Issue – Warfare and Atrocities
The normalization of atrocities as well as the deliberate and incidental harm that characterize contemporary war zones is of critical concern to everyone who objects to such inhumanity. UAI is dedicated to challenging the harm that civilians are made to endure, ending the pain and devastation that puts into question our shared humanity and working with all concerned actors to end impunity and ensure accountability for war crimes and crimes against inhumanity.
Latest posts on Warfare and Atrocities
- Afghanistan: Jaw-Jaw is the only Solution – by Antonio Donini and Norah Niland
Antonio Donini and Norah Niland, co-founders of UAI, write on Afghanistan for Global Geneva. Inclusive talks are the only option to end the surge in violence, civilian casualties, displacement and warfare in Afghanistan and build a political framework for a durable peace. - International Women’s Day 2021: Interview with Edith Ballantyne on women and peace
Former President of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom on displacement, feminist peace activism, and the erosion of multilateralism. - Blood and Water: Personal Reflections on Ethiopia’s Humanitarian Crisis – Angela Raven-Roberts (PhD)
A long history of crises and pain engendered by the country’s political dynamics are echoed in the latest outbreak of armed violence in Tigray and its ramifications for civilians and their future. - Can Biden reverse Trump era “terrorist” designation to save lives in Yemen? – By Jamie McGoldrick
Jamie McGoldrick warns of the major humanitarian repercussions that the Trump administration’s “terrorist” designation of the Houthis could have on Yemen. - Prosecution of alleged war crimes: need for Afghan voices in Australian judicial process
Dr Melinda Rankin and Dr Jacinta O’Hagan discuss how to best ensure that voices of the victims of the alleged crimes uncovered by the Brereton report are heard. - Yemen: A Pandemic of Impunity in a Tortured Land
After six unremitting years of armed conflict, Yemen is described as “a pandemic of impunity in a tortured land” in a new report by a group of UN experts. - Lebanon, where the Humanitarian Vultures Descended
Khaled Mansour describes how chaos in Lebanon will result in a rush for humanitarian funding, obfuscating the political responsibility for the crisis. - In Yemen, a deadly concoction of arms sales, conflict and Covid-19 – The Interpreter
This short read highlights various contradictions in UN Security Council decision-making on Yemen where the spread of Covid-19 continues unimpeded. - War and Covid-19: need for a new normal that rejects inhumanity?
National leaders have called for war on a deadly virus. But war metaphors are oblivious to the fact that armed conflict, invariably, is a depraved, de-humanising, and soul-destroying affair. - Post-pandemic change? Humanitarian action and multilateralism in transnational times
A pandemic turns our world upside down. The multilateral institutions of nation states are powerless in the face of Coronavirus and unregulated capitalism. - “Coronavirus Ceasefire” needed in Yemen
A recent appeal for a “Coronavirus Ceasefire” by the International Crisis Group (ICG) to the warring parties in Yemen brings to the fore the desperate situation of war-wary Yemenis who have endured repeated attacks on - Say NO to the inhumanity in Syria!
[Déclaration en français téléchargeable ici] The situation facing the civilian population in north-west Syria is totally unacceptable. Some three million civilians are trapped in Idlib province in freezing winter weather between the onslaught of advancing - Common Article 1 (CA1), Four 1949 Geneva Conventions
Informal discussions with diverse interlocutors show that there is inadequate awareness of the significance of Common Article 1 (CA1) in terms of the opportunities it provides for individuals and civil society actors to engage in - Afghanistan: human costs of war, impunity and indifference
- Al Jazeera: Yemeni artist paints arms message for France with war mural
Important mural in Paris “Last Dance of the Dead” by street artist and activist, Murad Subau, calls attention to the deadly role of arms sales in his native Yemen. About 100,000 people have died since - UAI calls for a genuine ceasefire and protection for civilians in Northern Syria
These talking points reflect the position of UAI International Executive Committee regarding the latest developments in Northern Syria, following the Turkish invasion and plans to establish a safe zone in this part of the war-torn - Accountability, one small step at a time!
The plight of civilians in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib became too much to ignore in the middle of 2019 hot summer, even in a world that had become flooded and numbed by mediatised - Common Article 1 (CA1)
In August, UAI posted “If we do not act we are all complicit”, a paper that sets out the obligation of all parties to the Geneva Conventions to “respect and ensure respect” of core humanitarian - If we do not act we are all complicit: using Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions to counter the inhumanity of today’s wars
1 – A recent meeting of UAI’s International Executive Committee (IEC) concluded that we should urgently launch an international campaign around Article 1, that is common to the four 1949 Geneva Conventions – widely known - UAI urges UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to act urgently to stop attacks on civilians in armed conflicts
United Against Inhumanity (UAI) has written to UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to press him to take urgent action to stop the deliberate targeting of civilians in hospitals, schools and homes in the war in - NY TIMES: One Afghan father’s search for answers after his entire family got wiped out by the US military
03 June 2019 – As aerial bombardments increase in Afghanistan, so do civilian casualties – read the story from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism of one Afghan father in search for answers after an airstrike gone - CIVILIANS IN CONFLICT: CIVIC Executive Director Addresses the United Nations Security Council on the Protection Of Civilians in armed conflicts
23 May 2019 – On the 20th anniversary of the UNSC putting ‘protection of civilians in armed conflict’ on its agenda, CIVIC, in a recent address to the Council, spelt out key actions to enhance - Protection of civilians in armed conflict – 20 years on, how it all started and where we are now
On 23 May 2019, the UN Security Council will hold a debate to mark the 20th anniversary of the Council’s first debate and resolution (SCR 1265) on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. This article, - How to defend a common humanity?
Fifteen years ago, I survived the attack against the UN headquarters in Iraq, but the explosion killed 22 of my colleagues, also demolished a barrier that I have had for year. This barrier ostensibly helped - The crumbling pillars of the Temple of States… and citizen participation
The UN in its current form does not serve the citizens it promises to protect. Is it time for a UN 2.0 that puts citizens at the centre? This article, based on a presentation at the