ICRC to 'continue efforts' in Syria despite weapon threat
The impact of possible chemical weapons in Syria on aid efforts would be difficult to anticipate, the International Red Cross said at a conference in the Switzerland headquarters.
Officials said it would attempt to continue humanitarian operations in Syria in the event of chemical weapons being used. Syria have denied that it would use chemical weapons. President Peter Maurer told reporters:
Our general assessment is that the conflict is expanding, that the ability to reach populations is not following at the same pace as the expanding conflict.
So we have an increasing gap between needs emerging and abilities to cover those needs, but we, despite all the difficulties, we keep up an important humanitarian activities in Syria.
A Syrian Red Crescent volunteer has been killed while on first aid duty in Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced.
It is understood that the volunteer was shot dead on Friday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent has said that it is not able to evacuate civilians from the Syrian city of Homs because of the "unclear" security situation. Shots were heard in the area this morning.
Both teams have withdrawn to Damascus, but intend to re-enter Homs at some point in the future.
Homs has seen some of the worst violence of the conflict in Syria and has been the site of intense fighting for the last ten days.
A French aid worker has been kidnapped by armed men on Saturday while travelling from northern Yemen to the Red Sea port city of Hudaida, according to International Committee of the Red Criss (ICRC). He was working with the ICRC.
Dibeh Fakhr, an ICRC spokeswoman in Sanaa, said there has been no contact with the kidnappers.