Most Britons are unaware of major conflicts besides Iraq and Afghanistan, a Red Cross survey said on Wednesday.
Asked to name countries experiencing conflict, 69 percent of respondents identified Iraq and 65 percent Afghanistan - both war zones where the British military is engaged. But less than one percent identified major African conflict spots, including Sudan and Somalia.
Russia was mentioned by 12 percent, and Zimbabwe and Pakistan were both cited by 10 percent of respondents in the poll commissioned by the British arm of the international humanitarian agency. Almost one in five could not name five countries in conflict.
"Clearly people's focus is on Iraq and Afghanistan where British forces are involved, but at the same time as these conflicts are unfolding, there are millions of people around the world whose lives are being torn apart in other, neglected conflict zones," David Peppiatt, head of humanitarian policy at the British Red Cross, said in a statement.
Most survey respondents - 58 percent - correctly identified that civilians rather than combatants have suffered the highest number of casualties in armed conflicts in the past 10 years.
But nearly half said the war in Iraq has caused the highest civilian death toll of any conflict in that period, with less than one percent correctly identifying the conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
About 5.4 million people have died from war-related hunger and disease in Congo since a five-year regional war broke out in 1998, according to aid agency International Rescue Committee. Estimates for violent deaths in Iraq vary widely from around 90,000 to one million, including both civilians and combatants.
In the poll, 47 percent of respondents said the highest number of civilian deaths had occurred as a result of the Iraq war and 14 percent singled out Afghanistan.
Just over half of those polled said Britain had been a force for good in the world over the past five years.
The British arm of the international humanitarian agency has launched a month-long campaign to raise awareness of the impact of conflict on ordinary people.
"Reports often focus on numbers dead or political ramifications, but behind every headline there are real people struggling to live against a background of violence," said Peppiatt.
"The impact of war on civilians is devastating - murder, sexual violence, displacement, disease, separation of families, lack of access to clean water and food Â? these are the punishments inflicted on ordinary people living in the aftermath of forgotten wars."
As part of its campaign, the Red Cross has launched a cutting-edge online game, Traces of Hope, to highlight the plight of civilians who get separated from loved ones during war.
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