Humanitarian Law
In furtherance of its role of re-affirming faith in fundamental human rights which include but not limited to freedom not to be held in slavery or servitude, freedom from being treated in inhumanly and other forms of oppression. The United Nations Charter in Article 1 encapsulates the need to maintain international peace and security. It provides the means to this end by expressly stating that some of the effective measures that can aid nations in this war against violence, aggression and breach of peace for secure and safe co-existence is by inter alia developing friendly relations among different the nations.
In that regard, the Arab League, an organization that consists of autonomous Arab States in the territory of northern and north-eastern Africa and south-west Asia, comprising countries such as Syria, Iraq and Egypt is one of the effective tools used by the UN to create friendly and diplomatic relationships amongst such warring nations through Youth Education to enhance Human Development in the Middle East. Following the bloody warfare which killed over 100,000 people and made nearly 9 million homeless as a result of strife between various groups seeking the disbarment of President Bashar al-Assad from power nearly three years ago, over which the Syrian Government and opposition delegates met to resolve, Syrians, contrary to basic human rights were not only deprived of decent shelter, but were denied crucial relief facilities such as food. The Old City of Horns was a public demonstration of what becomes of a war-torn nation and of citizens subjected to physical violence as a result of insistent and unending bombing attacks, bombardments and sieges which are sometimes sporadic. Ironically, on 12th February more relief to aid the homeless Syrians who had gone for nearly two years without help was supplied, to wit, food for 1,000 people was availed to the thousands who had been camping there for that period.
The siege did not discriminate, the young and old alike were caught up in the mayhem, women and men as well with some unable to bear with the situation thereby being forced to move out of the City and look for aid elsewhere. According to the report of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) approximately 200 men, women and children were reported to have left the besieged city bringing the number of those at the camp close to 1,350 malnourished and sickly civilians of Yarmouk people, a number that is way above beyond half of an estimate of 2, 500 civilians who have over the years been victims of political and power related conflicts.
As if adding salt to the wound, men between 15 and 54 years were unfortunately not allowed out of the besieged area. 336 men above 54 years who adamantly refused to abandon their families were contrary to human rights confined by Syrian authorities in a school. Under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict must wilfully allow safe passage for civilians out of the besieged area, for obvious reasons. It is the duty of a nation to protect its citizens. In addition, they must and ought to guarantee that the wounded and sick are collected and cared for. They also must not destroy or confiscate objects indispensable or vital to the survival of the victims of conflicts through bombardments and attacks. The UN officials termed these forms of cruelties and mistreatment as war crimes.
In further perpetration of the war crimes, UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid workers when offering aid and medical help to the evacuees were obliviously targeted by a fire attack which nearly cost their lives since the car of the UN country representative and his colleagues was almost completely destroyed. Unfortunately, 11 civilians lost their lives. This is red flag to the United Nations warning them that a lot remains undone if any success in combating war crimes and bloody conflicts are to be kept at bay.
References
Arab League Online. (2014, February 12). Arab League. Retrieved 2 20, 2014, from Arab League Online: www.arableagueonline.org
Bealy, F., & Chapman, R. (2009). Elements in Political Science. London: Edinburgh University Press.
Dieter, F. (2013). The Handbook of International Humanitarian Law. New York : Oxford University Press.
Dieter, F., & Michael, B. (2009). The Handbook of Humanitarian Law in Armed Conflicts. London: Oxford University Press.
Henckaerts, J.-M. (2005). Customary International Humanitarian Law: Rules. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
UN News Centre. (2014, February 12). Arab Spring. Retrieved 2 20, 2014, from UN News Centre: http://www.un.org
Weisberg, H. (2009). Political Science: The Science of Politics. New York: Algora Publishing.
