ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 10, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 497th meeting held on 9 April 2015, adopted the following press statement on the terrorist attack perpetrated in Garissa, Kenya, on 2 April 2015:Council condemned, in the strongest terms possible, this terrible terrorist attack, in which al-Shabaab terrorist group stormed the campus of Garissa University College in Garissa, during which more than 148 innocent students and staff were killed, while many others were injured.Council stressed that this barbaric act against innocent civilians is tantamount to an attack on…
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NEW YORK, April 10, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The members of the Security Council heard a briefing on Mali by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr Hervé Ladsous, on 9 April 2015. The members of the Security Council welcomed the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, which was initialed on 1 March 2015 by representatives of the Malian Government, one of the coalition of armed groups “Platform” and all members of the international mediation team, as a critical step to achieve lasting peace in Mali. The members of the Security Council considered this agreement as balanced and comprehensive,…
JUBA, South Sudan, April 10, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Internews, a media development organization, and Zain Telecommunications Company today launched the first Eye Radio repeater station in Torit, Eastern Equatoria State in a ceremony attended by the Mission Director of USAID, the State Minister of Information, and other dignitaries. This is the first of ten planned radio repeaters to extend Eye Radio reception to all ten South Sudan states and their rural communities. Radio is the primary source of information for most people in the Republic of South Sudan (RSS), yet…
GENEVA, Switzerland, April 10, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Sunday begins a three-day visit to Burundi – his first official country visit as the UN’s top human rights official. During his visit, High Commissioner Zeid will meet the President as well as a number of top officials, including the Minister for External Relations and International Cooperation and the Minister in Charge of Human Rights. He will also meet the Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the Bureau of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,…
BANGUI, Central African Republic, April 9, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has withdrawn part of its team and partially suspended its activities at Kabo hospital, in the north of the Central African Republic (CAR). The medical humanitarian organisation suffered a violent attack on Wednesday 1 April at the facilities it uses as both office and accommodation for its international team. This aggression against the humanitarian community poses a serious obstacle for MSF operations for the people in the area, where almost 50,000 people are living without any other healthcare service provider. In Wednesday’s incident, two unidentified…
ACCRA, Ghana, April 9, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On the evening of April 8, the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Gene A. Cretz, hosted a cross section of politicians, business people, and diplomats at the first-ever promotional dinner in Accra for U.S. beef. The Urban Grill Restaurant, located at the Airport City, provided a spectacular venue to celebrate “U.S. beef proudly produced in the great State of Nebraska.”“We thank Governor Pete Ricketts of Nebraska for his support of this event, and recognize the Nebraska Beef Council and Greater Omaha for providing the star ingredient. The United States is strongly…
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, April 9, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The failure to initiate a genuine national dialogue one year after it was announced by the Government of Sudan is a setback for the welfare of the people of Sudan.In its conclusions of October 2014, the EU called for a comprehensive solution to Sudan’s conflicts and that this should lead to an inclusive political process that would provide peace and prosperity for Sudan.The EU reiterates this view and is disappointed that the Government of Sudan is missing the opportunity by not responding to the efforts by the African Union…
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13536 of April…
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Funding Opportunity AnnouncementBureau of Population, Refugees, and MigrationApril 8, 2015Funding Opportunity Number: PRM-PRMOAPAF-15-051394Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number: 19.517 – Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for AfricaAnnouncement issuance date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015Proposal submission deadline: Friday, May 8, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. noon EDT. (Note: 12:00 p.m. noon EDT is 6:00 p.m. in South Africa). Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.**ADVISORY: All applicants must submit proposals through the website Grants.gov NOT through GrantsSolutions.gov. Please note that if you apply on the GrantSolutions.gov site, your application will be disqualified. PRM…
NEW YORK, April 8, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the recent terrorist attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram in north-east Nigeria and Chad including the deadly attacks in Kwajafa in Borno State, Nigeria, on 5 April 2015 and in Tchoukou Telia, Chad, on 3 April 2015.The members of the Security Council extended their condolences to the families of the victims and their sympathy to all those injured, as well as to the peoples and the Governments of Chad and Nigeria.The members of the Security Council reminded States that they must…
CASABLANCA, Morocco, April 8, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Jacobs Engineering SA (JESA) is organizing the first international symposium, “Engineering Symposium for Africa” (https://www.esa-symposium.com) around the theme of “Engineering and Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Development in Africa” in Marrakesh on Thursday, May 21st, 2015.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/jesa.pngPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/150408jesa.jpgVideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxRQlCryNBoThis international event will feature high-level speakers: renowned experts, figures in politics, economy and finance, decision-makers in the fields of mining, industry and sustainability, besides representatives from development funding agencies.This unique event that targets engineering and innovative technology is a concentration of influential African engineering players.The highly developed program aims to carefully analyse the…
GENEVA, Switzerland, April 8, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — With consistent heavy rainfall leaving tens of thousands of families displaced in Madagascar, the Malagasy Red Cross Society, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and other Movement partners, is ramping up its response operations to ensure timely and effective aid reaches those who need it most. “The majority of people whose homes have been damaged by the incessant rains are now sleeping in the remains of their flooded houses, just trying to survive,” says Vinay Sadarvate, IFRC water and sanitation coordinator in…
WASHINGTON, April 7, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Twenty-one years ago today, a genocide began that would claim the lives of more than 800,000 Rwandan men, women, and children and mark the beginning of one hundred days of horror for Rwanda’s people. Today is a day to commemorate those who lost their lives, to honor the courage of those who risked their lives to save others, and to grieve with the Rwandan people. It is also a day to reaffirm what our common humanity demands—that we stand together to prevent mass atrocities and continue to do all we can to…
LUANDA, Angola, April 7, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — • Banco Espírito Santo collapsed in 2014• Portuguese Parliamentary investigation now closed • Previous allegations made against Sobrinho dismissed by court in 2012Allegations of financial misconduct brought against Dr Álvaro Sobrinho, the prominent Angolan banking and investor, have been dismissed this week in Lisbon, Portugal.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/anl.jpgThe allegations of financial misconduct headlined by the newspaper ‘Expresso’ in Portugal in June 2014, accused Sobrinho of improper use of funds during his tenure as Chief Executive Officer of Banco Espirito Santo Angola (BESA), a subsidiary of the failed Banco Espirito Santo banking group. The…
GENEVA, Switzerland, April 7, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Since Friday (3/4), IOM has helped 159 stranded Ethiopian migrants to return home from Djibouti to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.The returnees included 131 individuals stranded in Djibouti en route to Yemen and 28 people evacuated to Djibouti from Yemen by sea due to the ongoing conflict in that country. None had the means to return home to Ethiopia.The group included five women – one of them pregnant – evacuated from Yemen, and 37 unaccompanied minors stranded in Djibouti.Of the returnees, 131 travelled by road and the remainder by air. Prior…
TOKYO, Japan, April 6, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On 3 April, 2015, in response to the terrorist attack on the Garissa University College in Garissa County in northeastern Kenya and the report of the huge number of casualties, following message has been sent to H.E. Hon. Uhuru KENYATTA, President of the Republic of Kenya, from His Excellency Shinzo ABE, Prime Minister of Japan. In the same context, a similar message from His Excellency Fumio KISHIDA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, was sent to Ambassador AMINA Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the…
ACCRA, Ghana, April 6, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today approved a three-year arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) for Ghana in an amount equivalent to SDR 664.20 million (180 percent of quota or about US$918 million) in support of the authorities’ medium-term economic reform program.The program aims to restore debt sustainability and macroeconomic stability to foster a return to high growth and job creation, while protecting social spending. The Executive Board’s decision will enable an immediate disbursement of SDR 83.025 million (about US$114.8 million).At the conclusion of the Executive…
SINGAPORE, Singapore, April 6, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has written a letter to President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta to convey his condolences on the attack at Garissa University on 2 April 2015. The text of Prime Minister Lee’s letter is as follows: Condolence Letter from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong[Dear President Kenyatta] On behalf of the Government of Singapore, I offer my deepest condolences on the terror attack at Garissa University in Kenya on 2 April 2015. I was shocked and saddened to learn that many of the 147 victims killed were young university…
TOKYO, Japan, April 3, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — 1. Following the Nigerian presidential election held on March 28, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Nigeria publically announced on April 1 the final results that Mr. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been elected president.2. Japan welcomes the fact that a large number of Nigerians participated actively in the election in an orderly manner, and also congratulates Mr. Buhari on his election. Japan also wishes to praise the outgoing President Jonathan, who immediately accepted the election result.3. Japan hopes that, under the leadership of President-elect Buhari,…
OTTAWA, Canada, April 3, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement: “Canada is appalled by today’s terrorist attack at Garissa University College in Kenya, which has claimed the lives of many innocent students. “On behalf of all Canadians, I express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims and wish a swift recovery to the injured. “Canada stands by the people of Kenya in these difficult times and will continue to support international efforts to combat terrorism in all its…