27 July 2010 - UNAMA is deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Rege in Helmand Province on 23 July. It is essential that the current ISAF-Afghan Government investigation be completed in a thorough, transparent and timely manner, and that the findings be made public as soon as possible. UNAMA’s human rights office is also gathering information on this matter. Dari - Pashto

“While the Government and ISAF determine the facts of what occurred in Rege, where reports detail a large number of civilian deaths and injuries, I once again highlight the need for all sides to meet their obligations to protect civilians,” said Staffan de Mistura, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA.

UNAMA emphasizes that all parties to an armed conflict have responsibilities under international law to protect civilians and minimize the impact of their actions on the civilian population and civilian objects – such as schools and hospitals. All parties are obliged to:
- not attack civilians and civilian objects
- not launch attacks where death and damage to civilians and civilian objects would be excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage
- take constant care to spare the civilian population and take all feasible precautions to avoid and minimize civilian deaths and injuries
- never use civilians as human shields to protect fighters from attack

“Any loss of civilian life is tragic, and we offer our sincere condolences to family members and the community, and wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” said de Mistura.

Note to editors
UNAMA’s human rights office is focused on mitigating the effects of the conflict on civilians: it investigates, monitors and analyzes information on specific incidents of civilian casualties (deaths and injuries of civilians caused by all parties to the conflict), produces regular public reports on civilian casualties and advocates for measures to reduce the numbers of civilians killed, injured and detrimentally affected by the conflict.

UNAMA will publish its mid-year report on the protection of civilians in the coming weeks, detailing the impact of the conflict on Afghan civilians from January to June 2010.