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Mar 13 β€’ 7 tweets β€’ 3 min read
🚨 🚨 🚨

Time is running out for hundreds of thousands trapped in #Mariupol.

They have endured a living nightmare. They cannot hold on any longer.

We’re urgently calling for a humanitarian agreement.

People need safety. People need food. And they need it now.

πŸ‘‡
The sound of warfare is constant.

People of all ages are sheltering in unheated basements. It’s freezing in #Mariupol.

People are terrified. They’re traumatized. They’re getting sick.

They have no way out.
In #Mariupol right now, everyone is facing extreme or total shortages of the basic necessities of life.

πŸ‘‰ No food.

πŸ‘‰ No water.

πŸ‘‰ No medicine.

πŸ‘‰ No survival.
People are risking their lives to make short runs outside – in desperate search for any food and water they can find.

This includes our staff.

Dead bodies, of civilians and combatants, remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the open.

The situation in #Mariupol is dire.
A concrete, precise and actionable agreement is needed right now.

πŸ“’ Civilians who wish to leave must be able to reach safety.

πŸ“’ Lifesaving aid must be able to reach those who cannot leave or who wish to stay.

Without an agreement, the consequences will be devastating.
The agreement must include:

βœ… The modalities and timing of a ceasefire.

βœ… The precise locations of the safe passage route.

The agreement must be respected.

The parties also need to clear roads of any obstacle preventing safe passage.

Civilian’s safety is paramount.
The human suffering in #Mariupol is immense.

History will look back at what's happening with horror if no agreement is reached by the sides as quickly as possible.

There is still time before utter devastation.

β€’ β€’ β€’

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More from @ICRC

Mar 12
Our colleagues in #Mariupol are taking shelter in our office.

This is how one described the situation πŸ‘‡
β€œThere's no electricity, water and gas supply. Meaning no means for heating.

Some people still have food, but I’m not sure for how long it will last.

Many report having no food for children.”
β€œPeople report varying needs in medicine. Especially for diabetes and cancer patients.

But there is no way to find it anymore in the city.

People are getting sick already because of the cold.”
Read 7 tweets
Mar 9
Many of you are asking about our work in #Ukraine, as the situation becomes increasingly dire and desperate.

In just 2 weeks:

πŸ‘‰ Homes have been reduced to rubble

πŸ‘‰ Families have no food, no water, no heat, no medical care

πŸ‘‰ 2 million people have fled

What are we doing? πŸ‘‡
Right now, we're present in:

πŸ“ Kyiv
πŸ“ Mariupol
πŸ“ Odessa
πŸ“ Donetsk
πŸ“ Luhansk
πŸ“ Severodonetsk
πŸ“ + other places

Additional staff arrived this week to help rapidly scale up our work.

This includes medical staff, weapons contamination specialists and emergency team members.
So far, our team across #Ukraine have delivered:

πŸ‘‰ Food, water, hygiene items
πŸ‘‰ Shelter materials, fuel
πŸ‘‰ Tools for water infrastructure repair
πŸ‘‰ Cash assistance
πŸ‘‰ Blankets, mattresses, pillows, and more

To help tens of thousands of people.
Read 5 tweets
Mar 6
People are living in terror in Mariupol, desperate for safety.

Today’s attempt to start evacuating an estimated 200,000 people has failed.

The failed attempts underscore the absence of a detailed and functioning agreement between parties to the conflict. #Ukraine

Thread πŸ‘‡
We are not and cannot be the guarantor of a ceasefire agreement between the parties or of its implementation.

As a neutral and impartial humanitarian intermediary, we've been facilitating dialogue between the parties on the safe passage of civilians.

Civilians need safety.
Parties need to agree not just in principle but also on the details of safe passages.

In particular:

*Specific time, locations and evacuation routes
*Who may be voluntarily evacuated
*Whether aid can be brought in, not just the evacuation of civilians out
Read 6 tweets
Mar 4
We’ve received thousands of questions on the Geneva Conventions.

So, we’re going to break down the rules of war you need to know right now.

All states have signed these – and are legally obligated to follow them.

Thread πŸ‘‡
Civilians.

πŸ‘‰ They cannot be attacked.
πŸ‘‰ They must be protected.
πŸ‘‰ They are not a target.

Whatever wording you use – the message is the same. It is illegal.
Combatants.

Combatants must distinguish themselves from civilians in all military operations by wearing identifiable insignia and carrying arms openly. This helps protect civilians from harm.

Combatants must respect the rules of war. Period.
Read 10 tweets
Oct 28, 2020
We strongly condemn the latest surge in violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Civilian casualties mount as there is intense shelling in urban areas.

Just today, an @AzRedCrescent volunteer died. He was a father of two.
With the @IFRC and the Red Cross Red Crescent family, we offer our most heartfelt condolences to the family of the volunteer.

Two other volunteers were injured.
Death.
Destruction.
Desolation.

The intense shelling we witnessed today is unacceptable.
Read 6 tweets
Oct 28, 2020
Imagine: 2 countries are at war with each other.

Country β€˜A’ launches a cyber attack against the health system of Country β€˜B’, disrupting hospitals in a major city.

Under the rules of war, is this acceptable?
79% of you are correct!

Events in recent years have shown that cyber operations, whether during or outside of conflict, can disrupt the operation of critical civilian infrastructure and hamper the delivery of essential services to the population.
Civilian infrastructure is protected from cyber attacks during armed conflict by existing international humanitarian law (IHL) principles and rules.
Read 4 tweets

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