Uganda, May 2 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it is caught in a tricky situation with its neutrality being questioned by states that see its dialogue with armed groups as legitimising separatism.

Seeking talks with all sides in a war situation, the ICRC says in its latest report that this approach, undertaken for decades, is now under scrutiny, with states mistaking such for threats to sovereignty, and a way to legitimise armed groups.

The ICRC itself acknowledges that it maintains contact with 383 groups in 60-plus countries.

According to its 2025 assessment, this concerns 383 groups of "humanitarian concern" - insurgent, separatist and jihadist structures that control or contest territory with states, wher...