Dr. Bawumia attended the UN Security Council meeting
He spoke on the use of explosives during wars
He said it destroys livelihoods
Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has urged the United Nations Security Council to carefully check the indiscriminate use of explosives during wars in the urban areas.
According to him, the UNSC should as a matter of
Read full article.urgency also consider its existing framework for the management of urban wars because civilians bear the brunt of such actions as lives, social amenities, and sources of livelihoods are destroyed during wars.
Addressing the 8,953rd UN Security Council Meeting in New York on the topic: "Protection of civilians in urban settings," Dr. Bawumia said:
“Advancements in science and technology have led to the development of compact and more sophisticated weapon systems that are able to deliver greater damage to targets and their surroundings.
“I urge that we act to control the nature and indiscriminate use of explosives in war, combined with the management of the high civilian population density of urban areas to reduce the adverse impact that often leads to the loss of lives, crucial infrastructures such as schools and hospitals and sources of livelihood such as business centres in these areas.”
He said, the asymmetrical nature of prevailing wars in cities, and the consequent embedding of combatants within interconnected resources and infrastructure of urban areas poses immense challenges to the protection of civilian populations.
“Mr. President, we must recognize that in developing norms and standards to protect the civilian population during conflict, there is a strong need for local engagement in order to assure the acceptance of such norms.
“Local communities need to be empowered in order to take required preventative actions and also not to shield perpetrators of crimes against civilian population,” he added.
Dr. Bawumia urged participants at the meeting to stop the prevailing trend of wars in the urban cities stressing that the world must be decisive in preventing domestic inequalities that lead to urban migration and the creation of fertile grounds for conflict.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia took time to meet with met with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and Assistant Secretary of State at the Bureau of African Affairs, Molly Phee.
