The U.N. Security Council has unanimously adopted lately a resolution authorizing new measures to ensure that perpetrators of crimes against UN peacekeepers face justice. The move makes the Algeria-backed Polisario militias extremely anxious over the fallout of their rocket attacks that targeted the UN Mission in the Sahara.
Resolution 2823 on accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers sends the separatist group a firm message that attacks against UN peacekeeping forces are no longer viewed merely as incidents linked to the conflict. These aggressions will no longer be tolerated. They will trigger a legal investigation process to build a strong case for the prosecution of perpetrators for war crime.
The resolution, sponsored by Pakistan and Denmark and backed by more than 150 countries, filled the gaps in ensuring accountability. It authorizes Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to ensure that after future attacks, facts are collected and to support investigations and prosecutions of all violent acts.
The resolution calls upon all relevant stakeholders to cooperate with the UN to facilitate the identification, investigation and prosecution of perpetrators without delay.
Nearly 1,100 peacekeepers from countries around the world have lost their lives in the line of duty and thousands of others have been injured since 1948, according to U.N. peacekeeping department figures. Yet, the rate of prosecution for killings and other criminal acts against peacekeepers remains very low.
According to some analysts, time of accountability has come. The international community is watching the Polisario and its supporters. Their crimes will not go unpunished and justice will be served. The Polisario must feel cornered by the UN and U.S. Congress which is considering a bipartisan bill designating the separatists as a foreign terrorist organization.
