Four months since a violent uprising swept Libya and split the nation in a civil war, fighting continues between forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi and the opposition seeking to drive him from power.
Thousands of people have reportedly died as battles rage between Gadhafi's forces, the rebel National Transitional Council and intervening international forces, with hundreds of thousands more displaced from their homes or seeking refuge in neighboring nations, in some cases risking their lives to sail to Europe.
Boris Michel, head of operations in North and West Africa for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said recently in Tokyo that as the humanitarian crisis in Libya continues, it was necessary that an intermediary such as the Red Cross, whose activities are funded by various governments worldwide, provide services for all sides of the conflict.