CORONAVIRUS | Economic hardships brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic could cause a boom in aid-dependency in countries at conflict, a new survey by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) showed – prompting the international body to call for social protection programmes to be maintained or extended and to include the most vulnerable.

In a statement issued from Geneva on Wednesday, ICRC said without concerted action from the global community, it expects humanitarian needs to deepen and worsen in the wake of Covid-19.