Senior United Nations officials have condemned the terrorist attack in a café in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka that reportedly killed 20 hostages over the weekend.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “condemns the terrorist attack” and “hopes that those behind this crime will be identified and brought to justice,” his spokesperson said in a statement, adding that Mr. Ban “stands firmly by Bangladesh as it confronts this threat and stresses the need to intensify regional and international efforts to prevent and combat terrorism.”
The Secretary General also assured the Government that the UN is prepared to assist in efforts to prevent violent extremism in all its forms, the spokesperson said.
A condemnation also came from the UN tourism agency. “UNWTO [World Tourism Organization] strongly condemns the hideous attack perpetrated yesterday in a cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh,” Taleb Rifai, the agency’s Secretary-General, said in a statement. “This is not an attack on Bangladesh but is once again an attack on our way of life, an attack on freedom,” he added.
Mogens Lykketoft, the President of the UN General Assembly, also condemned the terrorist attack. “We must stand together again terror,” Mr. Lykketoft said. “This deadly and cowardly act must not go unpunished,” he said and added that he hoped that the perpetrators of this crime would be identified and brought swiftly to justice.
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), reiterated his solidarity with the Government of Bangladesh in its efforts to combat all forms of terrorism and violent extremism.
The UN officials all conveyed their heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of the victims, as well as the people and Government of Bangladesh.
The United Nations Security Council has also joined the international chorus condemning this terrorist attack. In a press statement issued, the Council “condemns the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack […], which resulted in more than 20 Bangladeshi nationals and foreigners, including development workers, killed and many injured.”
The 15-member body reaffirmed that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security,” underscoring the need for all States to combat such threats by all means.
The Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice, urging all States to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard.
The Council also reiterated that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is “criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of its motivation and wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed,” and “should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnic group.”