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…
Author: apofeed
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…