The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reported a sharp rise in the number of confirmed missing persons across Africa, including Nigeria.
In its latest situation report released on Friday, the ICRC highlighted a significant increase of at least 75 percent in the number of missing persons in Africa over the past five years.
According to the ICRC, more than 71,000 people across Africa are currently registered as missing, representing a 75 percent increase from the 40,708 recorded at the end of 2019.
These figures only account for cases documented by the ICRC and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies at the time of reporting and do not necessarily reflect the total number of missing persons on the continent.
This update coincides with the observance of the International Day of the Disappeared on Friday, August 30.
This annual event seeks to raise awareness of the plight of missing persons, honor their memories, and acknowledge the emotional suffering of their families, while also drawing attention to the urgent need to address and prevent such cases.
Our correspondent notes that the ICRC commemorated the day in Abuja on Friday, with representatives from the Nigerian government, diplomats, and members of the Global Alliance of Missing Persons in attendance.
During the event, Patrick Youssef, the ICRC’s regional director for Africa, expressed deep concern over the issue of missing individuals.
“The issue of missing persons, including those forcibly disappeared, remains one of the most devastating and enduring humanitarian impacts of armed conflicts and other situations of violence.
It affects all loved ones, whether it’s a waiting wife or a heartbroken son.
“Each missing person leaves behind countless others who suffer from the anguish of uncertainty. It is a humanitarian tragedy for families, with repercussions throughout society,” Mr. Youssef stated.
The Geneva-based organization emphasized that, under international law, state authorities bear the primary responsibility for clarifying the fate and whereabouts of missing persons.
However, the ICRC pointed out that these authorities often lack the necessary resources, knowledge, or political will to effectively address the issue, though the ICRC continues to support them.
“During armed conflicts, both civilians and combatants can go missing. This can happen when they are arrested, captured, detained, or held incommunicado.
They might still be alive but unable to reach their relatives.”
Over the years, prolonged armed conflicts in Africa have led to the disappearance of thousands of people.
In Nigeria alone, more than 23,000 individuals, mostly children, were reported missing between 2012 and 2020 amid armed conflicts in various regions of the country.
Nigeria has been embroiled in a bloody insurgency for over a decade, leading to thousands of deaths and the mass displacement of residents in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States.
Meanwhile, banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of violent crime have increasingly plagued the North-West, North-Central, and other parts of the country.
The ICRC is a neutral, impartial, and independent organization with a purely humanitarian mission, based on the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
This global nonprofit is dedicated to assisting victims of armed conflict and violence worldwide, striving to protect their lives and dignity and alleviate their suffering, often in collaboration with its partners.
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