Condemning oppressive use of violence on civilians, India has urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to consider national strategies for their protection. Speaking at the UNSC on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, called for regular consultations between the Council and troop contributing countries to enhance credibility and effectiveness of the world body in protecting civilians.
“India condemns the oppressive use of violence on civilian populations, regardless of who commits it… Wars in pursuit of imperial ambitions testify to a history of scant respect for civilian lives in times of military campaigns,” Akbaruddin said at the Open Debate at the UNSC on Tuesday. He added that the solutions to threats of violence to civilians should be sought within the framework of international law and the response of international community must be based on use of appropriate methods in proportion to the perceived threat.
Calling for consultations between country hosting the Peacekeeping Mission, the troop contributing countries “who put their troops lives at risk in the service of the UN”, and the UNSC, Akbaruddin said that in the absence of these it is “ultimately the UN as a body that gets a bad name when decisions go wrong.”
Terming protection of civilians in armed conflict situations as a major challenge faced by peacekeeping forces, Akbaruddin said the nature of threats faced by civilians in UN Peacekeeping situations has undergone significant changes in recent years. He narrated example of Capt Salaria, who led an Indian Infantry Brigade Group as part of ONUC (Congo) in November 1961.