Tag: UN Africa News

In the Sinawe Thuthuzela Care Centre, located in the small town of Mthatha in Eastern Cape Province, Lerato*, a 20-year-old first-year student at the local university, bends forward on her chair, her head fixed to the floor. She looks sad, tired and dejected, avoiding any eye contact. Dressed in a pink tank top and fading jeans with a small yellow handbag… Read More

Some 360 artisans based around Menaka, in the far northeast of the West African nation, some of whom fled as refugees to neighbouring Niger, have been encouraged to return to the town’s newly restored House of Artisans to practice a range of traditional crafts, including leatherwork, silver-smithing, sewing and carpentry.  MINUSMA, which supported the restoration, is hoping bringing artisans together… Read More

The development comes a day after Mr. Guterres and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed discussed the extremely concerning humanitarian situation in the northern province.  Eight months of brutal fighting between federal forces and regional troops have displaced nearly two million people, while 400,000 are in famine, with another 1.8 million not far behind.  Assurances and commitment  “The Secretary-General welcomed the… Read More

Bintou Keita, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC, said fresh strides towards peace and stability are prerequisites for the mission, known as MONUSCO, to responsibly withdraw, in line with its planned drawdown.  Crisis in the east  The security and humanitarian situations in the eastern Congolese provinces of Ituri, North and South Kivu, continue to be… Read More

Henrietta Fore, the agency’s Executive Director, said these incidents appear to be increasing in frequency, raising fears for the safety and wellbeing of children in the region.  It is not enough to condemn these crimes, not when millions of children face a worsening protection crisis. Children in these areas need concerted action to ensure that they can safely live, go… Read More

UN Spokesperson  Stéphane Dujarric reported that 23 displacement sites in the regional capital, Mekelle, did not have access to water as pumps could not operate due to the lack of fuel. Transportation of humanitarian and commercial supplies into the region has also been affected.  I’m deeply concerned with the present situation in Tigray. It is essential to have a real ceasefire… Read More

In a report published ahead of the country’s milestone anniversary on 9 July, UNICEF found a record 4.5 million youngsters, or two-thirds of children in South Sudan, are in desperate need of support.  The child mortality rate is among the highest in the world, the agency added, with one in 10 children not expected to reach their fifth birthday. Malnutrition… Read More

Unrest first began in the last absolute monarchy in Africa, in May, when students took to the streets to call for accountability for the death of a 25-year-old law student, allegedly at the hands of the police. In late June, these protests grew into daily pro-democracy marches in several locations around the Kingdom, with protesters voicing deep-seated political and economic… Read More

Thousands of Somalis who fled persecution and civil war in the Horn of Africa country have benefitted from resettlement programmes in third countries like the US. Muhidin Libah is one of them. He told UN News how he set up the Somali Bantu Community Association in Lewiston, Maine, to both preserve Somali Bantu culture and help the former refugees integrate… Read More

Painting a grim picture, Ramesh Rajasingham, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that 400,000 people have “crossed the threshold into famine” – with another 1.8 million on the brink of following them. In Tigray, Ethiopia, there must be:•Adherence by all parties to a ceasefire•Restoration of national unity through inclusive dialogue and reconciliation•Unhindered humanitarian access, assistance•Accountability for… Read More