Tag: UN Africa News

Despite a pledge by President Evariste Ndayishimiye to address the situation in the country after years of violent repression, crimes including arbitrary detention and execution, torture and intimidation, have not stopped, according to the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi. Despite President Évariste Ndayishimiye’s promise to improve #humanrights and the rule of law after years of violent repression in #Burundi, structural measures to bring lasting change have yet to be seen, says a new report to #HRC48 by the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi. pic.twitter.com/q7oIKFR4qZ — UN Human Rights Council…

Nicholas Haysom, UN Special Representative and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said 30 August saw the inauguration of the reconstituted Parliament, with members sworn in on 2 August – including the first female Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and female Deputy Speaker of the Council of States.  SRSG Haysom to #UNSC: Increase in sub-national violence, as seen in Greater Tonj, Tambura and elsewhere is of real concern; situation is aggravated by the proliferation of small arms, and, outside Juba, the under-resourced state governance and…

In an update to the UN Human Rights Council (OHCHR) on the situation in the northernmost regional state in Ethiopia, Ms. Bachelet said the conflict has “continued unabated,” and “risks spilling over to the whole Horn of Africa”.  In the last few months, “mass detentions, killings, systematic looting, and sexual violence” have created “an atmosphere of fear and an erosion of living conditions that resulted in the forced displacement of the Tigrayan civilian population. Civilian suffering is widespread, and impunity is pervasive, she said.  Joint investigation  The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights…

In #SouthSudan 🍲7.24M people don’t have enough food🧒🏿1.4M children are malnourished👣Almost 2M people are internally displaced@WFP provides food and nutrition assistance & implements resilience programs that supports millions of people in the country🌾 pic.twitter.com/enbpl6zCqW — WFP South Sudan (@WFP_SouthSudan) September 13, 2021 “Drastic times call for drastic measures. We are forced to take these painful decisions and stretch our limited resources to meet the critical needs of people who were on the brink of starvation and now risk slipping back into catastrophe, if their access to food diminishes”, said Matthew…

In her various meetings in the capital, Mogadishu, Ms. Mohammed highlighted the country’s parliamentary elections as an opportunity to build on the progress made in women’s political participation. She also emphasized that women’s full inclusion in all sectors of society would contribute to greater resilience, peace, and stability in the Horn of Africa country.  ‘The peace dividend will not happen without women’ Currently, Somalia is holding elections for its Upper House, and is preparing for elections for its Lower House, known as the House of the People. The UN and…

Ján Kubiš, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) briefed ambassadors on developments ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections due to take place on 24 December.  They were agreed under a political roadmap stemming from the historic October 2020 ceasefire between Libya’s rival authorities, and the establishment of a Government of National Unity (GNU) earlier this year.  At the crossroads  “Libya is at a crossroads where positive or negative outcomes are equally possible,” said Mr. Kubiš.  “With the elections there is an…

In the two most affected provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, UNHCR and its partners recorded more than 1,200 civilian deaths and 1,100 rapes, constituting a total of 25,000 human rights abuses.  Speaking in Geneva, UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov said the violence “continues to cost lives and drive people from their homes”.   Soap is prepared for distribution by UNHCR in a warehouse in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. , by © UNHCR/Michelle Ehouman Host families ‘exhausted’  In total, more than a million Congolese have been internally displaced in the east of the country…

More than 260 suspected cases and 129 deaths have been reported in Tshopo Province; a high case fatality ratio of 50 per cent, the UN health agency said on Wednesday.   Tests carried out by the Institut Pasteur in Paris, detected Neisseria meningitis.   It is one of the most frequent strains of the bacterial form of the disease, and it has the potential to cause large epidemics.  WHO said that more than 100 patients are receiving treatment at home and in health centres in Banalia, the community affected by the outbreak.   Meningitis is potentially fatal and must…

This month, WFP started delivering emergency assistance to communities in regions bordering war-torn Tigray. So far, the conflict has forced 300,000 people from their homes and 1.7 million into the nextdoor provinces of Afar and Amhara.   In coordination with Ethiopia’s Federal and Regional Government authorities, the goal is to reach 530,000 people in Afar and 250,000 people in Amhara. The operation will scale up as needs increase and funding is received.  In Tigray, food security continues to worsen, and WFP and its partners are struggling to scale up and meet the urgent food needs of 5.2 million people.  Stocks exhausted  Food stocks were almost entirely depleted until Monday, when the first convoy for over…

Since 12 July, less than 10 per cent of the trucks that should have reached desperate populations affected by months of fighting, have managed to get through, according to the UN aid coordination office OCHA.  The humanitarian situation in #Tigray is worsening with relief supplies running very low. 1.7 million people are estimated to face food insecurity in #Afar and #Amhara. Parties to the conflict must allow timely, safe and sustained access to all people affected by the crisis. — UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) September 1, 2021 It noted that the only access route to Tigray,…