4th March, 2016
The conflict in eastern Ukraine continues to severely impact the daily life of millions of civilians with a "growing sense of despair and isolation" among those living in the war zone despite a decrease in the number of people being killed over the past few months, according to the UN.
The latest report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights shows that life for those living around the ‘contact line’ – separating the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic from the rest of the Ukraine – is particularly hard with many homes looted and damaged, at best limited access to public services, and non-operational local authorities. Water and food for those living along the line are difficult to acquire and freedom of movement is severely hampered by checkpoints.
Meanwhile the report – which covers the period between 16th November, 2015, and 15th February – also shows that residents of the territories under control of armed groups remain particularly vulnerable for human rights abuses, living in an environment characterised by a complete absence of the rule of law, arbitrary detention, torture and no real access to any mechanisms of redress.
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said there was a "terrible sensation of physical, political, social and economic isolation and abandonment among the huge number of people – more than three million in all – who are struggling to eke out a living in the conflict zone". "They are in urgent need of greater protection and support," he said.
The report recorded 78 conflict-related civilian casualties – including 21 killed – in eastern Ukraine during the period compared with 178 – including 47 killed – during the previous reporting period. More than 30,211 casualties have been recorded in eastern Ukraine since the beginning on the conflict in mid-April, 2014.
~ www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/UA/Ukraine_13th_HRMMU_Report_3March2016.pdf
– DAVID ADAMS
