UN leader Ban Ki-moon said Sunday that the Houla massacre in Syria had added to pressure on UN observers, as some in the conflict-stricken country blame them for an increase in violence. "United Nations observers are facing increasing criticism for not stopping the violence and, in some quarters, even being blamed for an increase," Ban said in a letter to the Security Council on the massacre in Houla on Friday and Saturday in which the UN says at least 108 people died.
"There is a misconception, difficult to correct, about the role of unarmed military observers and what they can and cannot do," the UN secretary general added.
"This puts the United Nations presence on the ground in a perilous position both with regard to the ability to conduct operations and to the observers' personal security."
There are now more than 280 UN observers in Syria monitoring a cessation of hostilities which officially started on April 12, but comes nearer to complete collapse each day.
Ban and Major General Robert Mood, head of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), told the Security Council that the Free Syrian Army had given a toll of 116 dead. UN observers had seen at least 108 bodies, Mood told a council meeting on the massacre.
There were at least 34 children and seven women among the dead, Ban's letter said.
Government officials told the UN that seven government security officers were killed in the Houla area on the day before the massacre. Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
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