Increasing wars, migration push number of missing persons to surge by 70% over 5 years

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that the number of disappeared individuals worldwide has surged by 70% over the past five years, reaching 284,000 cases by the end of 2024.

The statistics were released on August 29 by the Restoring Family Links Network, a platform where the ICRC collaborates with national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies to search for missing persons and reconnect families separated by conflict, disasters, and migration.

According to the report, the primary factors driving this rise are intensifying conflicts paired with violations of the rules of war, as well as large-scale migration. During the period under review, 16,000 people were located, and another 7,000 were reunited with their families.

“From Sudan to Ukraine, through Syria and Colombia, the conclusion is unequivocal: the steep rise in disappearances reminds us that parties to conflicts and their supporters are not protecting populations in times of war,” ICRC Director Pierre Krähenbühl said.

The 284,000 recorded cases of disappeared individuals were logged as of December 2024, indicating the actual number is likely even higher. The ICRC defines a person as “disappeared” when a relative reports having lost contact, with each case remaining open until the person’s fate is confirmed or the family informs the organization that the individual has been found.

“The tragedy of disappearances is not inevitable if stronger measures are taken to prevent separations, protect detainees and properly manage human remains, which could spare countless families a lifetime of anguish,” the humanitarian organization said.

“The International Day of the Disappeared, observed on 30 August, helps raise awareness of the plight of the missing, honours their memories and the emotional distress of families, and helps focus attention on the need to help prevent and respond to the issue of missing persons,” the ICRC pointed out.

Plight for families of missing Azerbaijanis continues

In Azerbaijan, the commemoration of August 30 carries particular weight. Despite the formal end of the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict, more than 3,000 Azerbaijani citizens captured or taken hostage during hostilities remain unaccounted for. According to officials, many of the missing were subjected to torture and inhumane treatment, with some dying in captivity. Their remains have not yet been returned to their families.

The “Karabakh Missing Families” Public Union staged a protest in front of the United Nations’ European headquarters in Geneva on that day, drawing attention to thousands of Azerbaijanis who remain unaccounted for as a result of the decades old conflict.

By Nazrin Sadigova