More than 50 mln people worldwide affected by urban conflict: UN chief

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- During a Security Council debate on Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that more than 50 million people are currently affected by urban conflict.

As a matter of fact, according to the UN chief, when explosive weapons are used in populated areas, up to 90 percent of those killed and injured are not involved in initiating the violence.

"Civilians can suffer devastating harm both in the immediate aftermath, and in the long-term," the UN chief explained.

The majority of victims face lifelong disabilities and severe psychological trauma, according to Guterres. The infrastructure for water, electricity, and sanitation is often damaged, and healthcare services are severely disrupted.

The top UN official then mentioned some examples.

Pointing to scores of schools and healthcare facilities damaged during fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza last year, he remembered that nearly 800,000 people were left without access to piped water.

In Afghanistan, an explosive attack outside a Kabul high school last May, killed 90 students, mainly girls, and left another 240 people injured.

Using heavy explosive weapons in populated areas disrupted every system and resource in Yemen, according to a study conducted in 2020.

"From Afghanistan to Libya, Syria, Yemen and beyond, the risk of harm to civilians, rises when combatants move among them and put military facilities and equipment near civilian infrastructure," the UN chief said.

The consequences of this type of conflict go far beyond its more immediate impact, putting people at risk of sieges and blockades, which have had a horrific impact on civilians in growing urban areas, up to and including starvation.

"Urban warfare forces millions of people from their homes, contributing to record numbers of refugees and internally displaced people," Guterres explained.

Four years after the destruction of 80 percent of housing in Mosul, Iraq, for example, an estimated 300,000 people are still displaced.

Warfare in cities also creates millions of tons of debris that poses risks to both the environment and to people's health. And unexploded ordnance makes it too dangerous for people to return home.

On top of that, mass destruction of buildings sets development back by decades, undermining progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Guterres told the council that "the frightening human cost of waging war in cities is not inevitable; it is a choice."

He then shared some measures that could help prevent and mitigate its impact.

First, regarding international humanitarian law, he noted that recent years have seen increasing concern over compliance with these laws.

He stated that "accountability for serious violations is essential" and argued that member states must demonstrate the political will to investigate and prosecute alleged war crimes to the maximum extent.

"We owe that to the victims and their loved ones - and it is also crucial to serve as a powerful deterrent," he explained.

Second, the secretary-general explained that parties to a conflict have options when they wage war.

"They should adapt their choice of weapons and tactics when they wage war in cities, recognizing that they cannot fight in populated areas the way they would in open battlefields," Guterres said, urging member states to commit themselves to avoiding the use of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas.

Third, and lastly, Guterres made the case for better policies and practices, including more systematic tracking of alleged incidents in cities and towns.