OTTAWA, Canada, May 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Andrew Bennett, Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom, today issued the following statement:“Canada is shocked and appalled by the decision to impose a sentence of death for apostasy and of 100 lashes for ‘adultery’ in the trial of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, a Christian mother expecting her second child.“Canada calls upon the Government of sudan to protect freedom of religion, including the right to change one’s faith or beliefs and to practise one’s faith in peace, a freedom that is enshrined in Sudan’s interim constitution of 2005.“We urge the Sudanese legal authorities…
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WASHINGTON, May 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press StatementMarie HarfDeputy Department Spokesperson, Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DCMay 15, 2014We are deeply disturbed over the sentencing today of Meriam Yahya Ibrahim Ishag to death by hanging for apostasy. We are also deeply concerned by the flogging sentence for adultery. We understand that the court sentence can be appealed.We continue to call upon the Government of sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion, a right which is enshrined in Sudan’s own 2005 Interim Constitution as well as international human rights law.We call on the Sudanese legal authorities to approach…
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On April 25, 2014, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation1 with Tanzania and completed the third and final review of the country’s performance under an economic program supported by a Standby Credit Facility arrangement (see Press Release No. 14/182).Economic growth in Tanzania is projected to remain strong at 7 percent next year and in the medium term. Inflation is at 6 percent, gradually converging to the authorities’ 5 percent medium term objective. The external current account deficit remains among the largest…
GENEVA, Switzerland, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called Thursday for increased protection for people with albinism, after the barbaric murder of a 40-year-old woman with albinism in north-western Tanzania on 12 May. “This killing and the terrible circumstances surrounding it sadly demonstrate that the human rights situation of people with albinism in Tanzania and other countries, remains dire,” Pillay said. According to police reports, Munghu Lugata was brutally murdered Monday night at her home in Mwachalala, a village in Simiyu region, north-western Tanzania. Her attackers chopped off her left leg…
ABUJA, Nigeria, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Statement by Mr. Said DjinnitI am concluding today a four day visit to Nigeria. My visit is as a follow up to a telephone conversation between the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday 8 May. Durin! g their conversation, President Goodluck Jonathan welcomed the decision of the Secretary-General to send a High-Level Representative to Nigeria to consult with Government officials on what the United Nations can do to support ongoing efforts towards the safe release of the abducted girls.I met with President Goodluck…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Mark Simmonds calls upon the Government of sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion and international human rights laws.Commenting after a pregnant Sudanese mother was sentenced to death for apostasy and to 100 lashes for adultery, Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, said today:“I am truly appalled that a Sudanese court has sentenced Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag to death for apostasy. This barbaric sentence highlights the stark divide between the practices of the Sudanese courts and the country’s International Human Rights obligations.“I urge the Government of sudan to respect the…
GENEVA, Switzerland, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The humanitarian situation in South Sudan, already dire, is set to deteriorate further with the arrival of the rainy season. To maintain a suitably robust response and bring aid to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the conflict, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is asking donors for an additional 48 million Swiss francs (approximately 55 million US dollars). With a total budget of 112 million francs (127 million dollars), the ICRC’s operation in South sudan will be the organization’s second largest, after Syria. “Almost five months of…
BANGUI, Central African Republic, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved on May 14, 2014 financial assistance under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) in the amount equivalent to SDR 8.355 million (about US$12.9 million) for the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) in support of the authorities’s emergency economic recovery program. The financial assistance from the IMF will help the Transitional Authorities of the C.A.R. to implement a set of economic and structural policies and measures aimed at restoring progressively macroeconomic stability and strengthening the capacity of the C.A.R. government. The Executive…
GENEVA, Switzerland, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Since December of last year, the security situation in the area where the Manono, Mitwaba, Malemba-Nkulu and Pweto territories come together has worsened considerably, provoking regular displacement in north-central Katanga. Despite a demobilization programme that resulted in the surrender of hundreds of Maï Maï / Bakata Katanga militiamen in autumn 2013, a certain number of armed groups remain active and continue to put up sporadic resistance to the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This keeps people in a state of constant tension. Since January, clashes between certain…
KINSHASA, Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC) May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Matata Ponyo Mapon (https://www.primature.cd), was the guest of honour at the Global Education for All Meeting organised by UNESCO in Muscat (Oman) from 12 to 14 May 2014. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/rdc-en.pngPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1080 (The Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Matata Ponyo Mapon)In his closing speech, the Prime Minister stressed in particular the progress made in terms of school attendance and literacy in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent years. Consequently, the gross attendance rate increased from…
GENEVA, Switzerland, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A group of African and UN human rights experts* today called on the Egyptian authorities to bring its legal system into compliance with international and regional standards so as to ensure long-term justice and contribute to reconciliation efforts in Egypt. The appeal by nine United Nations independent experts, together with the Chairperson of the Working Group on Death Penalty and Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings in Africa, comes after the second wave of mass death sentences pronounced in Egypt last month. “Following the two mass trials, Egypt’s legal system is in…
NEW YORK, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Juba from Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 6 May.Soon after arrival, the Secretary-General, accompanied by his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission in South sudan (UNMISS), Hilde F. Johnson, visited the Tomping Protection of Civilians Site, which is currently home to some 21,000 South Sudanese civilians. He met with the community leaders representing the thousands of civilians who had sought shelter in the United Nations compound to hear of their concerns first hand. He pledged to them the United Nations’ support. He…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Egyptian Foreign Minister meets Foreign Secretary William Hague and Minister of State Hugh Robertson. Egyptian Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmy, visited London on 13 – 14 May for talks on the bilateral relationship, foreign policy and security and Egypt’s transition process.Minister Fahmy had official meetings with the Foreign Secretary William Hague, Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa Hugh Robertson, Minister for International Development Alan Duncan and National Security Adviser Kim Darroch.Speaking after his meeting with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, the Foreign Secretary said:“The UK and Egypt have strong ties…
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In late 2012, armed groups began a rebellion that sparked a period of devastating instability, lawlessness, and anarchy in the Central African Republic (CAR) that led to the overthrow of its government in early 2013. Escalating violence and human rights abuses set the stage for the eruption of sectarian conflict by December 2013. Communities that have lived together peacefully for generations are being torn apart along sectarian lines. More than 2.5 million of the country’s 4.6 million people need humanitarian assistance. Approximately one million people have been displaced. Growing attacks perpetrated by…
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — EXECUTIVE ORDERBLOCKING PROPERTY OF CERTAIN PERSONS CONTRIBUTINGTO THE CONFLICT IN THE Central African REPUBLIC By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), section 5 of the United Nations Participation Act (22 U.S.C. 287c) (UNPA), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,I, BARACK…
JUBA, South Sudan, May 14, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations Mission in South sudan (UNMISS) welcomes the signature of the agreement reached in Addis Ababa on 9 May between the Government of the Republic of South sudan and the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (Cobra Faction) on the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Greater Pibor County, Jonglei State. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of the Mission in South Sudan, Ms. Hilde F. Johnson recalls that only six months ago, prior to the current national crisis, Pibor County was the epicentre of instability in…
TOKYO, Japan, May 14, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In response to the signing of agreement between H. E. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan, and Dr Riek Machar Teny, former Vice President of the Republic of South sudan. Mr Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, issued the following message to his counterparts of the Republic of South Sudan, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of the Sudan, and the Republic of Uganda. Representatives of the said countries attended a Meeting on the situation of South Sudan,…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 14, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, arrives in Blantyre, Malawi on Wednesday, 14 May 2014, ahead of the country’s tripartite elections scheduled for May 20, 2014.Upon her arrival, H.E. Dr Dlamini Zuma will join H.E Sam Nujoma (founding President of the Republic of Namibia) and Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission and his team, to offer solidarity and support to the people of Malawi. She will be reassuring them of the AU’s commitment to maintain stability through democratic and credible elections in…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 14, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Meeting of STC on Justice and Legal Affairs (Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General, Ministers responsible for Issues such as Human Rights, Constitutionalism and Rule of Law) begins holding tomorrow, Thursday 15 May 2014 and is expected to go till 16 May 2014 at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Ministers will consider and adopt the report presented by the Meeting of Government Legal Experts of the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs. With a mission to develop instruments that reflect the collective shared values of the…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, May 14, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — FCO advises against all but essential travel to Mombasa Island and the surrounding area.The FCO has changed its travel advice to Kenya to advise against all but essential travel to Mombasa Island and the surrounding area following recent terrorist attacks and the continuing terrorist threat in the area. The Travel Advice now reads:“The FCO advise against all but essential travel to Mombasa island and within 5km of the coast from Mtwapa creek in the north to Tiwi in the south. This area does not include Diani or Moi international airport.” If…