World 'failing' to protect civilians caught in conflicts, UN chief says

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for greater respect for international humanitarian law, telling the Security Council that countries are failing to live up to commitments to protect civilians caught up in conflict.

Displaced Sudanese people near their makeshift shelters on the border between Sudan and Chad. REUTERS - ZOHRA BENSEMRA

Citing civilian deaths in Ukraine and Sudan, schools destroyed in Ethiopia and damage to water infrastructure in Syria, Guterres said humanitarian crises caused by war skyrocketed last year.

The UN calculated a 53 percent increase in civilian deaths in 2022 compared to the year prior, with nearly 17,000 civilian deaths recorded across 12 conflicts.

Guterres was speaking during a debate on ensuring the security and dignity of people caught in the crossfire and addressing the related issue of access to food and essential services.

'117 million facing acute hunger'

Sitting next to Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, Guterres said UN research into the treatment of civilians of war zones showed 94 percent of victims of "explosive weapons" in populated areas were civilians last year.

More than 117 million people faced acute hunger primarily because of war and insecurity, he added.

In Ukraine alone, which has been battling Russia's invasion for over year, the UN recorded nearly 8,000 civilian deaths and over 12,500 injuries.

• UN asks for aid for Sudan as fighting rages, despite mediation efforts
• United Nations says over 700,000 people displaced within Sudan since mid-April

“Civilians have suffered the deadly effects of armed conflict for too long. It is time we live up to our promise to protect them,” said Guterres, who also called for action “to break the deadly cycle of armed conflict and hunger”.

The number of refugees forced from their homes "due to conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution" had reached 100 million, Guterres said.

Sudan conflict 'dehumanising'

Meanwhile the UN’s expert on human rights in Sudan on Tuesday described the level of civilian suffering from the ongoing fighting in the country as dehumanising.

“What is going on is as bad as anything I have seen in conflict zones over the course of my long career,” said Radhouane Nouicer in a press release.

“It is horrifying, tragic, brutal, and completely unnecessary. The full array of human rights – economic, social and cultural as much as civil and political – are being violated, and both parties have singularly failed to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

(with wires)