The United Nations has publicly condemned recent military strikes by the Donald Trump administration - carried out against vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific - as “unacceptable” and potentially in violation of international human-rights law.
Key facts:
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The statement came from Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at a briefing in Geneva on October 31 2025. He pressed for an independent investigation of the strikes.
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According to the UN, the strikes were conducted outside of any recognised armed conflict, and lethal force must only be used as a last resort. The operations resulted in at least 61 deaths since early September, according to US sources.
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The Trump administration defends the campaign as crucial to halting narcotics entering the United States, framing it as part of the fight against “narco-terrorism”.
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Regional states including Colombia have voiced concern that the strikes violate sovereignty and international law.
Context & implications:
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The strikes mark a sharp escalation of the US approach to maritime drug-trafficking
