Citation
GENEVA, April 11 (Reuter) - The International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies said on Monday it had evacuated almost all
of its expatriate staff from Rwanda.
The federation, which groups 161 national societies around the world,
said in a statement that 12 of its 14 staff had managed to reach
neighbouring Zaire or Burundi.
Another staff member was to be evacuated later on Monday, leaving just
one federation official in place to monitor the situation in the
country and assist the Rwandan Red Cross.
The Central African state has been awash with tribal bloodletting since
the killing of its president last week. Rebels from the minority Tutsi
tribe claim to have since captured large parts of the country.
The federation said it had received unconfirmed reports that large
numbers
of local Red Cross workers have been killed.
The federation said its joint relief with the Rwandan Red Cross, set up
last October to help over 200,000 refugees in Rwanda from neighbouring
Burundi, had come to a complete halt.
With the suspension of relief activities last Thursday for this very
vulnerable refugee population, the Federation expects the worse. The
refugees of Rwanda are totally dependent on international assistance,
the statement said.
(c) Reuters Limited 1994
