SALUTATIONS
HE Ambassador Salih Omar Abdu Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in South Africa and Ambassador of Eritrea to South Africa,
HE Ambassadors Fonseco Filho, WU, Martinon, Ayyad and Akhinzhanov, Members of the Core Group,
Mr Jules Amoti, Head of the Southern Africa Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross,
Distinguished Members of the African Diplomatic Corps,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
- INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND
Allow me to dedicate today’s gathering to a solemn but powerful observance. Today, 19 August, marks International Humanitarian Day—a day when the world pauses to honour humanitarian workers who risk and often sacrifice their lives to protect civilians, deliver food and medicine, and safeguard the dignity of those caught in the crossfire of conflict and disaster.
It is a day that reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit, international human solidarity and the unwavering commitment to alleviate suffering in the darkest of times. This tribute is particularly poignant given our theme today: International Humanitarian Law. Behind every article of every treaty are human beings whose survival depends on our collective courage to uphold the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.
Let us remember those who have fallen in service and reaffirm our commitment to protect those who continue this noble work across Africa and the globe.
It is indeed an honour to address you today on the importance of strengthening respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL), a cornerstone of international law. International law. (hereafter referred to as IHL) is the foundation that upholds our shared humanity in times of conflict, war, tragedy, and profound suffering.
Today our geopolitical (dis) order has resulted in a drastic rise in asymmetrical and hybrid ware-fare and what many analysts increasingly define as a protracted poly crisis. It has created a geo-political environment which is volatile, uncertain, complexed, ambiguous, uncharted, turbulent, and anarchic. We are witnessing a rapid rise in amongst right wing populism, narrow nationalism, racism, sexism xenophobia & other related intolerances. There has also been drastic increase in asymmetrical and hybrid warfare globally by both state and non-state actors. In Africa there are more than 20 conflicts, and the Middle East remains a tinder box with recent wars in Lebanon, Iran and Syria. The historical body of evidence indicates that Israel remains committed to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians through a genocidal war against them.
It is within this dangerous and tragic global context that International law in general is so important and the moral and legal clarity offered by International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is more relevant and critical than ever.
- POLICY CONTEXT
South Africa’s steadfast commitment to international law, including IHL, is not merely rhetorical. It is deeply embedded in the DNA of our democratic project and our foreign policy architecture. As a High Contracting Party to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols of 1977, and through the domestic application of these treaties via our Implementation of the Geneva Conventions Act (Act 8 of 2012), South Africa has consistently championed the centrality of IHL to peace, justice, and international cooperation. Our approach to IHL is framed by our historic and constitutional commitment to human rights, social justice, equality, self-determination and the indivisibility of peace and dignity for all peoples.
We must also confront the devastating humanitarian crises unfolding across our own continent. Africa today is home to some of the most acute emergencies in the world, each marked by mass displacement, starvation, and untold human suffering.
In Sudan, the brutal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has triggered one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises. More than 10 million people have been forced from their homes, both internally and across borders, creating the largest displacement crisis globally. Entire cities have been reduced to rubble. Humanitarian convoys are obstructed, hospitals attacked, and civilians subjected to starvation as a method of warfare.
In South Sudan, decades of fragile peace continue to teeter under the weight of communal violence, food insecurity, and climate-induced flooding. Nearly two-thirds of the population—over 7 million people—face severe food insecurity, while millions of children remain at risk of malnutrition. The promises of independence have been overshadowed by humanitarian desperation, with women and children bearing the brunt of recurring violence.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the resurgence of armed groups, particularly in the eastern provinces, has displaced millions. Sexual violence has once again been weaponised on a horrifying scale. Camps for internally displaced people are overcrowded, under-resourced, and exposed to cholera and measles outbreaks. Despite the presence of the largest UN peacekeeping mission, civilians remain the most vulnerable casualties of protracted insecurity.
Excellencies,
We cannot overlook the Horn of Africa, where Somalia faces a dire intersection of terrorism, drought, and famine, leaving millions dependent on humanitarian aid for sheer survival.
These crises are not isolated—they are interconnected. They feed regional instability, reverse decades of development, and test our collective resolve to uphold the principles of humanitarian law. When civilians are massacred, when aid workers are killed, when famine is weaponised, we are witnessing not just violations of law but violations of the very conscience of humanity.
It is therefore incumbent upon Africa’s leaders, diplomats, and peoples to raise our voice with equal clarity against these tragedies as we do for Gaza, Ukraine, or elsewhere. To remain silent in the face is to betray the universality of IHL. Our solidarity must not be selective—it must be consistent, principled, and unyielding.
It is impossible to overstate the catastrophic human toll that results when IHL is ignored or systematically violated. The tragic and unacceptable consequences of non-compliance can be seen most starkly today in the ongoing humanitarian and genocidal catastrophe in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Apartheid Israel’s military actions are disproportionate, indiscriminate, and sustained. It has led to massive civilian casualties, the destruction of critical infrastructure, and widespread gross violations of international humanitarian law (IHL).
Since October 2023, more than 60 000 Palestinians have been killed by the Apartheid State of Israel, the overwhelming majority of whom are civilians of which at least 18 430 were children and 9 735 were women.
In addition, since October 2023 until mid-August 2025, the death toll among journalists and media workers in Gaza ranges from approximately 220–274. All of them were, clearly identified and engaged in their professional duties. This makes Gaza the deadliest conflict for media workers in modern history. Furthermore, Israel’s repeated targeting of UNRWA facilities, hospitals, and medical convoys also violates the very heart of IHL, which demands the protection of medical personnel, humanitarian aid workers, and civilian infrastructure. The body of evidence indicates a dangerous pattern that has emerged for all to see that is that these attacks are not isolated incidents; they represent a systemic and intentional disregard for the legal norms established under the Geneva Conventions and their Protocols.
Let us also not forget the deliberate targeting of humanitarian personnel. Since 7 October 2023, more than 400 aid workers killed a high proportion being UNRWA personnel, as well as those from Médecins Sans Frontières, the Red Crescent, and UN agencies. They have been killed while delivering life-saving assistance. Food convoys have been bombed. Medical centres have been razed to the ground. Civilians attempting to flee conflict zones have been struck repeatedly. Starvation has been used as a method of warfare and civilians killed while trying to get food distributed through aid. These genocidal violations are not only of international law in general and humanitarian law in particular but are violations of the very conscience of humanity.
Excellencies,
South Africa condemns these actions unequivocally. We must not allow selective outrage to undermine the universality of IHL. Just as we condemn the aggression against Ukraine and the suffering in Sudan and the Sahel, we must show the same moral clarity when civilians are slaughtered in Gaza. Selective application of international law is, in itself, a betrayal of justice. We call upon all states, especially those wielding significant geopolitical influence, to hold all parties accountable to the same standards, irrespective of alliances or strategic interests.
- BUILDING INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY IN DEFENCE OF IHL
Excellencies,
You, as representatives of your governments, play a central role in shaping international cooperation, forging solidarity, and advancing the cause of peace and stability. 65 years ago, on the occasion of the 1960 All-African Conference convened in Leopoldville, modern day Kinshasa, Patrice Lumumba argued that “African unity and solidarity are no longer dreams. They must be expressed in decisions”. It is a Call to #ActForHumanity.
It is within this context that I wish to highlight a global initiative of urgent relevance and long-term significance. This initiative—led by Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and South Africa, in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross—seeks to galvanise political commitment for the respect, enforcement, and adaptation of International Humanitarian Law in our increasingly complex and volatile global landscape. Never before has this been more relevant and critical.
In September 2024, these six nations, together with the ICRC, formally launched the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitments to International Humanitarian Law at the United Nations General Assembly. This Initiative emerged in response to the growing urgency to strengthen respect for IHL amidst the intensifying human costs of modern armed conflict. It aims to promote renewed international dialogue and practical engagement on IHL, with the goal of reaffirming a shared global commitment to preserving humanity in times of war.
South Africa, as a founding member of the Initiative, continues to make to the clarion call to all to join this initiative. Today’s event—co-hosted with the ICRC Pretoria Regional Delegation for Southern Africa—is part of our collective commitment to this work. We have bought you here today as Heads of African Diplomatic Missions based in Pretoria, with the express aim of encouraging wider African Union State participation and recognising the valuable contributions of African States to a more inclusive and representative international conversation on IHL.
Despite the universal ratification of the Geneva Conventions and the well-established body of customary IHL, violations remain rampant, and the cost is staggering. Armed conflicts marked by impunity, indiscriminate attacks, and deliberate targeting of civilians are destroying entire societies, reversing decades of development, and fuelling cycles of displacement, radicalisation, and poverty. We are witnessing the erosion of basic humanitarian norms, the weaponisation of aid, and the vilification of those who attempt to uphold the law.
Recognising this dangerous trajectory, the aforementioned 6 states, together with the ICRC, launched the Global Initiative to galvanise political commitment for the respect, enforcement, and adaptation of International Humanitarian Law. This process includes a series of global consultations across seven carefully selected workstreams:
- the prevention of violations and sharing of good practices,
- the strengthening of national legal and institutional mechanisms,
- the use of IHL for peacebuilding,
- the protection of civilian infrastructure,
- safeguarding hospitals and medical facilities,
- the use of information and communication technologies in armed conflict,
- the modernisation of naval warfare laws.
These consultations, which began in May 2025, are expected to culminate in the 2026 Global Conference titled “Upholding Humanity in War.”
- QUO VADIS -WHERE TO & WHAT MUST DONE
Excellencies,
The active involvement of African countries in this Initiative is not only welcome—it is essential. Our continent has borne the brunt of armed conflicts, protracted displacements, and the underdevelopment that follows in their wake. We must ensure that Africa is not merely a recipient of global decisions but a contributor, a leader, and a moral compass for global peace and humanitarian integrity. The Initiative aligns seamlessly with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of “Silencing the Guns.”
We must harness our collective voice to promote the establishment and strengthening of IHL Committees across the continent. These bodies can serve as critical drivers for legislative reform, capacity-building, training of armed forces, and civilian awareness. Through them, we can translate global commitments into national compliance and foster a sustainable architecture of humanitarian governance.
We call on your governments to support, join, and actively promote this Global Initiative. Your diplomatic leadership is indispensable in mobilising political support, championing IHL domestically, and influencing your regions to uphold the principles of humanity in times of war.
South Africa and the ICRC are committed to walking this journey with you. We stand ready to provide technical support, share experiences, and facilitate dialogue between government, civil society, academia, and international partners. As we prepare for the 2026 Conference, we believe this process must reflect inclusivity, regional diversity, and a deep sensitivity to the lived realities of those affected by conflict.
This Initiative is not only a legal framework—it is a moral imperative. It affirms the progressive internationalist principles of International Solidarity and of Ubuntu—“I am because you are.” It reminds us that even in war, there must be limits; even amidst conflict, there must be compassion. As states, as representatives, and as human beings, we must rise above political expediency and place humanity at the centre of our international engagements.
As I conclude, let me reiterate South Africa’s unwavering belief that the rule of law must not be the first casualty of war. The dignity of every human being—whether in Gaza, Ukraine, the DRC, or Sudan—must be defended with equal fervour. Let us reaffirm our collective resolve to build a world where International Humanitarian Law is not merely observed when convenient but upheld always and everywhere.
Let us work together to silence the guns, to restore the sanctity of life, and to uphold the principles of dignity safety, security, equality and justice for all humanity.
I conclude, with an excerpt from Patrice Lumumba’s Thysville Prison Letter, address to his wife Mrs. Lumumba, which stated “the day will come when history will speak. But it will not be the history, which will be taught in Brussels, Paris, Washington or the United Nations… Africa will write its own history and in both north and south it will be a history of glory and dignity”.
The writing of Africa’s history must be expressed through concrete decisions.
It is a Call to #ActForHumanity.
I thank you.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION
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