ICRC expresses concern over delay of POWs repatriation

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Wednesday called on Ethiopia and Eritrea to expedite the repatriation of prisoners of war (POWs). It said it was concerned by a "slowdown" on the part of both countries in handing over POWs captured during the bloody border war which ended two years ago. However, Prof Jacques Forster, Vice-President of the ICRC, insisted that Ethiopia was not in violation of the four Geneva Conventions by failing to repatriate POWs. Under the 1949 third Convention 1949, POWs should be repatriated when hostilities have ended "without delay". But hundreds of them are still being held by both Ethiopia and Eritrea. "I would not say they are in violation, because it is a process - releasing prisoners of war," he said at a press conference on Wednesday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, following a five-day tour of Ethiopia. "The experience we have [is] it takes time. It shouldn’t take too much time, but it does take time." Forster went on to say: "There was a positive start in the process of releasing and repatriating the prisoners of war. The process has now slowed down, one could say. We are concerned by the length of [time being taken up by] the process. We are concerned, because behind each case you have an individual, you have a family. It is a major humanitarian concern," he said. Speaking during the same press conference, Dr Fasil Nahum, director of the Justice Research Institute and special adviser to the Ethiopian prime minister, also insisted that Ethiopia was not in violation of the Geneva Conventions. "A number of things, including the repatriation of prisoners of war, are a process. The whole thing is a process. What does 'without delay' mean - in one minute, one hour, a day? It is open. It is a process," Fasil said. "The Ethiopian government is very conscious about its adherence to international treaties, and definitely the Geneva Conventions - it will try to do its very best to adhere to them as well," he added. Forster was in Ethiopia to attend a round table addressing issues of war and humanitarian values and principles in times of armed conflict.