The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has urged stakeholders to intensify efforts to trace missing persons, establish their fate and whereabouts, and reunite separated families.

Diana Japaridze, head of ICRC sub-delegation in Maiduguri, made the call on Thursday while commemorating the International Day of the Disappeared in Maiduguri.

Ms Japaridze said the disappearance of loved ones continued to expose affected families to emotional, psychological, legal, economic and psychosocial challenges.

“For the families of missing persons, the disappearance of their loved ones is not an incident of the past. Every single day without answers, they live and cope with the uncertainty,” she said.

She said the ICRC, in collaboration with the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), was working across Borno to protect and restore family links.

Ms Japaridze urged stakeholders to strengthen measures to prevent family separation, facilitate communication and reunification, clarify the fate of missing persons and preserve the dignity of the deceased.

“Time does not heal; answers do,” she said.

She also stressed the need to listen to affected families and recognise their rights.

Zanna Barma, secretary of the NRCS, said the organisation was working closely with the ICRC to address cases of missing and disappeared persons and promote reconciliation and reunite separated families.

Aisha Shettima, director of Borno Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, said the state government was working to trace and reconcile separated families. She added that counselling services remained ongoing in internally displaced persons’ centres.

Kashim Mohammed, president of the Disappeared Family Association, appealed for increased support for affected families, particularly children whose education had been disrupted. He said families have continued to live with uncertainty over the fate of their loved ones and urged the government to take responsibility for the education and welfare of affected children.

Bukar Tijjani, secretary to the state government, represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Administration, Danjuma Ali, said the government recognised the challenges families of missing persons face.

Mr Tijjani said the government would strengthen collaboration with traditional institutions, civil society organisations and relevant agencies to facilitate the search for missing persons. He assured the families that “no missing person is forgotten”, adding that the government remained committed to supporting them and restoring their sense of belonging.

The International Day of the Disappeared is observed annually to draw attention to the plight of people whose whereabouts remain unknown and the suffering their families endure.

(NAN)