Abidjan, 26th Jan 2022 (AIP) – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday 25th January 2022 urged members of the Security Council to heed the challenges of urban warfare, request special protection measures and use all the means at their disposal “to put an end to the tragic and preventable harm caused to civilians”.

“When hostilities take place in cities, civilians run a much higher risk of being killed or injured,” said Mr. Guterres, addressing the Ministers at a meeting devoted to conflict situations in the urban contexts, reports UN Info.

The UN chief clarified that in some cases civilians were mistaken for combatants and that in others the harm to civilians was often entirely foreseeable “but the parties to the conflict do not take measures to avoid it or reduce them”.

More than 50 million people today face urban conflict and the dangers associated with it, he stressed.

The UN chief warned that when explosive weapons are used in populated areas, around 90% of those killed or injured are civilians.

The use of explosive weapons in urban settings, especially those with a wide impact radius, carries a high risk of indiscriminate consequences. “These weapons can have devastating effects on civilians, both immediately and in the long term,” Mr. Guterres lamented, adding that there are many victims who suffer from permanent disabilities and severe psychological trauma. .

The Secretary-General also reported that water, electricity and sanitation infrastructure is often damaged; and that health services are seriously compromised.

Urban warfare is forcing millions of people from their homes, contributing to record numbers of refugees and internally displaced people.

Unexploded ordnance and the millions of tonnes of debris left over from urban warfare pose risks both to the environment and to people’s health. In addition, mass destruction in urban areas is setting development back decades, undermining progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

“The appalling human cost of war in cities is not inevitable; it’s a choice,” the Secretary-General told the Council.

He presented a series of measures aimed at preventing and mitigating the effects of conflicts in urban areas, affirming that “all parties must fully respect international humanitarian law” and recalling that “attacks against civilians or civilian infrastructure, indiscriminate attacks and the use of civilians as human shields are prohibited”.

“Parties to a conflict must ensure that their armed forces are trained to follow these policies and practices, as well as other good practices,” Mr. Guterres said, adding that “all states should establish national policy frameworks to the protection of civilians, who rely on these policies and practices”.

He urged all Member States to use their influence on their partners and allies to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and the adoption of good practices, stressing the central role of the Security Council in this regard.

Source: Agence Ivoirienne de Presse