Beyond every number is a mother, a child, a partner searching. From Ukraine to South Sudan, their pain is universal. Their stories matter.

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The families of the missing are caught in terrifying limbo – shattered by conflict, migration or disaster. ICRC

Dear reader,

Right now, over 284,000 people are registered missing worldwide by the ICRC - a rise of nearly 70 per cent in just five years.

This staggering number – which only represents a fraction of the total number of people missing worldwide – is born of armed conflict, forced displacement, and eroding respect for the rules of war. Yet beyond the numbers lie

mothers, fathers and children lost in silence.

This International Day of the Disappeared reminded us to hold space for families across South Sudan, Jordan, the Philippines, Ukraine, and beyond – waiting in anguish, suspended between hope and grief. Their terrifying limbo is not a distant tragedy but a universal one. It could be any of us, longing for answers, living with the daily ache of not knowing.

But remembering the missing yearly is not enough. Families of the missing need truth, not silence. We demand that States and armed groups uphold the rules of war: Protect family life, prevent disappearances, and search for those who are gone.

The anguish of absence is not inevitable – it can be eased when the rules of war are upheld.

Yemen: “I still remember the day he didn’t come home”

Arwa stands in the doorway of a weathered building in Aden, Yemen. ICRC

In Yemen, where war has made disappearance a cruel reality, families wait for answers that may never come.

Arwa’s husband vanished one day and never returned. Suddenly, she was both father and mother, provider and decision-maker.

The years that followed were marked by hardship – money was short, her children were forced to leave school, and then there was the unbearable ache of waiting.

“Some days, I don’t know how I keep going,” she says. Still, her search has never ceased. "Searching is not a choice. It is a duty."

Arwa’s story echoes across Yemen: Love persists even in absence, and the longing for answers is a truth we all share.

Discover Arwa’s resilience.
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PODCAST: Searching for the missing – Rules, realities, and hope

ICRC Central Tracing Agency ([link removed] )

“He left one morning and never came back.” For thousands of families caught in war, this is where the story begins. In the chaos of war, people vanish – separated by fighting, displacement, or the struggle to survive.

For those left behind, the absence is unbearable: Weeks, months, even years, of not knowing, torn between anguish and hope. International humanitarian law recognizes their right to know and requires States to prevent disappearances and account for the missing.

Yet too often, silence prevails.

In our podcast series, we take you inside the ICRC’s Central Tracing Agency ([link removed] ) , the place where these stories are heard, recorded, and pursued.

Through the work of a unique institution born of the Geneva Conventions, you’ll discover the complexities of tracing people in war, and why the stakes are so high for families and societies alike.

Listen to how the CTA helps transform silence into answers.
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Lost, yet held: The quiet pain of missing loved ones in South Sudan

The legacy of conflict and displacement has left profound scars among hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese. ICRC

When fighting broke out in Malakal in 2014, Nyakol* fled with her mother. In the chaos, her brother ran the other way – and never returned. More than a decade later, her family still waits for news.

Across the border, Nafisa* lives the same anguish. She lost her grandson while fleeing the conflict in Sudan in 2023. Despite desperate searches, his fate remains unknown.

They are not alone. Today, over 6,000 families in South Sudan are still searching for missing loved ones. Each answer we help provide brings a measure of peace – but thousands are still waiting.

*Names changed to protect their identity.

Read their story of absence.
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DOWNLOADS: Hot of the ICRC's press

The most distressful of all losses

Unanswered questions, endless grief. Larry Monserate PIOJO/ICRC

Also known as “frozen grief,” ambiguous loss describes the pain of losing a loved one without knowing their fate. Unlike death, it brings no closure. Families cannot grieve fully, leaving them suspended in a cycle of helplessness, exhaustion, and heartbreak. Experts call it "the most distressful of all losses."

Yet despite its devastating impact, ambiguous loss remains little understood and rarely acknowledged in most societies, including in Sri Lanka.

This publication helps families, communities, and policymakers better understand what ambiguous loss means, and why recognition and support matter.

Learn more about frozen grief and how to bring solace.
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Every memory matters: Marawi families' tribute

The Book of Memories. Larry Monserate PIOJO/ICRC

The Book of Memories – a photo exhibit and publication from Marawi – gently cradles the stories of those who vanished, and the families still searching.

Their quiet courage echoes a universal truth: Disappearance doesn’t belong only to others. The ache it carries could be ours.

Through their memories, we honor resilience, urging us all to hold absent loved ones close in spirit – even when answers remain silent.

Download The Book of Memories.
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BEHIND THE SCENES: The journey to restoring families’ hope

Each year on 30 August, the International Day of the Disappeared honors the countless people who have gone missing through conflict, migration and natural disasters – and the families who face the anguish of not knowing their fate. Kyaw Kyaw MYO/ICRC

Follow Ene Abah in her never-ending quest to reconnect loved ones in Myanmar, where the combined impacts of armed conflict, displacement, and natural disasters have left many families without news for years.

One family had been unaware of the whereabouts of their loved one for two years. Abah journeyed for hours, asked around for directions, and walked when the car could go no further. But when she finally shared the good news, it was all worth it.

"The anxious family was overjoyed to hear he was alive,” she recalls. “His sister burst into tears.”

With each connection, love endures, memories are cherished, and hope shines even in the darkest moments .

Witness their hope and walk beside them.
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Every family has a right to know. ([link removed] )

Across Africa, families wait for answers

More than 82,000 are missing across Africa. In 2024, we reunited 755 families and facilitated phone calls that brought hope to millions. Behind each number is a name, a family, a story.

The missing: what does the law say? ([link removed] )

Obligations that protect families

International humanitarian law is clear: Parties to conflict must account for the missing and inform their families. Behind this obligation is a universal truth – every family deserves answers.

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