VATICAN, Holy See, April 27, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The vitality of the Church, the pastoral ministry of the family, attention to priests and persons religious, and relations with the civil authorities are the central themes of the written discourse that the Pope handed to the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Benin this morning, at the end of their “ad Limina” visit.The Holy Father begins by praising the dynamism of parish life, the extensive participation of the faithful in ceremonies and the increase of vocations to the priesthood, but he also echoed the prelates’ reports that it is…
Author: apofeed
JUBA, South Sudan, April 27, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Continuing clashes in Upper Nile state are leading to more deaths and displacements of people, some of whom are already displaced and living in dire conditions, the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said today. In Malakal, over 6,600 people have fled their homes to seek shelter at the UN protection of civilians (PoC) base, while in Melut, a town north of Malakal; over 1,665 families have sought refuge across the river Nile since the beginning of April. The organisation further called upon all parties to…
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 27, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The World Health Organization’s World Immunization Week (WIW) from 24th to 30th April this year aims to raise awareness about the importance of vaccination to people of all ages and increase rates of immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases around the world. This year WIW focuses on ‘closing the immunization gap.’ African Vaccination Week is being celebrated under the theme “Vaccination, a gift for life”.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/msd.jpgDespite recent progress within African countries, there is still significant opportunities provided by immunization. Did you know that: • Immunization can protect against 30 different infectious diseases, from…
BAMAKO, Mali, April 27, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Christian Josz, held discussions with the Malian authorities in Washington D.C. during March 25-April 7 and on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings. Discussions were also held in Bamako in March and April 11, 23-24, in preparation of the third review of the government’s economic program supported under the IMF’s Extended Credit Facility (ECF) approved in December 2013.“The mission met with Modibo Keita, Prime Minister; Issaka Sidibe, President of the National Assembly; Mamadou Igor Diarra, Minister of Economy and…
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press StatementJohn KerrySecretary of StateWashington, DCApril 24, 2015On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Tanzania as you celebrate the 51st anniversary of the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.Deep bonds of friendship unite the people of the United States and the people of Tanzania. The first class of Peace Corps volunteers traveled to your country to build roads connecting your cities. And soon after, President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Julius Nyerere shook hands in Washington, where both men reaffirmed our commitment…
GENEVA, Switzerland, April 24, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Responding to the recent spate of the violence against migrants in South Africa, largely in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) and Gauteng provinces, IOM is assisting victims of the violence. Over 8,000 migrants have been displaced since the violence broke out three weeks ago and they are currently accommodated in various shelters operated by the government, churches, mosques and NGOs.Governments from several neighbouring countries have sent buses to help their citizens to return home. IOM is supporting these returns by providing expertise on the eligibility of the travellers and ensuring that all returns…
JUBA, South Sudan, April 24, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Fresh fighting took place overnight on 21 April in Malakal between armed groups, causing some 900 people to flee to the Protection of Civilians site in Malakal, bringing the number of displaced people in the compound to more than 25,000. Two people were killed in the violence and an unknown number were injured. With tensions in the area still high, MSF’s team in Malakal is preparing for a potential influx of wounded. Due to the extremely volatile situation, the team has been forced to suspend some of its mobile clinics…
GENEVA, Switzerland, April 24, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, today said the detention of the six so-called “Zone Nine” bloggers and three other journalists in Ethiopia over the past year has been “absolutely unacceptable”. The bloggers, who used an online platform to report on social and political issues in Ethiopia, were arrested on April 25 and 26 last year and have remained in detention ever since. The Federal First Instance Court of Ethiopia reportedly charged…
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, April 24, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Despite the unprecedented challenges of delivering basic health services in an Ebola emergency, Sierra Leone will hold its first public immunization and health campaign over the next four days aiming to reach an estimated 1.5 million children under 5 with life-saving interventions. The national Maternal and Child Health Week campaign (‘Mami en Pikin Welbodi Week’) – part of the World and Africa Vaccination week – aims to reach all children 6-59 months with malnutrition assessment, the vaccination of children 0-23 months that have missed or defaulted from routine immunization schedules,…
JUBA, South Sudan, April 24, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Mission in South Sudan deeply regrets the continuation of hostilities in the Upper Nile State capital of Malakal and the resulting displacement of the civilian population. UNMISS received more internally displaced persons at its protection-of-civilians sites in the Mission’s compound outside Malakal today. At the same time, the Mission is adhering to its policy of providing shelter to combatants who surrender their weapons and remove their military uniforms prior to entering one of its protection sites. A number of stray bullets hit an UNMISS vehicle and sanitation facilities…
LAGOS, Nigeria, April 23, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — No sooner than Gen Muhammadu Buhari emerged President-elect of Nigeria was he also selected as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. The magazine recognizes that people’s expectations of Buhari are high in keeping with “… the historic conditions of the election”. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/apc.jpgPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/150402n2.jpgThose historic conditions ushered in a significant landslide for the All Progressives Congress party (APC) with victories at the Federal Government, a clear majority in the Senate and lower house of assembly as well as a significant win in the most important state…
TOKYO, Japan, April 23, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — 1. On April 19, a video was uploaded online purporting to show that 28 Ethiopian Christians were murdered by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) affiliated terrorists in Libya.2. The Government of Japan is immensely outraged by this vicious terrorism act and resolutely condemns it. Japan mourns the victims and expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the victims.3. Japan will continue to engage in combatting terrorism in cooperation with the international community.
MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 22, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the European Union (EU), African Union Mission in Somalia, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom welcome the formation of the Jubba regional assembly. We encourage further dialogue to ensure that all clans, communities and minority groups from the Jubas feel represented. “We welcome this important development. We urge the Interim Jubba Administration (IJA) to coordinate with the Federal Government of Somalia to resolve any issues arising from the process. Forming the Assembly is a positive and important step in the…
JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, April 22, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Government of South Africa must realize its constitutional mandate to promote and protect the rights of all people living in South Africa and to uphold their dignity, regardless of their legal status. We therefore urgently call upon government, leadership and other key stakeholders including business to commit itself to a sustainable programme of action to combat xenophobia. Practical measures should include ending the violence and the displacement, establishing a rapid response mechanism as well as early warning signals. We commend the courageous individuals and communities who have stepped forward to…
JUBA, South Sudan, April 22, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Mission in South Sudan is gravely concerned about the fighting in the Upper Nile state capital of Malakal that broke out in the evening of Tuesday, 21 April and continued into the early afternoon of today. The precise causes of the violence remain unclear. UNMISS started receiving internally displaced persons (IDPs) seeking protection from the violence yesterday evening. The influx of IDPs has continued throughout today, and at least 1,500 unarmed civilians have joined the existing IDP population of over 26,000 who are being sheltered by the Mission.…
PARIS, France, April 22, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In the face of violence that has targeted foreign nationals across South Africa over the past few weeks, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) recognises the duty of authorities to adopt an effective national strategy aimed at aligning their immigration policy with regional and international human rights provisions in order to prevent and redress human rights violations against migrants. The first steps being taken in this regard are welcomed.Our organisations are encouraged by the government’s latest efforts to curb the tide of violence. While…
ROME, Italy, April 22, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says it is deeply concerned about the fate of three staff members who disappeared in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State earlier this month.“We are extremely worried about the fate of our missing colleagues and are working hard for their safe return,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin. “Our staff take enormous risks every day to bring vital aid to people in critical need.”The three WFP staff members disappeared on April 1 en route to a food distribution. They were traveling in a convoy from…
LAGOS, Nigeria, April 22, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — MOBOfree.com (http://www.mobofree.com), the leading African social marketplace, today announced that it had experienced an increase of more than 44% in the number of registered users of MOBOfree.com in Nigeria over the past 12 months, resulting in a 1042% increase in the number of classifieds published on MOBOfree.com in Nigeria which makes more than 500 000 active listings on platform in Nigeria only. Over the same period, the number of registered users of MOBOfree.com in Uganda increased by more than 1555%, resulting in a 5548% increase in the number of classifieds published…
BANGUI, Central African Republic, April 22, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — At least 42 Muslim Peuhl herders, mostly women and girls, are being held captive by anti-balaka fighters in the Central African Republic and are at risk of sexual violence, Human Rights Watch said today. There are reports that many others may also be held. United Nations peacekeepers and the government should urgently act to free them.Members of one family Human Rights Watch interviewed on April 13, 2015, described the horrors they endured during 14 months of captivity in Pondo, a village in the southwest. The anti-balaka killed two boys,…
GENEVA, Switzerland, April 21, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Member churches of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Nigeria, represented through the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), have been actively engaged in observing the recent Nigerian elections, continuing its stated conviction that effective participation of Nigerians in the processes of governance is very important in shaping the nation’s future.Despite deep political divisions and unrest in the northeast of the country, Nigeria’s elections in March were judged free and fair by international observers, and the vote occasioned little violence and disruption.“The incessant loss of lives, poverty and multiple suffering of…