ICRC: Over Quarter Million Missing Worldwide, 70% Increase In Five Years

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced Friday that the number of people registered as missing worldwide has exceeded a quarter of a million, marking an increase of nearly 70% over the past five years.

Director General of the Committee Pierre Krahenbuhl stated that from Sudan to Ukraine, from Syria to Colombia, the trend is clear: the sharp rise in the number of missing persons is a stark indication that warring parties and their supporters are failing to protect people in times of war.

The issue of missing persons is one of the most tragic humanitarian consequences of armed conflicts and disasters, with hundreds of thousands of individuals disappearing annually due to fighting, displacement, forced detention, or natural disasters.

The ICRC plays a central role in registering cases of missing persons, communicating with their families, and working with conflicting parties to search for the missing or determine their fate.

This crisis is particularly evident in prolonged conflict zones such as Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Colombia, where families suffer greatly due to the lack of information about their loved ones, making it an ongoing humanitarian emergency that requires urgent international efforts.

Statistics reveal that the number of missing persons registered with the ICRC rose from approximately 169,500 in 2019 to around 284,400 by the end of 2024, an increase of more than 70%.

In the past year alone, the Committee was able to locate around 16,000 missing individuals and reunite 7,000 of them with their families through the Restoring Family Links network in collaboration with Red Crescent and Red Cross societies.

ICRC humanitarian emergency missing

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