Murtala Mohamed: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 25 September:
Sierra Leone, one of 124 United Nations member states, voted against the Israeli Occupation of Palestinian territories in a Wednesday UN resolution described as “historic” by Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour. The resolution demands that Israel end its occupation of the Palestinian Territories within 12 months.
With 124 votes in favour, 14 against, and 43 abstentions, three of the four West African Mano River countries supported the resolution, with Liberia abstaining and Malawi voting against it.
Taking on the role of the United Nations Security Council Presidency last August, Sierra Leone presided over various global issues, including the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the war in Sudan, and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Sierra Leone has expressed its support for a two-state solution. Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba stated in an interview that the country opposes colonization and supports the inalienable right of people to exist in a sovereign state.
Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Michael Imran Kanu, last Friday expressed grave concern over the potentially devastating impact of a full-blown conflict on the people and economy of Lebanon.
Ambassador Kanu emphasized the importance of preventing further escalation and conflict in Lebanon, citing the country’s history of turmoil and fragility. He urged diplomatic efforts, including through the United Nations, to avoid a widescale war that could have dire consequences for the region.
He condemned recent violent attacks in Lebanon that killed civilians, highlighting the need for de-escalation and adherence to international law. He called for respect for UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and stressed the importance of implementing resolutions to maintain peace and security in the region.
Ambassador Kanu reiterated the call for de-escalation, a ceasefire in Gaza, and a commitment to regional stability through peaceful means. The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting in response to recent attacks in Lebanon, with other speakers also condemning the violence and urging a ceasefire.
Do the so-called powerful nations truly care, given their deep involvement in enabling the horrendous massacres being perpetrated? When they permit shipments of destructive weapons to warring factions, are they not complicit in shedding crocodile tears as they bemoan the ever-mounting human toll caused by those very weapons?
Indeed, is their gross hypocrisy not glaringly obvious when they repeatedly call for a ceasefire while directly or indirectly fuelling the fire of hate that has relentlessly and ferociously ravaged parts of the Middle East for nearly a century?
Let these so-called powerful nations halt the flow of arms to the belligerents, and only then will the world begin to take them seriously.
The very power they wield is the source and sustainer of turbulence and instability across the globe, reducing weaker nations and peoples to mere cannon fodder. Their power is one of destruction, evil, and death—not of making the world the just and liveable place it ought to be.
This conflict has taken a dangerous dimension and it’s getting out of control if powerful nations do not come together to formulate deterrent measures to stop it’s spread. We hope that they will do!