Over 71,000 people registered as missing in Africa — Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross has reported that more than 71,000 people were registered as missing across Africa as of June 2024.

The ICRC disclosed that this number represents a 75 per cent increase from 40,708, the figure recorded in 2019.

The alarming statistic was revealed by the ICRC’s Regional Director for Africa, Patrick Youssef, in a statement on Thursday to mark the International Day of the Disappeared on 30 August.

The International Day of the Disappeared is observed to raise awareness about the plight of missing persons worldwide, honour their memory, and acknowledge the emotional toll on their families.

Youssef stated that under international humanitarian law, state authorities have the primary responsibility to clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing persons.

However, prolonged armed conflicts, natural disasters, and perilous migration journeys have exacerbated the crisis, leaving families in despair.

“They can go missing when they are arrested, captured, detained, and held incommunicado. They might be alive but simply do not have the means to contact their relatives,” Youssef noted.

Youssef also stated that 24,000 people in Nigeria are currently registered as missing, with more than half of them being children at the time of their disappearance.

The majority of these cases are concentrated in the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, areas that have been ravaged by ongoing armed conflicts.

Volunteers from the Nigerian Red Cross have been tirelessly working to reconnect families who have lost contact with their loved ones due to the violence.

In addition to delivering Red Cross messages to these families, the ICRC is providing crucial mental health support, legal advice, and financial assistance in some cases.

“In Nigeria, the ICRC has registered around 24,000 people as missing, which likely represents only a fraction of the total number. More than half of these cases involved children at the time they disappeared.

“In the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, for example, volunteers from the Nigerian Red Cross have been working to deliver Red Cross messages to many families who have lost contact with their loved ones due to the armed conflict.

“The ICRC provides the families with mental health support, legal advice, and, in some cases, financial assistance,” he said.