GENEVA, Switzerland, June 15, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The heinous attacks on civilians in Lamu and Tana River area of Kenya’s coast in mid-2014 were followed by abusive security force operations, Human Rights Watch and the Kenya Human Rights Commission said today. One year later, no one has been held responsible for the attacks. Hundreds of people have been beaten and detained without charge while communities remain vulnerable to further attacks.The 53-page report, “Insult to Injury: The 2014 Lamu and Tana River Attacks and Kenya’s Abusive Response,” documents the initial attacks, some claimed by the Somalia-based armed Islamist group…
Author: apofeed
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 15, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Congolese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release two activists who were arrested three months ago, on March 15, 2015, during a pro-democracy youth workshop in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a coalition of 14 international and 220 Congolese rights organizations said today. Fred Bauma and Yves Makwambala were arrested at a workshop organized to launch “Filimbi,” a platform to encourage Congolese youth to peacefully and responsibly perform their civic duties.The government should also release and drop any charges against other activists, opposition party members, and others detained solely for their political…
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 15, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Authorities of Niger and IOM’s teams in the field learned on 11 June that the bodies of 18 migrants have been found in the Sahara, IOM Niger’s Chief of Mission Giuseppe Loprete said on Sunday (14/6).Loprete added it was likely they had perished more than a week earlier, on 3 June, having died most probably from dehydration. “They succumbed after having lost their route from Arlit, Niger to Algeria due to a sand storm,” said Loprete. “And then the heat and lack of water did the rest.””This tragedy highlights a feared…
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, June 15, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Committed to preventing crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, and to avoiding impunity for the perpetrators of such crimes, the EU confirms its continuing support for the ICC and its work.Full cooperation with the ICC is a prerequisite for the Court’s effective functioning. In accordance with established approach of the EU and its Member States, the EU expects South Africa, a founding State Party of the Court, to act in accordance with UN Security Council 1593, in executing the arrest warrant against any ICC indictee present in the…
SANDTON, South Africa, June 14, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — African leaders gathered Saturday morning at the Sandton Convention Centre in South Africa for the 33rd NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation meeting (http://www.nepad.org).Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/nepad-en-1.jpgWelcoming the delegation to the Opening Session, South African President Jacob Zuma commended NEPAD for keeping the dreams and potential of the African continent alive. He said, “the continent is now reaping the benefits of responsible macro-economic management and deepening integration into the world economy.” President Zuma underscored that investments in infrastructure programmes, regional integration and intra-African trade is Africa’s solution for sustainable growth and…
DAKAR, Senegal, June 12, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Visa (NYSE: V) (http://www.corporate.visa.com), a global payments technology company, today announced the launch of NotATourist, an innovative, full-fledged regional campaign aimed at driving international tourism during holidays, and making the summer holidays of cardholders rewarding. Running in key Middle East and African markets including, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Senegal until 31 August, 2015, the campaign provides cardholders with real and rich destination related information to help plan their travel as well as access to Visa’s global merchant offers and exclusive promotions.Download the Visa Global Travel Intentions…
BAMAKO, Mali, June 12, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the third review of Mali’s performance under an economic program supported by a three-year Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement. The Board’s decision, which was taken without a formal meeting,1 enables the disbursement of SDR 4 million (about US$5.6 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR 18 million (about US$25.3 million).In a still fragile security environment, the economic recovery is gathering strength. Activity in 2014 was driven by a return to more normal levels of cereal production and strong…
CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, June 12, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Today, VOSS Solutions (http://www.voss-solutions.com) announced that it will host an IT Security Workshop on the subject of web-based security, at its headquarters in Cape Town. When: Wednesday June 17, 2015Where: Knowledge Park 3, Unit 5 Heron Crescent, Century City, Cape TownLogo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/voss.pngThe half-day IT Security Workshop is free of charge to attend, and will be delivered by the Cape Town division of OWASP (The Open Web Application Security Project) (https://www.owasp.org); an affiliation of information security professionals and technology enthusiasts. As lead sponsor of the IT Security Workshop, VOSS will host the…
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 11, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations Security Council should require more vigorous civilian protection and better human rights reporting when it renews the mandate of the Darfur peacekeeping mission in June 2015, Human Rights Watch said today. On June 10, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet briefed the Security Council and relayed the secretary-general’s recommendation to renew the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) for 12 months. Sudan is pressing for a drawdown of UMAMID.At least 500,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Darfur over the past 16…
BUJUMBURA, Burundi, June 11, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region, Said Djinnit, and members of the facilitation team that joined and supported the dialogue between the Burundian parties, met today in Bujumbura with members of the diplomatic corps. During this meeting, the Special Envoy briefed the participants on the dialogue who he facilitated starting from 5 May 2015, at the request of the Burundian parties who had agreed, by themselves, on the agenda as well as the list of participants.The Special Envoy recalled that during the dialogue, the parties maintained…