UNSC resolution authorizes military force on human smugglers
The UN Security Council has voted for a new resolution allowing European countries to take military action against human smugglers in the Mediterranean amid a persisting refugee crisis in Europe.
Fourteen of the Council’s 15 members voted on Friday for the British-drafted resolution authorizing the use of force by European Union member states – under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter -- to capture the vessels of refugee smugglers in the Mediterranean Sea, with only Venezuela abstaining.
Speaking before the council, Britain’s UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the military action would save lives by targeting human-trafficking gangs, insisting that "these groups have no respect for human life."
“Action against smugglers on the high sea won’t solve this crisis alone, but it will send a message that people cannot profit from this evil trade with impunity. It will save lives,” He added.
The development came after more than 2,600 people perished while making the risky sea journey since last January, with over 550,000 reaching European shores alive, according to figures by the International Organization for Migration.
This is while Venezuela has accused the authors of the resolution of dealing with the crisis in an “erroneous fashion” by focusing on military, rather than humanitarian measures to tackle the problem. It has further urged European countries to deal with the hardship and instability that continue to trigger the flight of asylum seekers from Asia and Africa and arrange for better accommodation for them in the EU.
“It’s not by raising walls or taking military action that this serious problem can be resolved,” said Venezuela’s Permanent Representative Rafael Ramirez.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Evgeny Zagainov warned against potential manipulation of the resolution, insisting that “any expansive interpretation of the resolution is unacceptable.”
Reacting to such concerns, Rycroft further vowed, “Any action will be proportional in keeping with the limits authorized by this resolution and used solely against the smugglers and empty boats.”
The development comes amid press reports that the final draft of the resolution was watered down, granting no access to Libyan territorial waters or rights to destroy vessels without “due consideration of the interests of any third parties who have acted in good faith.”
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