United Nations Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres has said that his appeal on 23 March for a global ceasefire in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has received broad international support as parties to conflicts in many countries consolidate existing ceasefire or move toward laying down weapons.
Briefing the press on 3 April on the impact so far of his appeal, Mr. Guterres said: 鈥淭he call has been endorsed by an ever-growing number of Member States, some 70 so far, regional partners, non-state actors, civil society networks and organizations, and all UN Messengers of Peace and Advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals. 鈥淩eligious leaders鈥攊ncluding Pope Francis鈥攈ave added their moral voice in support of a global ceasefire, as have citizens through grassroots mobilization online.鈥�
In Africa, parties to conflict in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Libya, South Sudan and Sudan have accepted the call, he said. For example, the Southern Cameroons Defence Forces, an armed wing of the African People鈥檚 Liberation Movement, announced a temporary ceasefire on 25 March.
The Secretary-General encouraged other groups to follow suit and reiterated the UN鈥檚 readiness to assist the authorities and the people of Cameroon in this regard.
The Sudanese government and most of the armed groups in that country have also announced cessation of hostilities to mitigate the security and humanitarian conditions in Darfur.
鈥淭he Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid (SLA/AW) has agreed to a de-facto ceasefire. Similarly, the Sudan People鈥檚 Liberation Movement-North/ Abdelaziz Al-Hilu declared an extension of the unilateral cessation of hostilities to parts of the Two Areas under their control for an additional three months, except for self-defense purposes,鈥� according to a note detailing responses to Mr. Guterres鈥� appeal.
In South Sudan, the Secretary-General鈥檚 appeal has 鈥渂olstered efforts to uphold the existing arrangement on Cessation of Hostilities agreed by the warring parties, which created the minimum conditions for the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity on 22 February.鈥�
Meantime, the Secretary-General鈥檚 Special Representative for Central African Republic Mankeur Ndiaye has called on the signatories to the February 2019 Peace Agreement, including the government and 14 non-state actors, to respect their commitment to end all fighting.
Nevertheless, Mr. Guterres highlighted the difficulties in upholding a ceasefire as 鈥渃onflicts have festered for years, distrust is deep, with many spoilers and many suspicions.鈥� He added that 鈥渋n many of the most critical situations, we have seen no let-up in fighting鈥攁nd some conflicts have even intensified.鈥�
In Libya, he said, 鈥淕overnment of National Accord and Marshal [Khalifa] Haftar鈥檚 Libyan National Army welcomed calls to stop the fighting. Yet clashes have escalated drastically on all frontlines, obstructing efforts to effectively respond to COVID-19.鈥�
The appeal by Mr. Guterres follows concerted efforts already underway in Africa and led by the African Union (AU) for warring parties to silence the guns on the continent.
The theme for the 33rd AU summit held last February in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was "Silencing the Guns: creating conducive conditions for Africa's development" The heads of state and government summit also saw the kick-off of the AU鈥檚 year-long campaign to promote a conflict-free continent.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, says that warring parties have a moral and humanitarian obligation to 鈥渋mmediately stop fighting to facilitate the measures being taken by Member States and other actors to combat and defeat the coronavirus pandemic.鈥�
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