President Michael D Higgins says UN Security Council failing ‘again and again' as Gaza suffers ‘forced starvation'
Speaking at the National Famine Commemoration in Kilmallock, Co Limerick, today, Mr Higgins said starvation is 'being used as an instrument of war' and that the population of Gaza is being subjected to 'forced starvation'.
He quoted UN Secretary General António Guterres, who said: 'As aid dries up, the floodgates of horror have re-opened... Gaza is a killing field – and civilians are in an endless death loop.'
He said the Irish Government is asking EU member states to work to avoid what will be 'a massive loss of life' in Gaza.
He added that aid trucks carrying vital food, medicine and water are currently blocked at 'three entry points to Gaza', including two Irish aid trucks.
During his speech, Mr Higgins called on the UN General Assembly to act when the Security Council 'fails' to deal with current famines.
'When the Security Council fails us as it does again and again, in responding to what I have been describing as the current conditions, we must return to the exceptional measures that are available to us that I remember discussing at the time of the Iraq war, that are available from the General Assembly,' he said.
"The General Assembly must speak and act if in fact the Security Council refuses to deal with the terrible famines that are now facing us in those parts of the world."
Speaking at the event in Co Limerick, Mr Higgins said the recurrence of famine is 'a great human failure' as he said people in Yemen and Sudan also suffer 'hunger and famine created by conflict'.
He said the collapse humanitarian aid and assistance has left a significantly reduced humanitarian capacity.
He said the Horn of Africa has experienced 'devastating hunger' three times in three decades, adding; 'On each occasion, the world said 'never again' when details of the famine were reported to the United Nations. Yet, each time, famine has returned.'
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the world is 'witnessing dangerous breaches and challenges to human rights around the world – be it in the plight of those enduring the horrific consequences of avoidable war and conflict, including food insecurity, the reappearance of old hatreds and the arrival of new forms of the scourges of hatred, racism and intolerance'.
Mr Higgins said National Famine Commemoration Day is a 'a solemn opportunity for the people of this island to reflect on and recall those who perished, the suffering and loss experienced by our Irish people in that cataclysmic period in our history to which we refer to as An Gorta Mór'.
"No other event in our history can be likened to the Great Famine for its immediate tragic impact, or its role in creating a massive increase in desperate and involuntary emigration, cultural loss, increased decline of the Irish language, and a general demoralisation of Irish shared life,' he said.
Over one million people died during the famine and over two million emigrated between 1845 and 1852, with a commemoration event today featuring a wreath-laying ceremony and other tributes to those who died.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
40 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
‘I haven't slept properly since I got here, there are sirens and chaos every night' – Irish woman describes how she sought refuge from LA riots
An Irish woman who was visiting Los Angeles said she had to take refuge in a bar as police and protesters clashed on the streets. As the Trump administration cracks down on immigrants, protests against raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spilled out into the wider downtown area of LA, with many shops looted and damaged.
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Government rejects motion calling on it to stop sale of 'Israeli war bonds'
GOVERNMENT HAS REJECTED a joint-proposal from the opposition which called on the Central Bank to stop facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds within the EU, an issue that has moved up the political agenda in Ireland in recent months. The motion, put forward by the Social Democrats and supported by Sinn Féin, People Before Profit and the Labour Party, sought the reversal of a previous government decision to block a bill calling for the same measure last month . Members of those parties on Monday requested that a free 'vote of conscience' take place on the issue – meaning that government TDs would not have to vote with their party. The motion was defeated this evening 85 to 71 in the government's favour. Israeli State Bonds have been advertised as a method to support the country's economy and, more recently, websites promoting the investments have emphasised their importance to Israel's military operations in Gaza. Some TDs, as a result, have dubbed the securities as 'Israeli war bonds'. Coalition-supporting TDs, independents Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole, repeated their vote to support the opposition's call . Both TDs previously said that they had a right to vote, as independents, in a manner they agreed with, pointing out that the programme for government does not include references to the issue. Advertisement Bonds from countries outside the EU must have legal documents approved by a central bank from a member state in order for the securities to be sold within the European single market. In the case of Israel, the country is Ireland. A protest outside the Dáil today calling on government to support the opposition's motion. Alamy Alamy The Central Bank itself is responsible for assessing whether the products it offers are compliant with these EU requirements. Since Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel's subsequent bombardment and siege of Gaza, there has been mounting pressure on the Government from pro-Palestinian activists in Ireland to stop the facilitation of the sale of these bonds. But, Governor of the Central Bank Gabriel Makhlouf today defended its offerings, telling TDs at an Oireachtas Committee that the UN's Genocide Convention applies only to the Irish State, not the country's banking regulator. Activists have demonstrated at the site in Dublin over the last number of months and have called for legislation that would give Ireland the power to refuse the sale of Israeli 'war bonds' over human rights concerns. Speaking during a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting this evening, finance minister Paschal Donohoe told members that oppositional TDs wanted the government to tell the state's banking regulator what to do, despite its mandated independence. The Dublin Central TD said government cannot approve legislation that impedes on the independence of the Central Bank for legal purposes. Opposition TDs argued this evening that, as the bonds are intended to fund the war in Gaza, Ireland has obligations under the UN's Genocide Convention to use 'all means likely to have a deterrent effect' on those suspected of committing such crimes. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
4 hours ago
- The Journal
'I was always with them': Man separated from family after deportation from Ireland to Nigeria
A MAN DEPORTED by the Irish government on a chartered flight to Nigeria last week has said he has been separated by his family because of the move. Rasheed Dimeji Ismail is challenging the deportation on the grounds that the State accepted that his wife Basirat and their three daughters faced threats of female genital mutilation if returned to Nigeria – yet he was still sent there. Rasheed – who is a chairman of a community garden organisation in Clondalkin in Dublin, after coming to Ireland three years ago – was among the 35 people deported to the west African country on the flight . It's the third such chartered deportation flight in the lifetime of the government. The 43-year-old was among a group of people deported last week who spoke to The Journal over a Zoom call today. He said he believes that the deportations are largely down to the government making them a 'scapegoat' because of the 'far-right and the anti-immigrant protests'. Rasheed and his solicitor are seeking for Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan to reverse the deportation. They have also expressed serious concern over the welfare of his wife who was receiving hospital treatment for a respiratory condition. 'I need to see my family,' Rasheed said. 'After my wife gave birth to my first born, I've never missed one week – I was always with them and if I was not with them, I would be with them on the phone.' He also called on O'Callaghan to come face to face with the men, women and children he had deported. 'The minister should see what they are doing to people,' he said. Advertisement 'My children were doing well in school, I was doing well, my wife was working, I was working before the deportation order. These are the people contributing to the country. We are all human.' Maeve Murphy, the chief executive of Clondalkin Global Garden where Rasheed volunteered and elected as chairman, told The Journal that it was important to see him returned. She said he was a respected member of the community in Clondalkin, even attending Áras an Uachtaráin last year for an event honouring volunteer groups with the president. Rasheed and Sabina Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin in 2023. His wife and three daughters – aged 13, ten and seven – were saved from deportation thanks to a last-minute injunction secured by the family's solicitor, on grounds that they faced threats of female genital mutilation if returned to Nigeria. Despite this reprieve for his family, Rashid was still deported as his solicitor could not make an application in time. Legal challenge Faisal Sadiq Khan, of FSK Solicitors, said that his firm is contending Rasheed's deportation on the grounds that it was not in compliance with the spirit of the law and international protection rules. 'His family in the state are also at a greater risk, and they're not able to look after themselves. His wife is really ill, and she's not able to look after their children without his help,' Khan said. Rashid's efforts to protect his wife and children from female genital mutilation have made him a target of the same groups, Khan said. 'Because of the brutality of the practice and the location where he is at, and the level of political support for that kind of practice, he is a specific target now because of what he had done,' Khan said. Rasheed would be able to return if the State approves his wife Basirat's application to remain, but another route exists if the State accepts that his removal and the separation of the family was incorrect. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
