ICRC radio programme set to expand

An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) radio programme, initially aimed at combatants in front-line areas of northern Afghanistan, and currently heard in the capital, Kabul, will soon begin broadcasting in the eastern city of Jalalabad and the southern city of Kandahar.

“In countries like Afghanistan, where conflict and the political and geographical situation make it difficult to reach combatants and the public at large, radio is proving an effective tool of communication,” the ICRC communications coordinator for Afghanistan, Mario Musa, told IRIN in Kabul.

Commenting on the 15-minute programme, “In the fold of humanity”, broadcast on Taliban-controlled Radio Sharia, Musa said: “We have an independent production within their broadcasting policy, and it’s working.”

The programme, broadcast just after the local news and before a popular youth programme, is transmitted twice weekly in both Pashto and Dari, the two national languages of Afghanistan, and repeated the following day.

Initiated in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif three months ago as a pilot programme aimed at combatants along the front line, it began broadcasting in Kabul on 22 July.

The programme delivers updates on the organisation’s activities throughout the country, and includes interviews with the beneficiaries and ICRC staff. Each week, the focus is on a special theme, such as health, relief, and visits to detainees, or restoration of family links.

International law and mine-awareness spots are also given airtime. One of the most popular segments is an episode called “Help”, telling the story of the people of two war-torn villages, and of the ICRC’s efforts to assist those in need. Narrated by professional Afghan actors, each episode is followed by a conversation between a father and his son commenting on what they have just heard.

While unable to say exactly when the broadcasts would begin in Jalalabad and Kandahar, Musa said: “Our goal is not to compete. Our goal is to have dialogue on their airwaves.” He maintained that the objective of the programme was to reach as many people as possible, while remaining transparent.

“We want to spread the knowledge of the basic rules of behaviour in combat, and to promote the respect of the civilian population, wounded combatants, and prisoners-of-war,” he explained.