GENEVA, Switzerland, May 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The abduction of more than 250 young women by the Boko Haram fighters in Nigeria has prompted “profound concern” from the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit. In his letter to Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, Tveit encouraged a “swift and peaceful” action to restore these students back to their homes.The letter from the WCC general secretary was issued on Monday, 5 May.“This tragic situation is devastating not only to the immediate community, but also to all Nigerians praying and working for peace. It touches the World Council…
Author: apofeed
GENEVA, Switzerland, May 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM has now provided transport and pre-departure medical checks for over 91,000 South Sudanese arriving in Ethiopia through the country’s Pagak and Akobo-Tergol border crossing points since January 11th.The asylum seekers, some of over 102,000 South Sudanese to seek safety in Ethiopia since conflict broke out in South sudan in December 2013, have been moved by boat and road to the Fugnido, Leitchuor, Bonga and Kule refugee camps in Ethiopia’s Gambella province.IOM medical teams working at the border report that 95 per cent of arrivals are women and children. Many have…
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press StatementJohn KerrySecretary of StateWashington, DCMay 5, 2014Three years ago, I was in Juba to witness the birth of the world’s newest nation, and last week as I returned to South sudan I saw how fragile the future can be when old grudges degenerate into violence. The United States condemns in the strongest terms recent offensives by South Sudanese government forces against opposition-held positions in Nassir, Bentiu, and elsewhere in Unity and Jonglei states.These attacks blatantly violate the January 23 Cessation of Hostilities agreement and contradict commitments President Kiir has made in…
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press AvailabilityJohn KerrySecretary of StateLuanda, AngolaMay 5, 2014SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. President Dos Santos and I had a very constructive conversation today. We discussed a broad array of the issues concerning not just the bilateral relationship, but also concerning regional and broader security issues and challenges of the region.I want to emphasize that Angola is a very important partner in the region, and the relations between Angola and the United States are, in fact, moving on an upward trajectory and getting stronger with each meeting that we have. And I was…
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On 1 May 2014, UNAMID Joint Special Representative (JSR) Mohamed Ibn Chambas visited the Malha and Mellit localities in North Darfur to inaugurate a new rural courthouse in Malha and meet with community leaders in Mellit. In Malha, UNAMID’s Rule of Law Section had partnered with Jibal Midoub Development Organization, to build the new courthouse and bring judicial services closer to the people living in the remote area. The inauguration ceremony, attended by Chief Justice Taj Elsir Othman, Head of the North Darfur Judiciary, and Justice Alhadi Ali Abdallah,…
GENEVA, Switzerland, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — “The senseless war in South sudan must end now,” said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, following the pastoral visit of a high-level ecumenical delegation to local churches in Juba, South sudan on 2 May.”It is shocking to see how leaders in both parties involved in the conflict have led their own people to such pain and suffering,” Tveit said. “From the stories I was told, it is impossible to comprehend the scale of killings and atrocities taking place.” Tveit stressed the need for…
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will visit North Africa and the Middle East from May 7-12, 2014. Ms. Lagarde will start her trip by visiting Morocco on May 7-9 to meet with the authorities, including the Head of the Government, Mr. Abdelilah Benkiran, Minister of Economy and Finance, Mohamed Boussaid, Governor of Bank Al-Maghrib, Abdellatif Jouahri and other senior officials. Her visit will also be an opportunity to address the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and to engage with other sectors of society, including representatives of…
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — RemarksJohn KerrySecretary of StateMinistry of FinanceLuanda, AngolaMay 5, 2014FOREIGN Minister CHIKOTI: (Via interpreter) Good morning. I had an opportunity to most recently meet with Secretary of State Kerry where we discussed –SECRETARY KERRY: You want to press the mike up –FOREIGN Minister CHIKOTI: — (Via interpreter) where we discussed our bilateral relations and their growth and their positive growth. We touched on things – not only petroleum, but other credits, such as the recent $600 million credit given by the Ex-Im Bank so that we could buy more Boeing planes. And we…
BANGUI, Central African Republic, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In protest against the brutal killing of 16 civilians, including three of its humanitarian workers at Boguila Hospital on 26 April, Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is reducing its activities in Central African Republic (CAR) and related projects in neighbouring countries to emergency medical care only for one week. MSF will also evaluate the working environment for its staff and the potential ongoing impact for the future of its medical activities. “We urge the transitional government in Car and all armed groups involved in the conflict to…
OTTAWA, Canada, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, will travel to Abuja, Nigeria, on May 5–8, 2014. While in Nigeria, the Minister will participate in the Grow Africa Investment Forum (May 7), the Africa Health Innovation Meeting (May 7), and the World Economic Forum on Africa (May 8). During these forums the Minister will speak to Canada’s leadership and experience in creating jobs, promoting sustainable economic growth, and seeking new partners and innovative financing mechanisms.Minister Paradis will also speak out on Canada’s top development priority, that of maternal,…
GENEVA, Switzerland, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Over 2,600 detainees have been treated for scabies in an eradication campaign run by the Malian prison authorities, with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in the prisons of Sikasso, Kati and Bamako. “During our most recent prison visits, we realized that scabies was a real problem,” said Ishukwe N’sindi, ICRC doctor. “Some inmates were covered in a rash from head to toe and complaining of skin irritation.” Overcrowding makes prisons a prime breeding ground for certain diseases, especially skin infections, giving reason to focus scabies…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Judy Cheng-Hopkins, arrived yesterday in Mogadishu to begin a five-day visit to Somalia. Ms. Cheng-Hopkins will discuss with the Federal Government as well as with Somali people in the next few days priorities for support through the Peacebuilding Fund. Today she met with the Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Federalism, Minister of Finance and the Speaker of Parliament. Upon her arrival ASG Cheng-Hopkins said: “The Peacebuilding Fund will respond and assist the Federal Government in a timely, flexible and pragmatic way to sustain momentum…
OSLO, Norway, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Norway is to host a pledging conference for South sudan in Oslo on Tuesday 20 May. The conference is being organised in cooperation with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The gravity of the situation in South Sudan, and the impact on neighbouring countries, calls for immediate action. There is an acute need for USD 800 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians in South sudan. So far, only 39 % of the USD 1,3 billion UN pledge has been forthcoming. The conference aims to increase humanitarian funding…
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — RemarksJohn KerrySecretary of StateLuanda, AngolaMay 4, 2014Well, Jay Ireland, thank you very much for a generous welcome here to General Electric in Luanda in the center of this extraordinary economic activity. I’m very excited to be here. I’m sorry that my wife is not here, because she was born in Mozambique and speaks – her first language is Portuguese. (Applause.) So I hear it around the house all the time – muito obrigadoand all that stuff. (Laughter.)But it’s a privilege for me to be able to be here, and I want to…
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — RemarksJohn KerrySecretary of StateKinshasa, Democratic Republic of the CongoMay 4, 2014Your Excellency Bishop Edouard and to everybody here, it’s a great privilege for me to be able to visit this hospital, St. Joseph’s. And I am so impressed by what I have seen and moved by what I have seen. Sister Marie Joseph, thank you so much for your incredible directorship here which you are leading and doing.And I had occasion to talk at length with this wonderful surgeon, Dr. Dolores Nembunzu. And se is saving lives and making an extraordinary difference…
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Special BriefingRussell D. FeingoldSpecial Envoy for the Great Lakes and the Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the CongoMay 4, 2014 MR. FEINGOLD: Well, we are so pleased, all of us in the U.S. Government, State Department, that the Secretary made the important choice to come here and to also go to Angola later today. These are interconnected visits. Coming here is a statement about how pleased we are about the progress that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has made in particular in the last year. Their economic…
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press AvailabilityJohn KerrySecretary of StateKinshasa, Democratic Republic of the CongoMay 4, 2014SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good morning, everybody. I’ve just come from a productive, good meeting with President Kabila and Foreign Minister Tshibanda. We spoke candidly about the enormous opportunities and the challenges that are faced by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and we spoke very candidly also about the ways in which we can make progress going forward. I congratulated the president on the accomplishments that he and his government have achieved, together with the work of MONUSCO, but we also…
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — RemarksJohn KerrySecretary of StateNdjili International AirportKinshasa, Congo (Kinshasa)May 3, 2014SECRETARY KERRY: I’m going to say, if I may – if I could have everybody’s attention just for a minute.FOREIGN MINISTER TSHIBANDA: I’m going to speak in French.(Via interpreter) Mr. Secretary of State, on behalf of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on behalf of the head of state and on my own personal behalf, I would like to welcome you to our country. We are very happy you have found time to come to meet us, and that is extra…
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — RemarksJohn KerrySecretary of StateEmbassy JubaJuba, South SudanMay 2, 2014SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good afternoon. I just completed an in-depth, very frank, and thorough discussion with President Kiir. And throughout the meeting, I think it’s fair to say that both of us spoke very candidly, very directly, and we got to the issues that I came here to discuss. Throughout the meeting, I made it clear to him that he needs to do everything in his power to end the violence, and also to begin a process of national dialogue, a process by which…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 2, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — INVITATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIAWHAT: H.E. Mr. Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, will deliver a speech on China’s Policy towards Africa.WHEN: Monday 05 May 2014 at 11:15amWHERE: Nelson Mandela Hall, African Union Conference Complex, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWHO: H.E. Mr. Li Keqiang, Premier of State Council of China; H..E. Ato Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission.Objective: With a view to strengthen the China-AU Strategic Partnership…