GENEVA, Switzerland, January 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM’s popular Forum Theatre play ‘Mutach’ or ‘The Last One’, has started a tour of rural villages with high levels of irregular migration in the Amhara, Tigray and Oromia regions of Ethiopia.As the number of Ethiopian irregular migrants returning from Saudi Arabia passes 154,000, the show aims to help potential migrants to understand the risks of irregular migration.Over 1,500 people watched the show, which includes musical entertainment, in Jima district last week. After the show, regional administrators highlighted the negative impact of irregular migration.Jima’s head of Labour and Social Affairs Medina…
Author: apofeed
MAPUTO, Mozambique, January 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed the first review under the three-year Policy Support Instrument (PSI) for the Republic of Mozambique.1 The PSI for Mozambique was approved in June 2013 (see Press Release No. 13/231). The Board’s decision was taken on a lapse of time basis.2Mozambique’s macroeconomic performance remains strong with real GDP growth for 2013 estimated at 7.1 percent and inflation remains moderate. The PSI-supported program is broadly on track. All assessment criteria were met and most indicative targets, but there was some slippage on…
DUBLIN, Ireland, January 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — His Excellency, the Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia presented its Letters of Credence to the President at Áras an Uachtaráin today.H.E. Mr. Paul William Lumbi, Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia, was accompanied by his wife, Hilda, and by Mr. Amos Chanda, First Secretary at the Embassy. The following were also present: Mr. Loughlin Quinn, Deputy Secretary-General to the President; Mr. Barrie Robinson, Assistant Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Ms. Orla O’Hanrahan, Chief of Protocol, Mr. Joe Brennan and Ms. Marion O’Donnell, Protocol, Department of Foreign Affairs and…
GENEVA, Switzerland, January 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai will visit Rwanda from 20 to 27 January 2014 to assess in depth to what extent the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are enjoyed in the country. Mr. Kiai’s visit will be the first information-gathering mission to Rwanda by an independent expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and promote the realization of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association worldwide. “The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are essential components of…
JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, January 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, signed two grant agreements with MicroEnsure Ltd, valued at about $650,000 combined, to increase the supply of index-based weather insurance to small-scale farmers in Rwanda and Zambia to help mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and to strengthen food security.The grants were issued by the Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF), a multi-donor trust fund financed by the European Union, Japan and the Netherlands, and implemented by IFC and the World Bank.Richard Leftley, CEO MicroEnsure and MicroEnsure Asia, said “As a pioneer in…
NEW YORK, January 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks at the event on the Rwandan Genocide, in New York today:I am deeply honoured to have been invited to speak at this event at the United Nations and in this year that so sadly marks the twentieth anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda.We all recall that our honoured guest today, Senator Roméo Dallaire, as Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Rwanda, sounded the alarm about the frightening developments in the country. As we all know, he did not receive the response…
NEW YORK, January 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:The Secretary-General shares the deep concern expressed yesterday by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, following the recent signing into law of the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act in Nigeria. The law introduces a wide range of offences, in breach of fundamental human rights, including 14-year jail terms for same-sex couples who live together or attempt to solemnize their union with a ceremony. The Secretary-General fears that the law may fuel prejudice and violence, and notes with…
JUBA, South Sudan, January 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Thousands of people are at risk of being left without desperately needed medical care after the international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was forced to suspend activities in Malakal, South Sudan, following the looting of MSF compounds. “Armed men entered the MSF compound in Malakal twice yesterday, where they looted and physically threatened the team,” says Arjan Hehenkamp, MSF’s general director. MSF condemns in the strongest possible terms the incident in Malakal, Upper Nile state, which comes barely a week after the looting of another MSF facility…
NEW YORK, January 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations Humanitarian Chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, has allocated US$86 million to sustain emergency aid operations in some of the world’s worst, yet most neglected crises. The funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will ensure life-saving relief work continues in ten countries, including in Colombia, Myanmar, Sudan and Yemen, where needs are high but financial support is low. “People living through some of the most critical humanitarian crises do not always receive the attention that they need,” said USG Amos. “These allocations will go to…
GENEVA, Switzerland, January 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Thousands of people have been displaced by renewed fighting in Unity state over the past week. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the South Sudan Red Cross are responding to the needs of displaced people in Leer, where thousands of civilians have fled armed clashes and other violence. To help treat the sick and the wounded, the ICRC has sent a surgical team to Leer and has also donated medical equipment. It is coordinating its actions with those of the South Sudan Red Cross (SSRC) to deliver aid…
GENEVA, Switzerland, January 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Fighting in South Sudan has turned into a horrifying humanitarian and human rights disaster with mass atrocities committed by both sides, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović said on Friday at the end of a four-day visit to the country. “The conflict has now reached the threshold of an internal armed conflict, causing untold suffering for thousands of civilians,” said Šimonović. “Mass atrocities have been committed by both sides. During my visit, I have received reports of mass killings, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, the widespread…
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, January 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The recent violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the armed conflict in South Sudan will be on the agenda for discussion when EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on 20 January. The ministers will also prepare for the upcoming peace talks between the parties in Syria and discuss the impact of the conflict on neighbouring countries. Sweden will be represented at the meeting in Brussels by Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt. So far, the EU’s role in the CAR has consisted of financial support to the African Union’s…
GENEVA, Switzerland, January 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — By Antoine Mbao Bogo, president of the Central African Republic Red Cross SocietyOver the course of the past year, the Central African Republic (CAR) has witnessed nation-wide civil unrest which resulted in the overthrow of its government. In the months that followed, the situation has not stabilized, and in fact, became worse in December with an increase in inter-communal violence. A humanitarian disaster has been unfolding in CAR, which may affect the country for many years to come. Much of it went underreported for months, absent from the headlines and unattended.…
GENEVA, Switzerland, January 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ Director of Operations, Mr. John Ging, has returned from a four-day mission to the Central African Republic, where the violent clashes that broke out on 5 December 2013, have claimed the lives of over two thousand people, displaced nearly one million, and deepened the humanitarian crisis. Mr. Ging met with communities affected by the crisis and listened to their challenges and priority needs. “In Bangui, I visited a makeshift camp, alongside the airport’s only airstrip, where some 100,000 people still live, too afraid…
OTTAWA, Canada, January 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:“The conclusion of voting in Egypt’s constitutional referendum marks an important step in that country’s road map forward.“Canada supports the continued implementation of the transition road map, which includes upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.“It is our hope that the interim government strives to meet its ambitious timetable, while ensuring adherence to the fundamentals of democratic values.“We continue to stand with the Egyptian people at this juncture, as they work to build a stable, inclusive, prosperous and democratic Egypt—one based on respect for…
WASHINGTON, January 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — TestimonyLinda Thomas-GreenfieldAssistant Secretary, Bureau of African AffairsWashington, DCJanuary 15, 2014Introduction Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. As you know, Special Envoy Booth is unavailable to testify today as he is in Addis Ababa working tirelessly on the peace process. I know that the subject before us is one about which you and other members of Congress care deeply.Situation in South Sudan Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Engel, last week marked a major anniversary for South Sudan but one that few…
VIENNA, Austria, January 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Austria is making a solidary contribution for alleviating the dramatic humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic. “We are providing € 500,000 emergency relief funds from the Austrian Foreign Disaster Relief Fund in response to the aggravating humanitarian crisis for helping the 2.2 million people in need”, Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said on 15 January after the session of the Ministerial Council. He explained that the funds will be made available to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide emergency care to civilians and supply them with food…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, January 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Foreign Secretary expressed disappointment that the Nigerian Same Sex Marriage Bill has received Presidential assent.Speaking today, the Foreign Secretary said:“The UK is a close friend of Nigeria, but we are disappointed that President Jonathan has given his assent to a Bill which will further criminalise same sex relationships in Nigeria. The UK opposes any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. “The Bill also directly infringes on fundamental rights of expression and association, which are guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and by Nigeria’s international treaty obligations. We are concerned by…
JUBA, South Sudan, January 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Heavy fighting in South Sudan’s Upper Nile, Unity and Jonglei states has left thousands of people newly displaced and hundreds wounded, says the international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF). During the recent fighting, MSF teams treated 116 people with gunshot wounds in Malakal and Nasir, Upper Nile state. “The fighting in Malakal in the past few days has limited our ability to reach displaced people in the places where they are gathering, and is preventing people from receiving the medical and humanitarian assistance they desperately need,” says…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, January 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Hugh Robertson, visits Algeria for UK-Algeria High Level Dialogue.Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Rt Hon Hugh Robertson MP, is visiting Algeria, where he will be co-chairing the UK-Algeria High Level Dialogue with His Excellency Madjd Bouguerra, Minister Delegate for Maghreb and African Affairs in the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Mr Robertson’s visit comes a year after the visit of Prime Minister David Cameron and will review progress across the broad bilateral relationship between the UK and Algeria in the…