António Guterres and the government of Ghana have condemned an attack that occurred on Friday at a United Nations facility in southern Lebanon.
The incident left three Ghanaian peacekeepers working for the United Nations seriously injured.
Ghana said it has formally submitted a complaint to the UN and called for those responsible for the attack to be identified and punished.
According to the Ghanaian authorities, the assault represents a serious violation of international law and could be regarded as a war crime because it targeted UN peacekeepers who operate under internationally guaranteed protection.
Joseph Aoun has accused Israel of carrying out attacks, while the UN peacekeeping mission has indicated that it will investigate the incident.
A spokesperson for the UN, Stéphane Dujarric, said that Secretary-General Guterres “strongly condemns the incident that happened on Friday, March 6, where three Ghanaian peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured while stationed in Al Qawzah in southwestern Lebanon.”
The UN chief stressed that the safety and security of UN personnel and facilities must always be protected, adding that those responsible for harming peacekeepers must be held accountable and that UN property must be respected at all times.
In an official letter to the UN, the Ghanaian government requested a comprehensive, swift, transparent and impartial investigation into the attack on personnel working to maintain international peace and security.
Meanwhile, Germany has also condemned the incident.
The German Foreign Ministry described the attack as “unacceptable.”
“Targeting UN peacekeepers is unacceptable. We strongly oppose the attack on a UNIFIL facility in southern Lebanon, which has injured several Ghanaian peacekeepers,” the ministry said in a statement posted on X.
The statement further urged all parties involved in the conflict to ensure the safety and protection of UN peacekeepers at all times.
