24 November 1997 - Press Release 97/31: ICRC deplores death of Red Cross volunteer in Brazzaville

Geneva (ICRC) - A Congolese Red Cross volunteer, Mr Makoundou Landri Silvert, was killed and two others were wounded in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, on Saturday 22 November. They were travelling aboard an ICRC truck together with some 50 other volunteers who had been helping to unload humanitarian aid supplies dispatched from Kinshasa and intended for distribution to the returning inhabitants of the Congolese capital.

The truck was following another ICRC vehicle. Shots were fired as the two vehicles, both clearly marked with the protective red cross emblem and driven by ICRC staff, passed a group of armed men in the centre of the city. The convoy drove immediately to the Brazzaville University Hospital where the death of the volunteer was confirmed and the two wounded were admitted for treatment.

The ICRC is deeply saddened by this tragic incident and conveys its heartfelt condolences to Mr Silvert’s family and friends and to the Congolese Red Cross.

The ICRC urges all those bearing weapons to respect the men and women displaying the protective emblem of the red cross and to allow them to carry out their humanitarian work.