As of 2016, how many IDPS existed due to armed conflict, violence, or human rights violations?

5 In 2019, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) identified the needs of the civilian population in increasingly long conflicts as one of the main challenges related to international humanitarian law (IHL). Wars, and their all-consuming destructive force, are becoming longer, more intractable and less likely to be resolved politically. When combined, the destructive forces of war and time can cause devastating effects on the population, which become even more severe as the war drags on. 4 Kronos was a destructive force, devouring his own children. According to Cicero, Kronos, the king of the titans, was also the god of time. 3Īncient mythologies highlight the often destructive effects of time. 2 Rebuilding becomes a way of life – as Mohammed in Syria tells us, “I realized that life has to go on the war will not stop suddenly. In Iraq, Om Nawwar recounts: “We spent our life here but now there's nothing. In testimonies of people affected by armed conflict, we see time also marked by grim events such as the beginning of a siege, the destruction of a home, the death of a family member, or the number of times they have had to flee. For many caught in seemingly endless wars, the milestones that mark time passing are more sombre. When we think about the passage of time, especially as we get older, we may measure it in events – the birth of a child, anniversaries, holidays, or perhaps significant cultural or political events that we have observed and lived through. There is no instance of a nation having benefited from prolonged warfare.

As of 2016, how many IDPS existed due to armed conflict, violence, or human rights violations?