The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't prevented wars from happening in conflict-ridden areas. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the pandemic is having an impact on some of the region's most vulnerable people, many of whom are already living in hand-to-mouth conditions.

Impact on conflict-ridden areas

Across the Middle East, millions already live with little or no healthcare, food, water and electricity. Coupled with the volatile cost of living and the nearly paralyzed infrastructure, they are gravely suffering from the impact of the pandemic. But "unfortunately the COVID pandemic didn't kill war," said Jacques Pellet, head of the ICRC's East Asia Delegation.

Pellet said the main challenges the ICRC has been trying to overcome for many decades are still here.

"In many countries where we work on the frontline, people are struggling on many big challenges such as violence, the lack of access to water and healthcare."

COVID-19 Prevention work

Traditional humanitarian actions like providing access to clean water and dignified management of dead bodies are still part of the ICRC's response to the pandemic. But the most important work is prevention. 

"Most of the clinics don't have intensive care units. I can even tell you that in some places such as Yemen the fatality rate is 100 percent because they don't have any means to cure a person when he gets really severe symptoms," he said.

Pellet also added there is another issue: "As the war didn't stop because of the pandemic, it made it difficult for us to find access to people. What we also need is a much strengthened respect of international humanitarian law. Many countries including China have a very important role to play to make this respect of international humanitarian law more effective. Because without the humanitarian space we don't have access to people," he stressed.

Cooperation with China

"We've been procuring a lot of essential equipment from China. China is one of the main sources for us to procure personal protective equipment, medical devices and other equipment. We really need China's help in having a fast track to deliver those materials. We've distributed Chinese equipment to 85 countries," he added.

"We can see China's been very active in sending medical teams to help countries all over the world, and we have our teams in the field, so we need to connect," said Pellet. "We've done that for instance in Iraq, Bangladesh. I think this crisis is an opportunity for China and the ICRC to work much closer."

Pellet also calls for China to increase funding support to the organization. The ICRC is appealing for 1.24 billion U.S. dollars to respond in places of conflict and violence, to support medical facilities and places of detention, curb the spread of COVID-19 and ensure medical access for displaced people and detainees, and to support National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, whose thousands of volunteers and workers are doing vital work on the frontline of this crisis.

(Cover image: ICRC cash distribution in Sinjar, Iraq on May 19th, 2020. /ICRC)