Tens of thousands of Guatemalan families still do not know what happened to relatives who disappeared during the armed conflict that racked the country from the 1960s to the 1990s. Carlos Batallas heads the ICRC's Guatemala office. He explained the difficulties these families face.

Hugo Leonel wears a prosthetic foot following a desperate escapade with a train. Many disabled Guatemalans, like Hugo, are now benefiting from technological support provided by the ICRC.

The 1960-1996 internal armed conflict in Guatemala left tens of thousands of people dead and missing. The authorities, victims’ relatives, and various organizations are still searching for the remains of many of these people. Once found, they must be identified. The ICRC offers technical advice and material assistance to the Guatemalan organizations that are pursuing these efforts, and supports the families through the legal proceedings.

According to the report published by the Historical Clarification Commission, around 5,000 children became separated from their families during the internal armed conflict in Guatemala. Sebastián Max was one of them. After 28 long years, he has finally learned his true identity.

The stories of Edgar, Guadalupe and Don Jacinto are typical of hundreds of others. They are the stories of people who still suffer because a member of their family disappeared during the armed violence in Guatemala. These three Guatemalans eventually made it to the end of the long road faced by all who search for a missing relative. Many others can only dream of such an outcome.

Violence can break out suddenly or be an everyday reality. When order must be restored, casualties can be reduced or avoided by police action that reflects international rules and standards. Interview with Pascal Progin, outgoing ICRC delegate for the police and security forces programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In January 2008, the head of the ICRC’s regional delegation in Buenos Aires, Michel Minnig, addressed the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Organization of American States on the subject of internal violence. In this interview, he reviews the main points of his statement.