This week, the US vetoes ceasefire resolution for Israel and Gaza. Russia vetoes ceasefire resolution for Sudan. UN official calls for funding to convert Haiti security mission into peacekeeping mission.
US vetoes ceasefire resolution for Israel and Gaza
The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The US was the only country in the 15-member council to vote against the resolution, with the other 14 voting in favor of it.
The resolution had called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire,” however, Deputy US ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said that it did not include a link between a ceasefire and the release of hostages. He added that the text of the resolution would have sent a “dangerous message” to Hamas, that it did not need to return to negotiations.
French ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said the resolution said the resolution “very firmly” required a hostage release, Reuters reported. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the US State Department, said that the resolution does not link the hostage release with the ceasefire, and that “…we cannot support a resolution that calls for an unconditional, immediate ceasefire, and de-links it from the release of hostages.”
The resolution was put forward by the council’s 10 elected members: Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
Since October 7, Israel’s operations in Gaza have killed nearly 44,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, as reported in Associated Press on November 21. On October 7, Hamas killed over 1,200 people, and abducted another 250. There are still around 100 hostages in Gaza, and it is believed that at least one third of them are dead.
Last week, Qatar said it would not mediate an Israel-Gaza ceasefire until both sides showed “good faith.”
Russia vetoes ceasefire resolution for Sudan
Russia vetoed a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution for Sudan on November 18. The resolution draft, proposed by the UK and Sierra Leone, demanded that both sides cease hostilities and begin talks with the goal of a national ceasefire. The draft also demanded that the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) respect past deals to protect civilians. Russia was the only country in the 15-member council to reject the draft.
Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, has called the veto “shameful.” Chagutah said, “Amnesty International is deeply disappointed by this shameful veto. Once again, politics has stood in the way of civilian protection with the UNSC failing to fulfil its mandate…Sudan is the world’s largest displacement crisis. Facilitation of humanitarian assistance, as called for in the draft resolution, would have offered temporary relief to millions of internally displaced persons in urgent need of assistance.”
US and UK officials fiercely condemned Russia for the veto, with UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield stressing that Russia was blocking steps “to address the catastrophic situation in Sudan…” as quoted in BBC. Meanwhile, a diplomat anonymously told AFP that Russia had appeared to become “visibly more aligned” with General Burhan’s camp during negotiations over the draft.
Last week, it was reported that over 61,000 people had died in Sudan’s Khartoum state, a number much higher than previously believed. While 26,000 of these people were killed in violence, the leading cause of death across the country was preventable disease and starvation, BBC reported.
UN official calls for funding to convert Haiti security mission into peacekeeping mission
A UN official is calling for funding for the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti to be converted into a UN peacekeeping operation. Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, said at a meeting that Haiti’s security situation is continuing to intensify, recalling Port-au-Prince’s international airport closed down after gang fire hit four commercial aircraft.
Armed gangs have gained more and more territory, now controlling an estimated 85 percent of Port-au-Prince, he said. The humanitarian situation is “severe,” and 20,000 people fled gang violence in four days this month, he added. In September, the total number of people internally displaced in Haiti had been 700,000.
Jenca said that the Multinational Security Support mission, deployed in June, is unable to show its full potential with only 400 of the initially planned 2,500 personnel currently deployed. The UN Trust Fund for the Multinational Security Support mission has a pledged $96.8 million, however, Jenca said that much more is needed, and now. He urged member states to up their contributions.
All representatives at the meeting expressed support for converting the mission, except for Russia and China, whose representatives said that Haiti needed more established peace in order to justify the mission, and that Haiti’s government’s request was invalid since its government was not elected, Reuters reported.
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is a journalist in Bangkok. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
