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	UN pushes for greater protection of civilians affected by armed conflict by United Nations News   June 2009   UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for more robust measures to protect civilians caught in the middle of armed conflict, noting the “appalling levels of human suffering” endured due to the failure of combatants to fully respect international law.   “Civilians still account for the vast majority of casualties and continue to be targeted and subjected to indiscriminate attacks and other violations by parties to conflict,” Mr. Ban wrote in his latest report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.   Mr. Ban said that “for all the reports, resolutions and actions of the last decade, the situation that confronts civilians in current conflicts is depressingly similar to that which prevailed in 1999.   The changing nature of combatants over the last 10 years, with a growing number of non-State armed factions in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia, has seriously endangered civilians as these groups “flagrantly violate international law” in a bid to overcome their military inferiority, said Mr. Ban.   Militarily superior forces, in fighting an enemy that is often difficult to identify, employ “methods and means of warfare that may violate the principles of distinction and proportionality, of which civilians again bear the brunt,” he added.   Mr. Ban’s report also pointed to the number of conflicts reliant on private military and security companies, with sometimes fatal consequences for civilians, as another development in warfare in recent years.   “Common to old and new ones conflicts alike are persistent and sometimes appalling levels of human suffering owing to the fundamental failure of parties to conflict to fully respect and ensure respect for their obligations to protect civilians,” wrote Mr. Ban.   The failure of warring parties to respect “their legal obligations to protect civilians and spare them from the effects of hostilities” is a defining feature of most conflicts, leading to the death and injury of hundreds of civilians every week and forcing thousands more to flee their home to escape the violence, the report said.   The Secretary-General called for determined efforts to meet five critical challenges facing the protection of civilians in armed conflict: enhancing compliance to international law; enhancing compliance by non-State armed groups; enhancing protection through more effective and better resourced UN peacekeeping and other relevant missions; enhancing humanitarian access; and enhancing accountability for violations.   Update: 26 Jun 2009   Compliance, accountability crucial to boost civilian protection in war.   The top United Nations relief official today called for enhancing compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law, as well as countering impunity for perpetrators of abuses, to strengthen the protection of civilians caught up in armed conflict.   The lack of compliance by parties to conflict “leads not only to the death and injury of hundreds of civilians in conflicts every week, but to the displacement of thousands more,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told the Security Council. He underscored that the term “displaced” does not “do justice to the reality – that is thousands of innocent civilians being forced every single week to flee attacks and the destruction of their homes, their communities and livelihoods, and to fall into an existence marked by danger, suffering and psychological anguish.”   Civilian deaths in places such as Somalia, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are reminders of the need for parties to be far more cautious in efforts to spare non-combatants from the effects of hostilities, Mr. Holmes said at the start of the day-long open debate, which is expected to hear from dozens of speakers.   In the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the eruption of fighting – marked by bombings and street battles – last month between Government forces and insurgents has killed hundreds and driven 160,000 others from their homes.   Meanwhile in Afghanistan, civilian deaths and injuries continue to mount as the conflict in the South Asian nation intensifies, Mr. Holmes said. In May alone, 261 civilians lost their lives, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).   For its part, the far east of the DRC has witnessed a wave of attacks, including “all too common acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence” by a rebel group known as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which have forced nearly 400,000 people to flee their homes, he noted.   The culture of impunity overshadowing many conflict situations must also be tackled, stressed Mr. Holmes, who also serves as UN Relief Coordinator.   “It is to a large degree the absence of accountability and, worse still, the absence in many instances of even any expectation or fear of accountability, that allows violations to thrive,” he said.   Combatants must be trained to understand the law, he said, with manuals and instructions laying out their obligations and disciplinary measures to ensure its observance.   Further, national legislation must be adopted to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other serious violations of human rights law, Mr. Holmes said, as he presented the Secretary-General’s latest report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.   The Security Council, for its part, must insist on countries’ cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and, “if necessary, enforcing it through targeted sanctions,” he said.   For example, in the DRC, there must be accountability for the “seemingly endless and appalling stream of acts of sexual violence attributable to all parties,” including the national armed forces (FARDC), which must step up efforts to instill discipline and respect for the law into its troops.   The 15-member Council, Mr. Holmes added, must also take action against individuals in conflict situations obstructing access to aid agencies or that perpetrate attacks against relief workers. 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	Somalia ‘taken hostage’ by continuing fighting, says UN envoy by United Nations / MSF / ICRC   June 2009   Fresh hostilities put women and children at risk. (UNICEF)   A new wave of aggression and hostilities against humanitarian operations in Somalia is putting at risk the lives of the strife-torn nation’s children and women, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned today.   The agency cited in particular the take-over and month-long occupation of its compound in the Central Somali town of Jowhar by militiamen after the town came under the control of the Al-Shabaab group last month.   The Jowhar compound is the biggest operational hub for UNICEF’s support to about 200 feeding centres, and the subsequent looting and destruction of vital humanitarian items during the attack on 17 May have seriously affected its ability to assist the most vulnerable children and women.   “Perpetrators of these unacceptable and irresponsible actions must understand that their actions have serious consequences on their own children and women, their own communities and people,” said Hannan Suleiman, acting UNICEF Representative to Somalia.   “We are talking about over a million children under five years of age. We’re talking about 40,000 children under three years old who are malnourished that will not be provided with feeding products. We are talking about over 700,000 women that will not be provided with tetanus shots, vaccinations and other services,” she said in an interview with UN Radio.   UNICEF is demanding that its facilities in Jowhar town be vacated by the militiamen and that all of its looted supplies and equipment be returned.   Fighting broke out in early May between Government troops and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups, driving around 100,000 people from their homes in the capital, Mogadishu.   May 2009 (UN News)   Somalia has been “taken hostage” by fighting, the top United Nations envoy to the Horn of Africa nation, whose capital has been the scene of clashes between Government forces and opposition militias, said today.   Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, told a news conference in New York that he had visited the country this week, noting that “it is very sad to see how the city, the population and the country are taken hostage by those who have been fighting and destroying their country over the last 20 years.”   Mr. Ould-Abdallah, who is based in Nairobi, said he had spoken with Government leaders about the latest developments there, including the breakout earlier this month of intense fighting between Government troops and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups.   He said up to 75,000 persons, who had fled the country and returned earlier this year, had fled again because of the renewed fighting.   “It is very sad to see a capital city I have known in the 80’s becoming a shanty town,” the Special Representative said.   Mr. Ould-Abdallah told the reporters, “I appeal to you...to talk about the plight of Somalia – how many orphans, how many handicapped how many maimed, how many people are silenced.”.. “We cannot say we don’t know,” he said. “We should look we should not look the other way.”   When asked about reports of Ethiopian troops returning to Somalia, the official said they had all withdrawn and that there were no Ethiopian troops in Somalia. “Unfortunately, Somalis are still fighting and killing Somalis,” he said. “Somalia is an unfortunate country taken hostage by...those who are still fighting.”   Instead of evoking an alibi of the alleged presence of Ethiopian troops, he said they should “assume responsibility” for what is going on in their country.   “One overriding problem in Somalia not often reported or talked about is still there. It is the problem of impunity,” Mr. Ould-Abdallah said. “People who have killed, displaced, maimed are still around in Somalia, or in Nairobi, or in their new country home,” he added. “Impunity to me is a very overriding issue to be addressed.”   Regarding the issue of piracy off the Somali coast, he said the believes the international maritime presence is increasingly successful, forcing pirates further out to sea and increasing their operating expenses to the point that they are greater than ransoms.   May 2009 (MSF)   As intense violence once again rocks Somalia’s capital, MSF teams continue working throughout the country. MSF teams are seeing increasing numbers of children suffering from malnutrition.   Mahmud Sheikh Mohammed Hassan, Deputy Field Coordinator for one of MSF’s projects in Mogadishu, describes what the past few days have been like.   "The fighting’s still going on. Between May 22 to 27, we received 75 casualties. People couldn’t get to the hospital on Friday morning, but they came in the afternoon.   "We started operating in the afternoon and didn’t finish until ten o’clock on Saturday morning. It was a long night. Unfortunately three of our patients died in the operating theatre; their injuries were too severe and they just couldn’t get to the hospital in time. There was nothing we could do.   "One was a little girl, she must have been no more than 13 years old. I think she was in a minibus that was hit by a shell. "Three others had head injuries so they are in intensive care now. But there are no hospitals in Mogadishu that can do operations for this kind of injury, so we just have to make them as comfortable as possible. The other patients are in recovery and are doing well.   "Near to the hospital there are a lot of displaced people. They come here because it’s on the outskirts of Mogadishu and they feel safer. There are around 18,000 living out in the open, in different areas around the hospital. In the past few days, I would say that around 5,000 to 10,000 more people have arrived. They have nothing with them when they come. We distributed plastic sheeting to around 2,000 families last week. People make some shelter for themselves. They put up the sheeting using branches and then cover it with plastic bags and rags. But it’s been raining heavily lately and people are really suffering."   Jan 2009 (ICRC)   Drought, floods and the effects of 17 years of armed violence and lawlessness have driven much of the Somali population into destitution. The ICRC has been providing hundreds of thousands of Somalis with food, water and other aid.   The ICRC is one of the few organizations that can reach conflict-affected communities in remote areas. In partnership with the Somali Red Crescent Society and in coordination with other aid agencies, the ICRC has been increasing its emergency humanitarian aid to respond to the urgent need for food and other essentials such as shelter.   Hundreds of thousands of Somalis are still unable to feed themselves without outside support. "Food security remains a major concern. The January harvest will not immediately reduce food-aid dependency," said Mathias Frese, ICRC relief coordinator for Somalia. "Low purchasing power, increasingly stagnant trade and continued displacement due to armed conflict will keep the number of food-aid beneficiaries at or near the current high level." In December, the ICRC delivered full food rations to 435,000 people in the country.   Urban warfare continues to result in heavy civilian casualties and to compound the woes of a population already suffering from nearly two decades of armed violence.   "The only way to mitigate the suffering of the Somali people and to improve their living conditions in the long run is for all parties involved in the fighting to respect their lives and dignity," said Pascal Mauchle, head of the ICRC Somalia delegation.
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