DOHA: A Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) delegation visited Kenya to discuss cooperation, capacity- building and promotion of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in the African continent.
Dr Aisha Yousef Al Mannai, Vice-President, QRCS; and Dr Fawzi Oussedik, Head, International Relations, QRCS, were received by Dr Abbas Gullet, Secretary-General, Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS).
They visited Al Mustaqbal University in Garissa, chaired by Dr Abbas Gullet, to explore cooperation between QRCS and KRCS, particularly in the promotion of IHL.
It was agreed to hold a moot court competition for law students of the university, like the one held by QRCS in Uganda. The moot court will be chaired by Dr Oussedik and managed by a jury of legal professors and experts.
Dr Al Mannai delivered a lecture for College of Islamic Studies students on volunteerism and humanitarianism, stressing the need to enforce IHL. The lecture received large attendance, who made valuable comments.
A seminar was held with the university’s faculty on their interest in voluntary work and related fields, highlighting challenges that may hinder progress.
The delegation also visited KRCS First Aid Department to review services for society, and the Somali refugees in particular. The toured the King Faisal Hospital, the country’s central hospital funded by Saudi Arabia, and met some in-patients.
The team went to Lamu County, some 600km from Nairobi, to visit the KRCS branch and have an idea about its activities, especially in relation to drug control.
They spoke to some rehabilitated addicts to know what services they received that helped them overcome addiction and fill their free time with useful activities.
The team then visited the Kenya-Somalia frontiers to watch difficulties facing humanitarian efforts so that future relief and development programmes for the Somali refugees in Kenya can be prepared accordingly.
