'Stop' - Thuli Madonsela weighs in on Russia and Ukraine conflict

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela has shared her thoughts on the deadly conflict between Russia and Ukraine, suggesting it is a time for the UN to reset its response to war.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine boiled over last week when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine. He claimed the move was to “protect” the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and said there was a need to “demilitarise” the country. Ukraine labelled it an “act of war” and filed a suit against Russia at the highest UN court in The Hague, Netherlands.

Attacks by Russia on several Ukrainian cities by air, land and sea followed as the West scrambled to impose harsher sanctions on Putin and his country.

Madonsela was among those who have weighed in on the conflict, calling for peace negotiations.

She said the war offered an opportunity for the UN to “reset”.

“The Ukraine invasion must be stopped before more human suffering and years of aftermath trauma. The UN can seize this as a reset moment for a new deal on war and peace, where unilateralism is condemned and punished regardless of who or why they invaded a sovereign state,” she said.

Madonsela added “it is time to renew the global peace compact”.

“That some countries have unilaterally invaded others despite the UN and the UN Charter’s existence since 1945 is not a valid reason for accepting Russia’s Ukraine invasion. Protection of own security is also not an acceptable reason in terms of international law. Stop,” she said.

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