Maldives abstained from Srebrenica resolution vote 'to avoid diverting attention' from Gaza war

Maldives decided to abstain from the United Nations (UN) resolution to commemorate 1995 Srebrenica genocide in order to avoid diverting attention from the genocidal attacks being carried out by Israeli forces in Gaza, says a top government source.

Last week, the UN General Assembly voted to establish an annual day of remembrance for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. The resolution, written by Germany and Rwanda, received 84 votes in favor and 19 against with 68 abstentions on Thursday. It makes July 11 the International Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide.

The Maldives had abstained from the vote, sparking criticism from the public, and demands for an explanation.

A top government official with knowledge of the situation told Sun on Monday that timing of the vote was questionable. He alleged that the vote was an attempt to divert attention from Israel’s genocidal attack on Palestine.

The official said the Maldivian government decided to abstain to avoid diverting attention from the catastrophic situation in Gaza.

He added that the government made the decision also because the nations party to the resolution had failed to reach a consensus, and because Maldives did not want to create greater conflict in a case the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) already has made a decision regarding.

“It is not Maldivian foreign policy to interfere and have a say in a domestic conflict of any foreign nation. The government’s policy is to refrain from conflicts between countries and to maintain policies that protect the best interests of this country,” said the official.

He said that many Islamic nations, like the Maldives, chose to abstain from the vote, “in order to avoid getting involved in the current regional power struggle.”

Other countries that chose to abstain include India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and many African nations. Meanwhile, China had been among the countries that voted against the resolution.

Bosnian Serb forces captured Srebrenica, a UN-protected enclave at the time, on July 11, 1995, a few months before the end of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s civil war.

In the following days, Bosnian Serb forces killed about 8,000 Muslim men and teenagers – a crime described as a genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice.

The incident is considered the worst single atrocity in Europe since World War II.

In addition to establishing the memorial day, the resolution condemns “any denial” of the genocide and urges UN member countries to “preserve the established facts”.

In a letter to other UN members, Germany and Rwanda described the vote as a “crucial opportunity to unite in honoring the victims and acknowledging the pivotal role played by international courts”.