Mali: Vehicle disappears with ICRC personnel on board

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 11, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- 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.

"They were on the way from Kidal to their base in Gao. We don't know yet in what circumstances contact was lost," said Christoph Luedi, head of the ICRC delegation in Mali. "It's important not to speculate about what might have happened, although no possibility has been ruled out."

"We are extremely worried about the fate of our colleagues," he added. "We're doing everything we can to locate them as quickly as possible."

The ICRC is hard at work providing impartial humanitarian aid for people suffering the effects of the conflict in northern 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.