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Irfan Sulejmani, employed in the Red Cross International
Humanitarian work has no borders
How did your engagement in the Red Cross International start? Was it a coincidence or your choice?
It was both a coincidence and a principle and when they are joined, something better turns out. As a result of my abilities and my education, as an IT engineer, when I started my engagement during the Kosovo crisis, there was a job vacancy that joined the two things. For the first time the Macedonian Red Cross opened a website called “Family linkage“, where refugees could register through internet and people from other refugee camps or other places could find the members of their families and reunite. For a short period of time I worked in the camp Cegrane, where I was responsible for the local office. In June 1999 a lot of refugees returned to Kosovo and in October the same year I stayed alone in the MRC office in Tetovo and I was responsible for all zones in North-west Macedonia. In 2000 the situation was not good, we were waiting to see what would happen in the Presevo valley, but the conflict arose in Macedonia.
How did you become engaged outside the country?
The Red Cross International offers its employees opportunities for advancement in different countries where it has its mission or delegations, by meeting certain criteria. In that period I was offered a ten-day course on integration and if I wanted to work abroad, I had to speak fluent French. The organization’s headquarters are in Geneva and it works in many countries, especially in francophone, in Africa. In 2003, according to the plans, I was to leave for Iraq, but after the UN headquarters had been bombed in Baghdad, the plans changed.
In February 2004 I was offered to go to Darfur in Sudan, as a representative of the Red Cross International, firstly for six months, but the first time I stayed there for thirteen months. The condition with the displaced was very difficult and we were supposed to take actions quickly. In the first three weeks we built a camp for 35.000 displaced people, but its capacity was expanded to 55.000 people. There I worked as a coordinator, but after a while the Spain Red Cross took over the coordination of activities. I also worked as a head of the office in North Darfur and I was responsible for the camp’s security.
How did you go to Afghanistan?
After the first mission in Darfur I returned home to learn French, but also to relax for a while, as the working conditions in Sudan were very difficult, we worked for 13 months every day with no rest. From Geneva I was offered to work as a head of the office in Gerida, South Darfur and after that I came home and started learning French. I was offered to be responsible for five provinces in south and east Liberia and I took a French test. In the meanwhile I was offered a post as a MRC delegate. To be responsible for the central and southeastern zones in Afghanistan, to be responsible for 12 provinces, as well as the security of the personnel in the operations of our organization in Kabul. In Afghanistan the Red Cross International has three offices, in Dumbahar, Bamjan and Badahstan, managed by the local personnel and they report me about the activities. At first the contract was made for 12 months, but I was asked to continue for six more months. I first went to Afghanistan on 4 December 2006.
During your engagement outside Macedonia, would you select an event when your life was in danger?
In comparison with what happened in Afghanistan, there was not a particular event, but there were possibilities for danger in Macedonia and Sudan. Work in humanitarian organizations is generally dangerous in different countries and we work on their minimization and we have very strict working rules.
What was your role in Afghanistan? Did you negotiate for hostage release?
Within the humanitarian international right it is forbidden to take hostages, civilians from any party. In the case of hostage release from South Korea, the Red Cross International did not take part in the negotiations, as it was considered to be a problem of the parties involved in a certain conflict. We, as a neutral organization, are to build the trust that the two parties have in us, if they need it. We offer the involved parties to come to the MRC offices, to use our credibility and negotiate. During the negotiations for releasing the South Korean hostages, the premises of the Afghanistan Red Cross were used and we were only monitors.
After the two parties had agreed under certain conditions, they wanted us to transfer the hostages from the armed groups to the South Korean government.
Are there any local humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan?
Apart from the foreign organizations, there are some other local humanitarian organizations that implement activities, too. The national humanitarian organization, in this case the Afghanistan Red Crescent is considered to be a natural partner of the Macedonian Red Cross and we together are part of the Red Cross International. The activities are divided between the two organizations. The Red Cross International has an exclusivity in the visit of prisons that are in its mandate and the national organizations cannot do that.
Have you got any information about how many workers from Macedonia there are in Afghanistan?
I do not have any information about the number of people from Macedonia in Afghanistan and I have met only one person from Skopje. However, in the UN services and multi-national forces I have heard that there are some citizens from Macedonia, but I do not have any contacts with them.
What are your plans for the future?
To live in Macedonia with my family. It is not only me who decides upon my return to Afghanistan, there is a whole hierarchy of making decisions.
There are several departments that consider the whole situation, collect and analyze information from the field. When we were kept in Afghanistan, the Taliban sent a public excuse to the Red Cross International that they had kept us by mistake and I was asked for an excuse a few times. Now I am going to travel to Geneva at a training session and then I think I will go to Afghanistan again. For the future, we will see.
You certainly miss your family. How do you contact with them?
As there is internet, we contact almost every day. I see the children through Skype and that is how we fill in the gap we have. After every three months we are given a holiday so it is not a big problem.
As far as my future plans are considered, I do not make decisions myself, I have to consult my wife and children, too and they really miss me.
What is your life in Afghanistan like?
Afghanistan is a very interesting country with different customs and the climate changes a lot. A friend, Afghan called me once to show me something that he thought would impress me. He took me to a building where there was loud music and weddings were organized and men were sitting in one part of the room and women in the other. We have it here, too, as much as you want.
In Kabul there are lost of exclusive restaurants but we usually eat where we stay. We have a woman who cooks for us everything we want and takes care of the cleaning. The satellite antenna and other technical things help us feel at least a little at home.
What would you add in the end?
There are few citizens from Macedonia who work abroad in other foreign organizations.
In the media they say that we have chosen this long way for a piece of bread, but there are also some other things that impel you to that. There are many foreigners that go to different countries, not only for money, but to complete their human mission.
It is difficult for us to leave home, we want to be close to mum and dad, but I think that this will change in the future if we want to progress, to prosper in any way.
Gramoz Shabani |
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