Children in Yemen in front of a house destroyed by bombing, March 19, 2020. - CHINA NEW / SIPA

Even if the world would have done well for this pandemic, the coronavirus will have had at least one, but only one, positive effect. The UN indeed welcomed Thursday the proclamation of cease-fire in several countries in conflicts, after the call of its secretary general, Antonio Guterres, to stop the fighting in the face of the spread of the coronavirus. Above all, the movement is in the process of being supported by resolutions to the Security Council and the General Assembly.

More than 5 years of war in Yemen

Suddenly, cease-fires have been raised in recent days by belligerents in the Philippines, Cameroon, Yemen and Syria. Martin Griffiths, the UN envoy to Yemen, a country ravaged by war for more than five years, hailed Thursday the "positive responses" of the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government in favor of a cease-fire in order to better fight the Covid-19 and allow a humanitarian break. He demanded that they participate in an "urgent meeting" to make it happen.

UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths: "I was heartened to see the positive responses to the Secretary-General's call for a ceasefire from both the Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah. I expect the parties to adhere to their words and put the interest of the Yemeni people above all. "

- UN Special Envoy for Yemen (@OSE_Yemen) March 26, 2020

On the same day, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric welcomed "the temporary cease-fire announced on March 25 by the Southern Cameroon Defense Forces". The day before, he had already welcomed the temporary ceasefire announced on March 24 by the Communist Party of the Philippines with the government of that country. Last Thursday evening, the spokesman "welcomed the declaration of the Syrian Democratic Forces of March 24" supporting the idea of ​​a cease-fire and their "commitment to avoid military action" in the northeast of the country .

Difficult negotiations in the Security Council

This movement moved to the UN Security Council. According to a diplomat requesting anonymity, "a draft resolution has circulated between the five permanent members". "Some countries at the UN are thinking of a text aimed at supporting Guterres' call," confirmed another diplomatic source. According to concordant sources, France is behind the initiative. On the night of Thursday to Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Twitter about the preparation of a "new important initiative" in the face of the pandemic, after a conversation with his American counterpart Donald Trump.

However, nothing is yet decided. Monday, a draft “declaration” on the Covid-19, carried by Estonia, had run into a wall, for lack of consensus between the 15 members of the Security Council. Between Russia reluctant for the Security Council to take up a health issue and the United States, which could insist on a mention emphasizing that the virus comes from China, the process is proving delicate for the adoption of a resolution within an enclosure where divisions have been legion for years.

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  • security Council
  • Cameroon
  • Syria
  • Philippines
  • Coronavirus
  • Cease-fire
  • Yemen
  • UN
  • World
  • War