Civilians still bear brunt of conflict in east Ukraine: UN report

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Thursday that civilians living in conflict-affected areas of eastern Ukraine continue to suffer amid ongoing violence between government forces and armed groups.

Citing a new report by its local office in Ukraine, findings show that 32 civilians were killed and 132 injured between Aug. 16 and Nov. 15 this year as a result of military operations.

This brings the total death toll (including military fatalities) to 9,758 since the conflict broke out in mid-April 2014.

"It is of deep concern that government forces and armed groups operating in civilian areas do not take all feasible precautions against the effects of fighting, resulting in damage to schools, kindergartens and medical facilities," the report said.

"Agricultural land used for military purposes and contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war has a detrimental impact on people's access to livelihoods," it added.

According to findings, those living near the contact line between government-controlled and armed group-controlled territory in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions suffer not only from a lack of security but also from systematic human rights violations.

With winter now in full swing, the report also found that civilians living in close proximity to the contact-line have limited or no access to water and electricity.

The exact number of people who have gone missing during the conflict also remains unknown, while the use of prohibited weapons continues to be documented, it said.

The report also called for "the withdrawal of foreign fighters, pull-out of all heavy weaponry, pardon and amnesty through law and with due regard for human rights". Endit