NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged warring factions across the world to lay down their arms and weapons in support of the much bigger battle against COVID-19, which he said is the common enemy that is now threatening all of the humankind.
He said that the fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war.
The UN Secretary-General called for an immediate global ceasefire across the world while saying that it is high time to put armed conflict on lockdown.
He said the ceasefire would allow humanitarians to reach to the people who are the most vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus that first emerged in Wuhan of China and now has been reported in more than 180 countries.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), so far, there are over 537,000 cases worldwide, and more than 24, 000 deaths.
He said that the COVID-19 does not care about any ethnicity or nationality, or other differences between people.
It ‘attacks all, relentlessly’, including during wartime, he added.
The UN chief also called on the warring parties to pull back from hostilities while urging them of putting aside animosity and mistrust, and “silence the guns; stop the artillery; end the airstrikes”.
He termed it crucial to ‘help create corridors’ for life-saving aid, and to bring hopes to places among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.’
(With inputs from Agencies)
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