GENEVA, Switzerland, April 30, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A group of United Nations experts* today condemned the violence in Burundi and urged the authorities to uphold human rights, including freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly. They also called for a thorough and independent investigation into the human rights violations so that the perpetrators are brought to justice. Over the past days, Burundi has suffered a wave of killings, arbitrary arrests, intimidation, the closure of media outlets, and the targeting of human rights defenders. This has taken place in the context of peaceful protests against the decision…
Author: apofeed
DALIAN, China, April 30, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — During a historic visit to China the Government of Equatorial Guinea, represented by the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy (http://www.equatorialoil.com), has announced the signing of multiple memoranda of understanding on April 30 with Chinese companies covering large areas of cooperation in the electricity and industrial sectors. The agreements were made during the Equatorial Guinea-Asia Economic Forum, hosted by the Government of Equatorial Guinea at the Shangri-La Hotel, in Dalian. The economic forum was organized in Dalian to introduce investment opportunities in Equatorial Guinea to Chinese companies. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/equatoil.pngThe Ministry of…
JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, April 30, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Brand South Africa (http://www.brandsouthafrica.com) has participated in a number of platforms aimed at condemning the violent crimes committed in the past few weeks and implementation of interventions to quell the violence.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/bsa.jpgTrue to the spirit and letter of the South African constitution (which puts emphasis on the rule of law), all hands were on deck in the past week in acts of condemnation to the crimes committed against fellow human beings that led to the death offour nationals from various countries in our beloved continentand three South Africans. President Jacob Zuma…
BERLIN, Germany, April 30, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Christoph Strässer, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, issued the following statement today (29 April) on the Kenyan High Court’s decision on the rights of an LGBTI organisation:I warmly welcome the decision by the High Court of Kenya. It is a groundbreaking acknowledgement that the right to freedom of assembly and the rights of minorities, including sexual orientation minorities, must be guaranteed full protection, even in the face of widespread existing prejudice. The Federal Government calls upon the Kenyan Government to continue to work towards ensuring LGBTI…
NDJAMENA, Chad, April 30, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) have decided to support US$1.1 billion in total debt relief for Chad, of which US$1.0 billion is expected to be delivered by multilateral creditors and the remainder by bilateral and commercial creditors.The Boards of Directors of both institutions1 determined that Chad has made satisfactory progress in meeting the requirements to reach the completion point under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, the stage at which the HIPC debt relief becomes irrevocable and the country will benefit from…
WASHINGTON, April 30, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press StatementMarie HarfActing Department Spokesperson, Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DCApril 29, 2015The United States strongly condemns the recent violence in and around Menaka, Timbuktu and Goundam, Mali. We call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and return to their previous positions in compliance with all applicable ceasefire agreements. This violence is an obstacle to peace. We recall that in statement by the President of the United Nation’s Security Council on February 6, 2015, the Council expressed its readiness to consider appropriate measures, including targeted sanctions, against those who resume hostilities and…
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of the Congo, April 29, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Government of Congo will incinerate nearly five tons of seized ivory, fuelled by seized timber, in a strong show of Africa’s opposition to wildlife crime. The ceremony will precede the announcement, in Brazzaville, of the first pan-African strategy to combat the illicit trade in flora and fauna. The document and a draft action plan will be taken to the African Union Summit to be held in Johannesburg in June. Wildlife trafficking devastates biodiversity and ecosystems, threatening the supply of food and freshwater and eroding livelihoods for millions…
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, April 29, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo follow with concern the situation in Burundi. Last Saturday, Belgium was one of the first countries to call for the respect of the public space and of human rights. Belgium condemns all forms of violence and intimidation against civilians, the political opposition and human rights activists. Those who commit violent acts or human rights violations will be personally held responsible.Belgium pays particular attention to the involvement of…
ROME, Italy, April 29, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Somalia in 2014 exported a record 5 million livestock to markets in the Gulf of Arabia thanks to heavy investments in animal disease prevention backed by the European Union and the United Kingdom, FAO said today. This is the highest number of live animals exported from Somalia in the last 20 years. The export data, collected by the FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU), indicates that Somalia exported 4.6 million goats and sheep, 340,000 cattle and 77,000 camels in 2014, worth an estimated $360 million.Livestock is the mainstay of…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 29, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 500th meeting held on 27 April 2015, reviewed the situation in Libya on the basis of the report submitted by the Chairperson of the Commission [PSC/PR/3(D)] and the update provided by the AU Special Envoy for Libya, Dileita Mohamed Dileita. Council also listened to the statements made by the representative of Libya, as well as by those of Algeria and Egypt, on behalf of the Ministerial Committee of Libya’s neighbours, Ethiopia, the League of Arab States, the European…
GENEVA, Switzerland, April 29, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Deploring the violence in Burundi that has led to the reported deaths of several protesters in clashes with police in the past few days, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has urged all sides to exercise utmost restraint and avoid further bloodshed. IPU has been increasingly concerned by the growing violence following street protests against President Nkurunziza’s bid to stand for a third term and the deployment of armed police to respond to the demonstrations. The protests are the largest the country has reportedly witnessed since the end of the civil war in…
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press StatementJeff RathkeActing Deputy Department Spokesperson, Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DCApril 28, 2015We condemn the attacks by Boko Haram on Karamga Island in Lake Chad, which killed 48 Nigerien security forces and wounded another 37, with others still missing. We offer our condolences to the Government and people of Niger and to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and who are missing.We condemn the violent actions of Boko Haram and its continued disregard for human life. Boko Haram has perpetrated countless unprovoked attacks on men, women, and…
BAMAKO, Mali, April 28, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In light of the dangerous developments on the ground in Ménaka yesterday and in Timbuktu today, the SRSG and Head of MINUSMA, Mr. Mongi Hamdi, expresses his great concern regarding the peace process that was begun more than a year ago to resolve the Malian security crisis in a lasting and peaceful way. “Early this morning, near Timbuktu, MINUSMA vehicles were targeted outside the city by the CMA. There were no casualties. The CMA have indicated to us that this was an error on their part, and demand the departure of…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 28, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, is deeply concerned by the deadly incidents which took place on 23 and 24 April 2015 in Kass, South Darfur. Peacekeepers from the AU–United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) protecting water points were attacked by gunmen. The Chairperson of the Commission strongly condemns these attacks on UNAMID, which is deployed solely to assist in stabilizing the Darfur area, including through the provision of security to civilians. She deeply regrets the loss of life recorded during those…
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 2 for his first trip to the country and the first visit by a Secretary of State since 2004. In Colombo, he will meet government leaders, civil society members, and other representatives from the country’s diverse communities to hear and express U.S. support for their vision for a more peaceful, stable, and prosperous future for its people. Secretary Kerry will also join his hosts for the celebration of the Buddhist holiday of Vesak. Secretary Kerry will also visit Nairobi,…
JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, April 28, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Vantage Capital (http://www.vantagecapital.co.za), Africa’s leading mezzanine debt provider, today announced that the DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (“DEG”) and four other European investors are contributing a total of approximately $60m to Vantage’s third fund. DEG’s commitment to Fund III is $20m. In addition the DEG is providing $15m to a co-investment with Vantage in Surfline Communications, the leading 4G LTE network operator in Ghana. Vantage invested $15m in Surfline from its second fund late last year.Logo Vantage Capital Group: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/vantage-logo.pngPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1914Gunnar Stork, Director Equity & Mezzanine for Africa and…
GENEVA, Switzerland, April 28, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Sudan’s record on tackling racial discrimination will face scrutiny by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on Monday 4 May and Tuesday 5 May in meetings that will be webcast live. Sudan is one of the 177 States Parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and so is required to submit regular reports to the Committee, which is composed of 18 international independent experts. The Committee will engage in a dialogue with the Sudanese Government delegation on 4 May from 15:00…
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 28, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Zambia’s forest ecosystems contribute $1.3 billion, roughly 6.3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), to the national economy, further highlighting the crucial role forests can play in the global transition to a green economy, according to a new UNEP study. Commissioned by the Government of Zambia, produced in partnership with the UN-REDD Programme, and released ahead of the High-Level Dialogue on Zambia’s Draft National REDD+ Strategy, Benefits of Forest Ecosystems in Zambia and the Role of REDD+ in a Green Economy Transformation takes a wider look at the value of…
NDJAMENA, Chad, April 28, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the first review of Chad’s economic performance under the program supported by an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement.1 It also approved the authorities’ request for an augmentation of access by SDR 26.64 million (40 percent of the country’s quota).Completion of the review enables the immediate disbursement of SDR 19.97 million (about US$27.7 million), including SDR 6.66 million (about US$9.2 million) from the augmentation. This brings total disbursements under the arrangement so far to SDR 33.28 million (about US$46.2 million).The Board…
GENEVA, Switzerland, April 27, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A drastic shortage in funding is jeopardizing free access to health care services being provided by the World Health Organization and partners in the Central African Republic for horehounds of thousands people. The WHO Representative to the Central African Republic, Dr Michel Yao, says the humanitarian crisis wracking the country has displaced approximately 200 000 people and put around 1.5 million people at risk. Increased effort and funding, he says, is needed to prevent the crisis in the Central African Republic being “forgotten crisis.”“This year we are really suffering in terms…