Sierra Leone Urges Urgent Global Action on Gaza Crisis at UN Security Council

by Chrispus C. Macauley

Sierra Leone has sounded the alarm at the United Nations Security Council, warning that the situation in Gaza now bears the “hallmarks of mass atrocity crimes” and urging immediate international action to prevent further civilian suffering.

Speaking during a tense Council session on the Middle East crisis, Ambassador Michael Imran Kanu, Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, delivered one of the most forceful statements of the day, calling the humanitarian conditions in Gaza “catastrophic” and accusing the Israeli military of rendering over 80% of the territory either evacuated or inaccessible.

“The past months have witnessed one of the darkest moments for civilians in Gaza,” Kanu said, citing widespread loss of life, airstrikes on hospitals, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid. “These actions not only breach humanitarian norms but raise serious questions under international law.”

Hospitals such as the Indonesian and European medical centers in Gaza have reportedly been hit by airstrikes, severely reducing access to urgent care. Kanu labeled the repeated targeting of healthcare facilities as a “clear violation of international humanitarian law” and demanded the immediate protection of civilians.

In the West Bank, the ambassador also expressed alarm at the surge in settler violence, forced evictions, and destruction of homes, particularly in towns like Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas.

Drawing on its history of civil conflict, Sierra Leone likened the global inaction on Gaza to past failures in Rwanda and Srebrenica. “The obligation to prevent genocide is not discretionary,” Kanu said. “It is a peremptory norm of international law.”

The ambassador pointed to the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in South Africa v. Israel, which ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah and allow humanitarian aid. “These measures are binding,” he emphasized. “Compliance is a legal imperative.”

The West African country also criticized the politicization of aid, insisting that humanitarian assistance must never be used as a weapon of war. “Aid must reach those in need, without conditions, delay, or obstruction,” Kanu stated.

At the heart of the statement was a strong call for accountability. “The crisis of accountability is central to this catastrophe,” he declared. “Grave violations must not go unanswered.”

The statement concluded with renewed support for a two-state solution and praise for diplomatic efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. However, Sierra Leone stressed that only a ceasefire, release of hostages, and lifting of blockades would create space for peace talks.

“This Council must act,” Ambassador Kanu warned. “The credibility of the United Nations, and the lives of thousands, depend on what we do now.”