UN: World is failing to protect millions of civilians caught in conflicts
Published:Tuesday | May 23, 2023 | 6:12 PM
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief on Tuesday decried the “terrible truth” that the world is failing to live up to its commitments to protect a growing number of civilians caught in conflicts.
The International Committee of the Red Cross, the guardian of treaties enshrining those commitments, lamented that countless civilians are experiencing “a living hell.”
From Ukraine and Sudan to Africa's Sahel and the Mideast, civilians are scrambling to evade missiles and explosives and to find food and medicine — and the humanitarian situation is deteriorating.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Security Council should urge countries to respect the rules of war.
“Governments with influence over warring parties should engage in political dialogue and train forces on protecting civilians,” he said.
“And countries that export weapons should refuse to do business with any party that fails to comply with international humanitarian law.”
His recent report on the protection of civilians in conflicts in 2022 points to over 100 conflicts worldwide and an average duration of more than 30 years.
Last year, though, saw new highs for the number of people forcibly displaced and a 53% increase in UN-recorded civilian deaths to nearly 17,000, including almost 8,000 in Ukraine.
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