ICRC Report: Missing Persons Figure Soars 70% Amid Global Conflicts

ICRC Report: Missing Persons Figure Soars 70% Amid Global Conflicts
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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced Friday that more than a quarter of a million people are registered as missing, a figure that has increased by nearly 70% in the last five years, Arab News reported. According to numbers released by the organization, 284,400 people were registered as missing by the ICRC’s Family Links Network at the end of 2024, representing a 68% increase since 2019.

ICRC director-general Pierre Krahenbuhl attributed the surge to an increase in conflicts, mass migration, and a “fading respect for the rules of war”. Krahenbuhl noted, “From Sudan to Ukraine, from Syria to Colombia, the trend is clear: the surging number of missing persons provides a stark reminder that conflict parties and those who support them are failing to protect people during war”.

While the number is staggering, Krahenbuhl warned that it is “only the tip of the iceberg” and that millions more have been separated from their loved ones, often for years or decades. He emphasized that the “tragedy of the missing is not inevitable” and that stronger measures to prevent separation and protect those in detention could save countless families a lifetime of anguish.

The ICRC stressed that the primary responsibility to prevent disappearances, clarify the fate of the missing, and support families falls on states and parties to armed conflicts. The organization highlighted that respecting international humanitarian law, such as the duty to avoid separating families and sharing information about detainees, reduces the risk of people going missing.