Thirteen days after violence broke out in the south of Kyrgyzstan, the situation remains volatile. Thousands of residents and internally displaced people (IDPs) still need basic assistance. Pascale Meige Wagner, the ICRC's head of operations for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, explains.

In 2009, the ICRC’s priorities were to contribute to better protection of people deprived of their freedom, to help clarify the fate of people unaccounted for from past and current conflicts, and to assist, and improve the protection of, people directly affected by ongoing armed conflict, including displaced persons, particularly in Colombia and the Caucasus. The ICRC also continued to promote IHL and to foster a deeper understanding of its role and activities among authorities, armed and security forces, universities and schools.

The fighting that erupted in Kyrgyzstan in early June caused death and destruction and tore families apart as people fled their homes and country to escape the violence. The ICRC is working with the Kyrgyz and Uzbek Red Crescent Societies and authorities to restore family links.

In Azerbaijan, a jail term for a petty crime can turn into a death sentence if a prisoner catches tuberculosis from fellow detainees. The ICRC's Anna Nelson and renowned Afghan/Swiss photographer, Zalmaï, went behind bars in Baku to discover what's being done to help tuberculosis-infected inmates.

In Azerbaijan, tuberculosis remains a serious threat to public health. The situation is made much worse by a drug-resistant form of the disease. The ICRC is working with the Azerbaijani government and other organizations to address the problem.

People who are unlucky enough to catch tuberculosis, or TB, in a country like Georgia generally don't advertise it. Fear, a lack of understanding and a Soviet legacy of isolating the infected have led to a sort of taboo about the disease. The ICRC's Anna Nelson traveled to Tbilisi with renowned Afghan/Swiss photographer, Zalmaï, to meet two men who are helping to shatter the stigma of TB.

In February 2010, the Turkmenistan Red Crescent Society hosted the Annual Forum of Central Asian National Societies’ leadership. The event, held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, gave the National Societies an opportunity to discuss regional priorities and strategies.

On both sides of the boundary, in South Ossetia as in Georgia, the battles that took place in the summer of 2008 left indelible scars. The enduring aftermath of the conflict is revealed by an elderly couple, cut off from their children and grandchildren, who now live 'on the other side' and a young widow determined to secure the future of her son.

As Orthodox Christmas approaches in Central and Eastern Europe, many displaced and isolated families affected by the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia five months ago remain in need of help. For elderly people, like 60-year-old Nunu Doliashvili, the holiday season would have been very bleak indeed, were it not for some much-needed assistance from ICRC.

Although the hostilities in the Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan were suspended over a decade ago, their deadly legacy lives on in the form of landmines. The ICRC endeavours to prevent the havoc they cause.

Many people who fled conflict in Abkhazia in 1992-3 remain displaced in Western Georgia and are now being joined by families made homeless by the recent fighting. A visiting ICRC team, including Jessica Barry, has been checking on their wellbeing.

In Grozny, the streets of the market are full. But despite the rebuilding, it’s hard to find a decent flat or a proper job. Some people have started their own businesses thanks to the ICRC, such as Taiza who is making mattresses. But as Grozny rises from its ashes, other families still struggle to come to terms with the past, desperate to know what has happened to their missing relatives.

Twenty-four months after hostilities erupted between Georgia and Russia, the ICRC is still helping people affected by the war. Ariane Tombet, who heads the ICRC delegation in Georgia, explains how the organization has adapted its activities to meet current needs.

Djordje Drndarski, the ICRC's deputy head of operations for Eastern Europe, explains how coordination mechanisms can help families find out what happened to their missing loved ones.

A day after violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces in Bishkek, Pascale Meige Wagner, ICRC head of operations for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, assesses the humanitarian situation in and around the Kyrgyz capital.

In Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan, the security situation has worsened since last summer and remains extremely volatile, making life difficult for many civilians. Djordje Drndarski, deputy head of operations for Eastern Europe, discusses the humanitarian situation in the region and the ICRC's operations.

Tuberculosis, or TB, as it’s commonly known, is a curable disease and yet it continues to spread across the globe. The vast majority of TB deaths are in the developing world but the airborne illness is also making a comeback in Europe and North America. The former Soviet Union is currently seeing some of the highest numbers of multi-drug resistant TB cases ever recorded. The ICRC’s Nikoloz Sadradze has followed the situation in Georgia for many years and is now working with the authorities in Azerbaijan to stem the spread of TB in prisons. He warns that efforts must be stepped up to stop this deadly disease.

Sandra Roelofs is many things to many people – she's a mother, wife, nurse, former delegate for the ICRC and a vocal health advocate on a range of issues from social work to prisons. She also happens to be married to the Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili.

When a loved one goes missing, the psychological impact on those left behind can be overwhelming. Laurence de Barros-Duchene is in charge of the ICRC's mental health programmes for victims of armed conflict and other forms of violence. Recently returned from Georgia/Abkhazia, where she helped train specialists and staff of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in supporting the families of missing persons, she explains how the psychological distress caused by the disappearance is compounded by its legal, economic and social consequences.

A year after Georgian and Russian forces clashed in Southern Caucasus, most of the tens of thousands of people forced to leave their homes have returned. Pascale Meige Wagner is ICRC's head of operations for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. As she explains, the fighting of summer 2008 continues to have a major impact on the people of the region.

Tuberculosis is a major killer in Kyrgyzstan, particularly in prisons, where rates of infection are around 40 times higher than in the general population. Gulmira Kalmambetova of the ICRC explains how the organization is helping curb the spread of the disease.

Six months after the end of hostilities between Georgia and Russia, the humanitarian situation for most of the affected populations has improved, although chronic problems remain.

The following selection of photographs can be downloaded at high resolution.

The following selection of photographs can be downloaded at high resolution.

A short jail term can mean a death sentence if a prisoner catches tuberculosis from fellow detainees. In Azerbaijan and Georgia, the ICRC works with authorities to tackle the problem inside prisons and out, helping to give former inmates a chance for freedom from a deadly disease. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2010.

While the situation is gradually returning to normal in Chechnya, an ICRC worker gives an account of his return to the Vedeno area, a place he enjoyed in his youth. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 3, 2007

Since Georgia gained independence in 1991, thousands of families have been uprooted and torn apart by the tensions caused by the secessionist aspirations of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The stories of three women poignantly attest to the suffering these people have endured - Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2007

Since 1995, the ICRC has been working with the prison authorities in Azerbaijan to fight tuberculosis. A decade ago, it killed hundreds of inmates each year. Today, this figure has dropped to 20.

Following a report on Lebanon as part of the “Our world. Your move.” campaign, cartoonist Chappatte visited South Ossetia last June. He portrays everyday life in the region a year after the fighting of summer 2008, the effects of which are still very much present. The report was published in Swiss daily Le Temps on 8 August 2009.

In the first days of the emergency, hundreds of tonnes of food, blankets and sanitary supplies were flown into the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. During his 3 day visit to Georgia and the Russian Federation, ICRC President Jacob Kellenberger saw the difficult conditions for himself, and met some of the thousands of people displaced by fighting and in urgent need of assistance.

Geneva (ICRC) – A meeting was held on 23 February in Geneva under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to discuss the issue of persons unaccounted for since the end of the August 2008 hostilities. Participants from Tbillisi, Moscow and Tskhinvali/Tskhinval took part in the meeting, which focused on the preparation of a coordination mechanism to clarify the fate of people who went missing during and after the hostilities. The ICRC provided participants with a preliminary list of missing persons.