January 06, 2025 02:10 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Bharatiya Janata Party releases first list of candidates for Delhi Assembly polls, fields Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma against Kejriwal | Firecracker unit explosion in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar kills 6 | Body of independent journalist, who went missing on Jan 1, found in a septic tank in Chhattisgarh | Delhi: 14-year-old student stabbed to death outside school after brawl with classmate | Rohit Sharma confirms he is not retiring amid speculations after skipping Sydney Test | India objects to China's 'new counties' announcement, says parts of these come under Ladakh | No cause for alarm over HMPV virus spread in China: Indian Health Agency | PM Modi gives a call for change in Delhi launching fierce attack on Arvind Kejriwal's AAP | Quran open to passage glorifying violence, bomb-making materials tracked in New Orleans attacker Shamshud-Din Jabbar's home | Jasprit Bumrah leads India in series decider after Rohit Sharma opts to rest in Sydney Test amid poor show with willow

Spreading violence in Central African Republic sets off 'loud alarm bells' – UN human rights chief

| | May 17, 2017, at 04:55 am
New York, May 16 (Just Earth News): The United Nations human rights chief on Tuesday expressed grave alarm over the spread of violence by armed groups against the civilian population in several parts of the Central African Republic in recent months, as well as attacks against UN peacekeepers in the country's southeast.

“Violence and rising tensions are spreading to areas of the Central African Republic that had previously been spared the kinds of terrifying violence seen in some other parts of the country – this is highly worrying and should set off loud alarm bells,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein in a news release from his Office (OHCHR).

“The hard-earned relative calm in Bangui and some of the bigger towns in CAR risks being eclipsed by the descent of some rural areas into increasing sectarian violence, with defence less civilians – as usual – paying the highest price,” he added.

The latest in a series of attacks was an incident this weekend in Bangassou, in which armed men used heavy weapons to attack the base of the UN mission in CAR, known by its French acronym MINUSCA. The armed men also attacked the Muslim neighbourhood of Tokoyo where numerous civilians were killed and others wounded.

Investigations by MINUSCA's Human Rights Division suggest that between March and May 2017 more than 121 civilians and six peacekeepers were killed, excluding figures in the two latest incidents.

Zeid also noted the fact that the Special Criminal Court is preparing to start its work is a strong signal by the authorities and the international community that the continued climate of impunity is unacceptable.

Meanwhile, the Security Council issued a statement to the press overnight, strongly condemning the violence by anti-Balaka elements in Bangassou on 13 and 14 May 2017 that targeted MINUSCA's field office, civilian populations from particular communities, as well as humanitarian personnel.

The 15-member body reiterated that “attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes and reminded all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

The Council called on the Government to swiftly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Photo: UNICEF/Jan Grarup (file)

 

Source: www.justearthnews.com

 

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Related Images
Xi Jinping, Putin in Russia Mar 22, 2023, at 08:26 pm