Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Timothy Musa Kabba, on Wednesday, 6th March, 2024, called for an immediate ceasefire of the fighting in Gaza, to prevent the further loss of civilians, especially women and children who form the bulk of casualties.

Speaking at the Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, the Honorable Minister said there was no longer any safe haven in the Gaza strip for the innocent and defenseless civilians as schools, hospitals, places of worship and residential buildings are systematically targeted and razed to the ground, creating enormous flows of forced displaced civilians.

“Excellencies, Sierra Leone therefore continues, during its current tenure at the United Nations Security Council, to reaffirm its commitment to the international legal order and multilateralism as embodied in the Charter of the United Nations and related international instruments. Sierra Leone reiterates the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and calls for renewed political and diplomatic efforts that will facilitate the “two-state solution” that will ensure Israel and Palestine live side by side, in long lasting peace and security,” he said.

The Honourable Kabbah said parties to the conflict should respect and comply with obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law to protect civilians and their objects, particularly those critical for the survival of civilians under the prevailing dire circumstances.

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Earlier, the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, who also served as Chairman of the CFM conference emphasized the need to demand that the international community and the UN Security Council stop Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people by ensuring the protection of civilians, lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip, and allowing the permanent access of humanitarian relief aid.

The Saudi Foreign Minister expressed concerns over the dire consequences of targeting and storming the city of Rafah.

“The plans to expand military operations towards Rafah will only bring more suffering to the targeted and defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah reiterated the necessity of ending the suffering and providing hope for the Palestinian people, enabling them to secure their rights to live in safety and determine their destiny. He added that this could happen through a credible path towards the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions.

According to reports, the overall Palestinian death toll is over 30,700 – according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures, but says women and children make up around two-thirds of the total casualties.

Foreign Ministers and representatives of the OIC Member States comprising 57 countries who participated at the Extraordinary Session in Jeddah on Wednesday condemned the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and called for an immediate ceasefire of the conflict