Tag: UN Africa News

Mankeur Ndiaye, head of the UN mission in the country, MINUSCA, said this “new security situation” is testing its ability to ensure civilians are protected.  An alliance of armed groups, known as the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), launched attacks ahead of the 27 December vote, which saw incumbent President, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, returned to power.    Assaults and ambushes… Read More

Although vaccines have been administered in 50 wealthier nations, Guinea is the sole low-income country on the continent to receive doses, with only 25 people being inoculated so far.  Meanwhile, Seychelles is the only African country to start a national vaccination campaign.  ‘We first, not me first’  “We first, not me first, is the only way to end the pandemic.… Read More

In a joint statement released on Wednesday by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the two agencies expressed their sadness at the tragic event, the first of 2021 in the Central Mediterranean. The boat reportedly capsized due to bad sea conditions when its engine stopped, just a few hours after embarking from… Read More

According to the agencies, growing insecurity and poor infrastructure are making it increasingly difficulty to reach families “completely reliant” on humanitarian assistance, amid fears that imminent rains and threat of cyclones could further compound the challenges.  “Coupled with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis has become even more complex”, regional heads of UN agencies in east and southern… Read More

The UN agency is seeking $38 million to continue work in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan.   Without this support, 28 aircraft that patrol the skies to spot and spray swarms could be grounded as early as March.  No time for complacency  Dominique Burgeon, FAO’s Director of Emergencies and Resilience, said the huge desert locust swarms in 2020, some as wide… Read More

Granted one-time admittance by the Ethiopian authorities to conduct a needs assessment, UNHCR led the first humanitarian mission to Mai Aini and Adi Harush refugee camps since the start of the conflict in November and found Eritrean refugees in “desperate need” of supplies and services, agency spokesperson Babar Baloch told journalists at a regular press briefing in Geneva.   “The assessment,… Read More

The attack took place some 17 kilometres (about 11 miles) from Bangassou, the capital of the Mbomou prefecture. UN peacekeepers had retaken control of the city on Friday, after it captured two weeks earlier by anti-government armed groups.  Mankeur Ndiaye, head of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR (MINUSCA), strongly condemned the attack and stressed that the Mission… Read More

According to media reports, at least 83 people, including women and children, have been killed and more than 160 wounded in inter-communal clashes this weekend. Several houses are also said to have been destroyed and about 50,000 people displaced.  In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres called on the Sudanese authorities to “expend all efforts to de-escalate… Read More

In a note responding to questions from journalists, Stéphane Dujarric said the UN chief is concerned about persistent violence in the North-West and South-West regions, mainly affecting civilians.  “He takes note of the willingness of the Government of Cameroon to launch an investigation into the 10 January incident in Mautu (in the South-West) that reportedly left at least 10 civilians… Read More

In an appeal for an immediate end to all bloodshed – which has included deadly clashes with UN peacekeepers – UNHCR also said that mass displacement has continued outside the country since the 27 December Presidential poll, reversing a trend of people returning to CAR in recent years.  UNHCR is calling for the immediate end to all violence in the… Read More