André
Redard
André Redard profile's picture
Angola

We remember André Redard

André Redard was born on 23 February 1944 in France and attended primary schools in both France and Switzerland. After completing his high school studies in Cannes in 1962, he enrolled in the University of Lausanne’s school of business and economics, graduating three years later, in 1966, with a degree in economics. He won an academic award for his excellent work as an undergraduate. 


André’s career got off to a fast start. After a four-month stint in 1966 as an accounting and business math assistant at the University of Lausanne, he was hired by Nestlé in 1967 to work on accounting and management audits. He left that job in 1968 to join the Swiss Federal Political Department (today’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs); for the following nine years he taught business statistics at the National University of Rwanda, worked on development assistance in Bern and taught business statistics and served as rector at the University of Burundi. In the mid-1970s, he participated in various conferences and seminars and co-authored two studies in the area of development economics. In 1977, eager to move on with his career, André spent some time in England to improve his English. The following year he travelled to Asia to conduct his PhD research; back in Switzerland, he planned to work in temporary jobs while completing his thesis. 


One of these temporary jobs was with the ICRC, where his temp agency sent him in August 1980 to help with budgeting. During that one-month assignment he impressed his superiors, who immediately recognized his potential as a field administrator. He was encouraged to apply for a permanent position at the ICRC and, after giving it careful consideration, submitted an application in early December. He was quickly hired, and for his first assignment was sent to the Aranyaprathet refugee camp in Thailand as a junior administrator. He soon stood out as a problem solver and within six months became the head of delegation's right-hand person. He also got on well with his colleagues, with whom he shared humorous anecdotes and his love for bridge.


Having proven his mettle, André was transferred in November 1981 to the ICRC’s fast-growing delegation in Angola. He was promoted to head administrator for this difficult role, and he rose to the challenge. Six months in, however, tragedy struck: André was killed in a car accident in Luanda on 11 May 1982. He was 32 years old.
André was a consummate professional – diligent, personable and even-keeled – and a fast learner. He possessed skills that would have assured him a comfortable career in the business world yet was driven by a desire to put his energy and expertise to use for others. From Africa to Thailand and back to Africa, André left a trail of grace and goodwill.

The ICRC in
Angola, 1982

In 1981, when André Redard was transferred to Angola, the bulk of the ICRC’s global operations were in Africa, spread across 20 different countries. And the relief campaign in Angola was the organization’s biggest operation on that continent. Angola had gained its independence from Portugal in November 1975. That event also marked the start of a civil war in that country, which lasted until 2002, between the communist People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the anti-communist National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), both of which were originally anticolonial movements. By 1981, the fighting had evolved into a protracted conflict between two sides: the MPLA, which was allied with the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), backed by the USSR and Cuba and in control of the government; and UNITA, which had the active military support of South Africa and the backing of the United States. In April 1980, the ICRC started its assistance programme for people who had fled the conflict elsewhere in the country, working out of its main delegation in the capital Luanda, a subdelegation in Huambo and an office in Kuito. As hostilities continued in central and south-eastern Angola, and along the border with Namibia, the ICRC expanded its footprint in the country in the latter half of 1981, adding subdelegations in Lubango and N’Giva. This allowed the organization to intensify its multipronged campaign of delivering food and drugs, orthopaedic services, medical treatment and training, and tracing services, although it still faced significant logistical challenges and security threats. The ICRC expanded its roster of employees in Angola from 25 at the start of 1981 to 40 by the end of that year. One of the newcomers was André Redard, whose organizational skills and can-do attitude were greatly needed.

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