By Isaac J. Martín
Beirut, Oct 12 (EFE).– UN humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, called the ongoing conflict in the country the “most tragic” and challenging of his nearly 40-year career, citing severe violations of humanitarian law and unprecedented visibility of the crisis.
“I think this one is certainly the most, most difficult, the most complicated and the most tragic, in a sense, because it is not that you are in a place that no one really knows the news about or what is happening, which is what it was in Yei in Sudan in 1997-98 was something very different,” Riza told EFE from his office in downtown Beirut.
Reflecting on his career challenges, Riza noted that while Yei, in the midst of Sudan’s civil war, was “the toughest” due to a lack of communication and technology, the current situation in Lebanon is even more distressing.
“Four decades later, with incredible technology, with incredible information, and yet you are facing consequences. What I keep talking about, these violations of international humanitarian law, these sorts of things, and what you have is just a far more heavy way of inflicting damage, and we’re seeing that around and we’re seeing the consequences on civilians.”
Since the escalation of violence between Israel and Lebanon began more than two weeks ago, over 1,500 people have been killed, and around 1.2 million have been displaced, according to official sources.
Chain of Crises Riza, who was appointed UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon and Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon by Secretary-General António Guterres in 2022, has witnessed a series of crises in the country.
These include the COVID-19 pandemic, an acute economic downturn, a prolonged political crisis, and now the Israeli escalation.
“This situation has been building for a year, just as the conflict in southern Lebanon and Israel started a day after the war began in Gaza,” Riza said.
He highlighted the severe impact of the last three weeks of escalating violence, noting that both the Lebanese people and the state have endured a series of crises over the last five years.
“Yes, there has been a huge escalation over the last three weeks. I guess we are getting towards that. Both the population as well as the state the government…have suffered a great deal in the last five years, the last four or five years of crisis every year,” he said.
He pointed out that Lebanon has been without a president for two years and is currently governed by an interim administration, contributing to the country’s instability.
Despite the challenges, Riza praised the response efforts. “What we have seen over the last two, three weeks is incredibly good response and coordination.”
He emphasized the strain on the healthcare system. “Look at how what the weight of that has been on primary health care centers, on hospitals, on first responders…and all of them are actually being hit in the in the context of what’s been going on.
“So despite all of that, they have valiantly, valiantly managed to try to help people that are injured, to try to do all of this.”
He also pointed out the shortage of supplies, despite efforts to stockpile resources beforehand. “We had some supplies here, but certainly not enough. No one anticipated this level of escalation. So what we had has, of course, been exhausted and used.”
Riza referred to the recent appeal he launched with interim Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati for $426 million to mobilize resources for civilians affected by the conflict.
Protection for Humanitarian Workers Riza stressed the urgent need to protect humanitarian workers, who have been targeted during the ongoing conflict. Two UN refugee agency (UNHCR) workers were killed by an Israeli missile in Lebanon.
“It’s fundamental that member states, whether in conflict or not in conflict, respect international humanitarian law…They know the rules of law. They know about protecting civilians, they know about civilian infrastructure. They know about all of these and they know about humanitarian workers.”
He recounted the tragic death of Dina Darwiche, who had worked with UNHCR’s Bekaa office in eastern Lebanon for 12 years. She and her six-year-old son were killed by an Israeli missile on September 23 while trying to evacuate.
Dina was a child protection officer with UNHCR. “The irony of her and her six-year-old son being killed is just terrible,” Riza said. EFE
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