Genocide in Sri Lanka, a wake-up call for the UN – Anusha Arumugam 

Published: 3 February 2015 11:00 AM

“It is not the violence of the few that scares me. It is the silence of the majority.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Civilians become victims of war for two reasons: firstly, because of the perpetrators, and secondly, because the communities who had the capacity to stop the crimes have failed to do so.

War crimes, and crimes and humanity and peace were atrocities that plagued the Darfur conflict (2003-2010), the Iraq war (2003-2011), the Gaza war (2008-2009), the Sri Lankan civil war (2009), and the Syrian civil war (2011-present). However, these wars shared another similarity – they witnessed the repetitive systemic failure of the United Nations (UN) in protecting civilians in the conflict zones. As such, the lack of responsibility portrayed by the UN at international law for failing in its duties questions its fundamental aim of “keeping peace throughout the world”.
Genocide in Sri Lanka, A Wake-up Call for the UN – Anusha Arumugam by Thavam Ratna