By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate, the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has assured the world that the humanitarian situation being created by the unfortunate war will not affect its humanitarian supply to needy nations.
Speaking to State House Correspondents on Wednesday after an official visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at Presidential Villa, Abuja, Guterres revealed that UN has not decreased its actions in all other parts of the world where humanitarian assistance are needed.
Asked if he thinks the pressure from Ukraine for humanitarian assistance may affect UN supply to other nations in need like Niger Republic in Africa, the UN boss dismissed it with the wave of the hand.
Said he: “from the point of view of the United Nations, it does not affect. We have increased our actions in Ukraine, but we have not decreased our actions in all other parts of the world.
“And my appeal for those that support financially, United nations not to divert funds from other humanitarian and development funds of cooperation to the Ukraine crisis but to put additional contribution for that crisis not undermining the efforts in humanitarian and development cooperation that are taking place all around the world”.
On what is the UN doing since the terrorists have continued to fight back despite efforts by regional governments in Africa to decimate them obviously due to support from their financiers, he said if you fight terrorists militarily and address the root cause of this terrorism, terrorists will no longer have a chance to persist.
Said he: “It is simple, I saw it in Borno. If you fight terrorism just militarily, the terrorists will strike back but if you fight terrorists militarily and address the root cause of this terrorism, terrorists will no longer have a chance to persist.
“I think that it was Mao Tse Tung that said that insurrection should move like fish in the water so, if the community are able to defend themselves and they trust the regional government institutions and if there are programmes to guarantee a full reintegration and of ex-terrorists and to guarantee that victims have a future, then I think that we can defeat terrorism”.
