THE number of people reported missing to the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement has risen by about 70 per cent in five years, the Geneva-based organisation said today.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) director-general Pierre Krahenbuhl said the surge “provides a stark reminder that conflict parties and those who support them are failing to protect people during war.”

The number of missing people registered by their families rose to approximately 284,400 in 2024, up from 169,500 in 2019, the committee said.

It said that conflicts in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine are among the main drivers of the rise.

The real number is believed to be significantly higher, with Mr Kranhenbuhl calling it “the tip of the iceberg.”

The Geneva Conventions were meant to help prevent such separations, but respect for these rules is fading, the ICRC warned.

“With stronger measures to prevent separation, protect those in detention and properly manage the dead, countless families could be spared a lifetime of anguish,” Mr Krahenbuhl added.

“Let us remember that behind every number is a mother, father, child or sibling whose absence leaves a wound that statistics cannot capture.”