HI condemns the deadly missile strikes in Sumy, Ukraine on Palm Sunday

Yesterday, Sunday 13 April, a Russian missile strike killed at least 34 people and injured around 100 people, including children, in Sumy, Ukraine, according to local emergency services. The missiles hit two buildings: the University of Sumy and a supermarket, at a time when they were very busy as families were celebrating Palm Sunday.

This is the second attack in less than a month on this city. On 24 March, a previous missile strike injured 74 civilians, a quarter of whom were children. In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of bombings on populated areas in Ukraine. The consequences on civilians are terrible: serious injuries and even death, destruction of vital infrastructure, long-term psychological trauma.

Humanity & Inclusion strongly denounces the harm caused to civilians by bombing and shelling of towns and cities taking place in the current Russian/Ukrainian war as they are all violations to international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

Civilians are not a target. Their protection is our priority.