concern for this problem in a resolution adopted unanimously by its General Assembly in December 1968.

It will be recalled that on 30 September 1969, two delegates of the International Committee, Dr. Dragan Herčog, a member of the Yugoslav surgical team, and Robert Carlsson, member of a Swedish relief team, were killed during the fighting that was then raging around Okigwi, some miles north of Umuahia. At the same time and place, two persons working for the World Council of Churches were also killed and another member of the Swedish team wounded. Last November, the International Review published the circumstance of this drama which profoundly disturbed the Red Cross everywhere. It also mentioned that ICRC Commissioner-General, Mr. August Lindt, had protested strongly to the federal military government at Lagos. He demanded an enquiry and the punishment of those responsible. He further demanded the tightening up of orders to Nigerian front-line troops to ensure the safety of Red Cross personnel.

Many are the delegates working in the field under the Red Cross flag in various parts of the world. Below is the list as at the end of February 1969. There are also many other voluntary workers dedicated to the Red Cross ideal. In Nigeria, for instance, in addition to the ICRC delegates, there are 268 of them; in the secessionist province (Biafra) 88; in Equatorial Guinea 11 and in Dahomey 26—all working side by side with many African colleagues.