UN chief slams rocket attack on Mariupol, Ukraine

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday strongly condemned rocket attack on the city of Mariupol, Ukraine, which reportedly killed dozens of civilians and left one hundred injured.

In a statement issued here by Ban's spokesperson, Ban noted that "rockets appear to have been launched indiscriminately into civilian areas, which would constitute a violation of international humanitarian law."

Ban also denounced unilateral withdrawal from the cease-fire by rebel leadership on Friday, particularly their provocative statements about claiming further territory, which Ban described as a violation of their commitments under the Minsk agreements.

In this regard, he urged all concerned to "redouble their efforts" to revive the Minsk agreements, saying that "Ukraine's peace, territorial integrity and stability, intrinsically linked to that of the broader region, must be urgently restored."

The agreements, reached in September last year in the Belarussian capital of Minsk between representatives from Kiev and the rebel leadership, have never been fully implemented.

Earlier in the day, heavy Grad rockets hit the Black Sea port city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine.

Currently, the death toll of the rocket attack has risen to 30, while almost a hundred people were wounded.

Alexandr Zakharchenko, leader of independence-seeking insurgents in eastern Ukraine, said that the rebel forces are launching an offensive on Mariupol, which has been under the control of the government forces since June. Endi