[News Terms] Red Cross Society Launches Emergency Relief for Libya Floods

The 'Jeoksinwolsah (赤新月社, Red Crescent Society·RCS)' is the Red Cross organization in Islamic countries that uses the symbol of a red crescent moon. The Red Cross uses a red cross as its symbol, while the Jeoksinwolsah uses a red crescent.

In October 1863, at the International Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, all countries agreed to guarantee the neutrality of military medical activities and auxiliaries, and to use a special emblem recognized as an international treaty. Accordingly, in August 1864, the emblem of a red cross on a white background was established and codified in the Geneva Convention.

Employees of the Red Crescent in Libya, North Africa, are clearing drainage pipes on a road flooded by heavy rains.
[Photo by Benghazi (Libya) AFP/ Yonhap News]

In 1877, the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of the Islamic state T?rkiye, used a red crescent instead of the red cross as the emblem for the relief of wounded soldiers during the war with Russia. This was because the cross symbol, reminiscent of Christianity, could cause discomfort among Muslim soldiers. Moreover, the cross symbol was a symbol of the Christian Crusaders who attacked Islamic countries. Russia and T?rkiye each recognized the other's Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems for relief activities.

The crescent moon motif of the Red Crescent symbolized royal authority, decorated on the crowns of the Persian Sasanian dynasty kings, and was also used on the Ottoman Empire's flag. The Red Crescent emblem was internationally recognized when the Geneva Convention was revised in 1929. Initially used only in T?rkiye and Egypt, it gradually spread to other Islamic countries, and currently, among the 191 countries affiliated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), 33 countries use the Red Crescent emblem.

Except for the name, the Red Cross and Red Crescent carry out the same humanitarian activities such as various relief efforts, social welfare, and blood services. During the Iraq War in 2003, Red Crescent personnel conducted various relief activities in Iraq, and in 2007, during the kidnapping of Koreans by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Red Crescent played a major role in helping the Korean government negotiate with the Taliban to secure the release of the hostages.

The Libya Red Crescent announced on the 14th (local time) that the death toll from the massive flood in Derna, a city on the eastern Mediterranean coast, has rapidly increased to 11,300. The Libya Red Crescent, conducting relief activities locally, reported to the AP news agency that in addition to those confirmed dead in Derna city, over 11,000 people are missing. Accordingly, the final death toll could reach up to 20,000.

Earlier, on the 10th, a disaster occurred in Derna when two dams upstream collapsed one after another due to heavy rain accompanied by a tropical storm, sweeping away more than 20% of the city. As rescue operations intensified after the disaster, the death toll continued to rise. The Libya Red Crescent is cooperating with Libyan authorities to provide emergency treatment for the injured, search for missing persons, and conduct rescue activities, but is reportedly facing difficulties due to lack of resources and manpower. The Libya Red Crescent is said to have about 1,000 staff and 3,000 volunteers operating across 38 branches.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.