Tag: UN Africa News

The alert comes amid the worst floods in a decade, which have swept across Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Cameroon. UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado said that hundreds of people had died in Nigeria, where floodwaters in the northeast swept through sites for internally displaced people and host communities in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States. Crisis, is now Ms.… Read More

“There are 5.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Tigray; that number includes 3.8 million people who are in need of health assistance and we need to reach these people,” said Ilham Abdelhai Nour, World Health Organization Team Lead for Ethiopia, Incident Management System and Emergencies Operations. ‘No access to Tigray’ “We have access in Amhara and Afar,… Read More

To break the country’s cycle of turmoil, they also called for an independent accountability and transitional justice mechanism with a mandate to address human rights violations committed during protests.  This would also involve a focus on the gendered nature of the violence, and the provision of suitable reparations to victims.  Ongoing abuse  “Over the past year, we have received continued… Read More

Special Representative Abdoulaye Bathily arrived in the country this month and has been prioritizing consultations with political, institutional, security and civil society representatives, in a bid to address these challenges.  “The situation in Libya calls for a consensus State re-legitimation process. Legitimate institutions capable of providing for the basic needs of the people must be established on the basis of… Read More

Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk has deplored the deadly use of force against demonstrators, including killings by live ammunition, the Office said in a statement.  Thousands took to the streets in the capital, N’Djamena, and other cities on Thursday, to protest the 24-month extension of the transition to civilian rule.  ‘Lethal repression’  Some 50 people were killed, including a… Read More

Infrastructure and farmland have also been damaged, said the statement issued on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, worsening the cost of living across the country.   He extended his deepest condolences to the Government of Nigeria and to the affected families, reiterating the UN’s continuing “commitment to supporting the Government of Nigeria in this challenging time.” © UNICEF/Esiebo/Abraham Achirga More than 1.5 million… Read More

The ability of education systems to ensure even rudimentary literacy skills for their students has declined in four out of 10 African countries over the last three decades.  The findings are published in the first of a three-part series of Spotlight reports on foundational learning in Africa, called Born to Learn, published by the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report at UNESCO, the Association… Read More

Valentine Rugwabiza, who also heads up the UN Stabilization Mission in CAR, said ‘blue helmets’ had paid a key role in civilian protection as the threat from armed groups and other violent actors continues, as well as in delivering lifesaving humanitarian aid. Robust action The mission has taken a “robust, preventive, and proactive posture in response to alerts received from… Read More

The appeal by the members of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan follows a visit to Ethiopia where they urged African countries, and other stakeholders, to renew support for the deal’s implementation.  They said the conflict in South Sudan has become increasingly complex but the level of suffering for millions of civilians remains intolerable.  Time and lives… Read More

El-Ghassim Wane, head of the UN mission in Mali, MINUSMA, presented the latest UN Secretary-General’s report on the peacekeeping operation. He briefed ambassadors on progress in the transition and peace process, while also addressing ongoing insecurity and rising humanitarian needs.  Mr. Wane was speaking a day after a MINUSMA vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in the Kidal region, located… Read More