Deputy Alvin Botes: African Ambassadors Corp

Theme: “Global Initiative to Galvanise Political Support and Commitments to International Humanitarian Law”
Tuesday, 19 August 2025, Pretoria

Salutations

HE Ambassador Salih Omar Abdu, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in South Africa and Ambassador of Eritrea to South Africa,
HE Ambassadors Fonseco Filho, Wu, Martinon, Ayyad and Akhinzhanov, Members of the Core Group,
Mr Jules Amoti, Head of the Southern Africa Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross,
Distinguished Members of the African Diplomatic Corps,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction and background

Allow me to dedicate today’s gathering to a solemn but powerful observance. Today, 19 August, marks International Humanitarian Day—a day when the world pauses to honour humanitarian workers who risk and often sacrifice their lives to protect civilians, deliver food and medicine, and safeguard the dignity of those caught in the crossfire of conflict and disaster.

It is a day that reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit, international human solidarity and the unwavering commitment to alleviate suffering in the darkest of times. This tribute is particularly poignant given our theme today: International Humanitarian Law. Behind every article of every treaty are human beings whose survival depends on our collective courage to uphold the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.

Let us remember those who have fallen in service and reaffirm our commitment to protect those who continue this noble work across Africa and the globe.

It is indeed an honour to address you today on the importance of strengthening respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL), a cornerstone of international law. IHL is the foundation that upholds our shared humanity in times of conflict, war, tragedy, and profound suffering.

Today our geopolitical disorder has resulted in a drastic rise in asymmetrical and hybrid warfare and what many analysts increasingly define as a protracted polycrisis. It has created a geopolitical environment which is volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, uncharted, turbulent, and anarchic. We are witnessing a rapid rise in right-wing populism, narrow nationalism, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other related intolerances. There has also been a drastic increase in asymmetrical and hybrid warfare globally by both state and non-state actors. In Africa there are more than 20 conflicts, and the Middle East remains a tinderbox with recent wars in Lebanon, Iran and Syria. The historical body of evidence indicates that Israel remains committed to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians through a genocidal war against them.

It is within this dangerous and tragic global context that international law in general is so important, and the moral and legal clarity offered by International Humanitarian Law is more relevant and critical than ever.

Policy context

South Africa’s steadfast commitment to international law, including IHL, is not merely rhetorical. It is deeply embedded in the DNA of our democratic project and our foreign policy architecture. As a High Contracting Party to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols of 1977, and through the domestic application of these treaties via our Implementation of the Geneva Conventions Act (Act 8 of 2012), South Africa has consistently championed the centrality of IHL to peace, justice, and international cooperation.

Our approach to IHL is framed by our historic and constitutional commitment to human rights, social justice, equality, self-determination and the indivisibility of peace and dignity for all peoples.

We must also confront the devastating humanitarian crises unfolding across our own continent. Africa today is home to some of the most acute emergencies in the world, each marked by mass displacement, starvation, and untold human suffering.

In Sudan, the brutal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has triggered one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises. More than 10 million people have been forced from their homes, both internally and across borders, creating the largest displacement crisis globally. Entire cities have been reduced to rubble. Humanitarian convoys are obstructed, hospitals attacked, and civilians subjected to starvation as a method of warfare.

In South Sudan, decades of fragile peace continue to teeter under the weight of communal violence, food insecurity, and climate-induced flooding. Nearly two-thirds of the population—over 7 million people—face severe food insecurity, while millions of children remain at risk of malnutrition.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the resurgence of armed groups, particularly in the eastern provinces, has displaced millions. Sexual violence has once again been weaponised on a horrifying scale. Camps for internally displaced people are overcrowded, under-resourced, and exposed to cholera and measles outbreaks.

We cannot overlook the Horn of Africa, where Somalia faces a dire intersection of terrorism, drought, and famine, leaving millions dependent on humanitarian aid for sheer survival.

These crises are not isolated—they are interconnected. They feed regional instability, reverse decades of development, and test our collective resolve to uphold the principles of humanitarian law. When civilians are massacred, when aid workers are killed, when famine is weaponised, we are witnessing not just violations of law but violations of the very conscience of humanity.

It is therefore incumbent upon Africa’s leaders, diplomats, and peoples to raise our voice with equal clarity against these tragedies as we do for Gaza, Ukraine, or elsewhere. Our solidarity must not be selective—it must be consistent, principled, and unyielding.

It is impossible to overstate the catastrophic human toll that results when IHL is ignored or systematically violated. The tragic and unacceptable consequences of non-compliance can be seen most starkly today in the ongoing humanitarian and genocidal catastrophe in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Since October 2023, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, the overwhelming majority civilians. At least 18,430 were children and 9,735 were women. Between October 2023 and mid-August 2025, the death toll among journalists in Gaza ranges from approximately 220–274. Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for media workers in modern history.

More than 400 aid workers have also been killed, the majority from UNRWA, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Red Crescent, and other UN agencies. Starvation has been used as a method of warfare and civilians have been killed while trying to access food aid.

South Africa condemns these actions unequivocally. Just as we condemn the aggression against Ukraine and the suffering in Sudan and the Sahel, we must show the same moral clarity when civilians are slaughtered in Gaza. Selective application of international law is, in itself, a betrayal of justice.

Building international solidarity in defence of IHL

You, as representatives of your governments, play a central role in shaping international cooperation, forging solidarity, and advancing the cause of peace and stability.

It is within this context that I wish to highlight a global initiative of urgent relevance and long-term significance. This initiative—led by Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and South Africa, in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross—seeks to galvanise political commitment for the respect, enforcement, and adaptation of International Humanitarian Law.

In September 2024, this Initiative was formally launched at the United Nations General Assembly. It aims to promote renewed international dialogue and practical engagement on IHL, with the goal of reaffirming a shared global commitment to preserving humanity in times of war.

South Africa, as a founding member, continues to call for wider African Union State participation. Today’s event—co-hosted with the ICRC Pretoria Regional Delegation—is part of our commitment to this work.

This Initiative is built around seven workstreams:

• the prevention of violations and sharing of good practices

• the strengthening of national legal and institutional mechanisms

• the use of IHL for peacebuilding

• the protection of civilian infrastructure

• safeguarding hospitals and medical facilities

• the use of information and communication technologies in armed conflict

• the modernisation of naval warfare laws

These consultations began in May 2025 and will culminate in the 2026 Global Conference titled “Upholding Humanity in War.”

Quo vadis – where to and what must be done

The active involvement of African countries in this Initiative is not only welcome—it is essential. Our continent must be a leader and a moral compass for global peace and humanitarian integrity.

We must harness our collective voice to promote the establishment and strengthening of IHL Committees across the continent. These can serve as drivers for legislative reform, capacity-building, armed forces training, and public awareness.

We call on your governments to support and join this Global Initiative. Your diplomatic leadership is indispensable in mobilising political support and championing IHL.

South Africa and the ICRC stand ready to support you, share experiences, and help shape an inclusive, representative international process leading to the 2026 Conference.

This is not only a legal framework—it is a moral imperative. Even in war, there must be limits; even amidst conflict, there must be compassion.

As I conclude, let me reiterate South Africa’s unwavering belief that the rule of law must not be the first casualty of war. The dignity of every human being—whether in Gaza, Ukraine, the DRC, or Sudan—must be defended with equal fervour.

Let us work together to silence the guns, to restore the sanctity of life, and to uphold the principles of dignity, safety, security, equality and justice for all humanity.

I conclude with an excerpt from Patrice Lumumba’s Thysville Prison Letter to his wife:
“The day will come when history will speak. But it will not be the history which will be taught in Brussels, Paris, Washington or the United Nations… Africa will write its own history and in both north and south it will be a history of glory and dignity.”

The writing of Africa’s history must be expressed through concrete decisions.

It is a Call to #ActForHumanity.

I thank you.

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