GENEVA, Switzerland, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IPU deeply regrets the sentencing of opposition leader and MP Diomi Ndongala by the Supreme Court in the Democratic Republic of Congo to 10 years imprisonment. Without any appeal system in place, the sentence on 26th March is the last step in trial proceedings which IPU is convinced were seriously flawed and eminently political. Neither Ndongala nor his lawyers were in court when the sentence on charges of alleged rape against minors was pronounced.In a resolution adopted by IPU’s membership last week, the Supreme Court was encouraged to issue an exemplary…
Author: apofeed
OTTAWA, Canada, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, today announced more than $11 million in additional funding to help meet widespread humanitarian needs in the Central African Republic (CAR).”Canada remains profoundly concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic,” said Minister Paradis. “The humanitarian situation has deteriorated at an alarming rate, violence has devastated many parts of the country since early 2013, and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Canada will provide additional humanitarian assistance to trusted partners working on the ground to…
NDJAMENA, Chad, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On February 21, 2014, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation1 with Chad.Macroeconomic performance continued to be stable in 2013, with some deceleration in economic growth and inflation. Real GDP is projected to have grown by 3.6 percent in 2013, down from 8.9 percent in 2012. The slowdown reflects a reduction in oil GDP of 3.9 percent in 2013 due to a sharper than expected decline in the mature field’s oil production and delays in new oil production. Non-oil GDP is forecast to have…
TOKYO, Japan, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On March 12, from at 5:30 p.m., Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Fumio Kishida met for approximately 20 minutes with H.E. Mr. Abdirahman Duale Beileh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. Ms. Nadifo Mohamed Osman, Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction and H.E. Mr. Said Abdullahi Mohamed, Minister of Planning. Those ministers accompanied H.E. Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia during his working visit to Japan upon invitation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The outcome of the…
TOKYO, Japan, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On the evening of March 13, Prime Minister Mr. Shinzo Abe held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia during his working visit to Japan upon invitation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Following a joint press conference, Prime Minister Abe hosted a dinner in honor of President Hassan. The overview of the meeting and dinner is as follows.1. In the Summit Meeting, Prime Minister Abe praised President Hassan’s efforts in rebuilding Somalia. Prime Minister Abe also stated that the Government of Japan…
HARARE, Zimbabwe, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff mission, led by Mr. Alfredo Cuevas, met with the Zimbabwean authorities in Harare during March 12-26, 2014, to hold discussions on the 2014 Article IV Consultation and the combined first and second reviews under the Staff-Monitored Program (SMP).1 The program was approved by IMF Management in June 2013 and extended in December 2013 (see Press Releases No. 13/174 and No. 14/09). Ann-Marie Gulde-Wolf, Deputy Director and Domenico Fanizza, Assistant Director of the African Department also participated in the mission discussions.The IMF team held productive discussions…
NAIROBI, Kenya, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — With a 35+year track record in and on Africa, Global Pacific & Partners (http://www.glopac-partners.com) hosts this landmark meeting on Eastern Africa. Now in its 5th year, Global Pacific & Partners invites you to this annual event held in Nairobi, Kenya, providing unrivalled new insights into the upstream opportunities, open acreage, bid rounds, new ventures, oil/gas investments, key upstream players, and corporate/government strategies in this vast region of fifteen countries covering onshore and offshore potential, from Eritrea to South Africa, including across the Mascerene islands.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/easternlogo.png Download the program: http://www.apo-mail.org/140327prog.pdf Registration: http://www.apo-mail.org/140327reg.pdf…
NEW YORK, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On 25 March 2014, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea adopted revised Guidelines for the Conduct of its Work. These latest Guidelines reflect Security Council resolution 2142 (2014).The Committee has adopted the revised Guidelines to facilitate the conduct of its own work and provide useful guidance to Member States in their efforts to implement the relevant Security Council resolutions. The English language version of the revised Guidelines is available on the Committee’s website* and versions of the Guidelines in all six…
TUNIS, Tunisia, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Getting more African youth involved in agriculture and boosting support for the region’s vulnerable family farmers will be pivotal to improving food security and economic well-being in the years to come, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva told participants at the Organization’s Regional Conference for Africa. He also named water scarcity, low investment and conflict as being among the challenges to food security in the region, but said he was confident that Africa could “reach peace, stability and food security” in the future.”The region’s economic growth rate is above the global…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Force Commander and the Police Commissioner updated the Commissioner on the current security situation in Darfur and the challenges facing the hybrid mission, which has been in the region since 2008 to help the Darfur stakeholders restore peace.On his part, the Commissioner congratulated the Force Commander and the Police Commissioner for the dedication with which they are implementing the mandate of the mission and assured them of the commitment of the African Union Commission and the United Nations to address the various challenges facing the mission and to achieve…
WASHINGTON, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press StatementJohn KerrySecretary of StateWashington, DCMarch 26, 2014I am deeply, deeply troubled by the sudden and unprecedented decision by an Egyptian court to issue preliminary death sentences for 529 citizens after a quick mass trial. It simply defies logic. There are many avenues of legitimate review for this judgment and I urge the appropriate Egyptian authorities to remedy the situation. This news simply does not reflect the values and goals to which the interim government has aspired publicly and privately.The need for due process assumed greater urgency with the start of a…
NDJAMENA, Chad, March 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — To move the peace process forward, and at the invitation of Chadian President Idris Deby, African Union-United Nations Joint Special Representative (JSR) for Darfur Mohamed Ibn Chambas attended today the Um Jaras Forum in Chad. The forum, a gathering of Zaghawa leaders, is designed to build consensus in getting the Darfur armed movements to join the peace process. Sudanese Vice President Hassabo Mohamed Abdul Rahman also attended. In the forum, the JSR emphasized the need for all the parties in Darfur to commit to dialogue without preconditions and to resolve differences…
GENEVA, Switzerland, March 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — PRESS TELECONFERENCE ON SOUTH SUDAN / THURSDAY, March 27, 2014, 3 PM GMT WHAT: Update on the inadequate aid response to the humanitarian crisis in South sudan three months after the outbreak of violence in the country, and ahead of the looming rainy season. MSF officials will describe the alarming conditions for hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and South Sudanese refugees, who are largely cut off from life-saving medical assistance. The following critical issues will be addressed: • The overall lack of response by the aid system, exemplified by large…
ACCRA, Ghana, March 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Rockefeller Foundation (http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org) has announced a $3.8 million grant to the Ghanaian government in partnership with the World Bank to support the establishment of world class facilities that will attract IT and IT enabled firms, including Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms to Ghana and create jobs for Ghanaian youth. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/rockfound.pngThe grant complements the World Bank’s US$5 million provided under the eGhana Project and is part of the Foundation’s Digital Jobs Africa initiative launched in 2013; the initiative is a $100million initiative aimed at improving 1 million lives through ICT…
COTONOU, Benin, March 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Government of Benin unveiled its final draft of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan, and the Military Support to Civil Authorities (MSCA) Disaster Contingency Plan during a ceremony held in Cotonou, Benin, March 17, 2014. Todd Whatley, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to Benin, and Francois Houessou, Benin’s Minister of Interior for Public Security and Religion, presided over the unveiling of the plans.The ceremony marked the commencement of a five-day tabletop exercise to validate the plans and enhance current capacities to save lives during a disaster in Benin and…
NEW YORK, March 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — UN OCHA Operations Director John Ging today expressed deep concern about the massive and growing humanitarian needs in sudan and the conflict devastating South sudan and its people. Briefing the press with Yasmine Haque of UNICEF after their week-long visit to Sudan and South Sudan, with fellow Emergency Directors from the Danish Refugee Council, FAO, IOM, UNHCR, WFP and WHO, Mr. Ging appealed for renewed attention and commitment to the plight of people in both countries. “The people of Sudan are facing an overwhelming humanitarian crisis that has almost entirely slipped…
GENEVA, Switzerland, March 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Peter Maurer, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), arrived this morning in the Central African Republic, where violence is continuing unabated. He intends to see for himself how the situation is developing in the country, where the ICRC is strengthening its activities. The armed conflict and the unprecedented intercommunal violence of recent months have resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian situation. Countless families are grieving, or are without news of their loved ones who have gone to other parts of the country or to neighbouring countries to…
BANGUI, Central African Republic, March 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Head of the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic (MISCA), Gen. Jean Marie Michel Mokoko has learned with shock and sadness of the death of a MISCA peacekeeper in Boali, about 80 kilometers north of Bangui, in the Central African Republic (CAR). The peacekeeper from the Republic of the Congo was killed at about 6:30 p.m. yesterday when the vehicle in which he was travelling with three other MISCA soldiers was attacked by a…
ACCRA, Ghana, March 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today officially opened its fifth Africa regional technical assistance center (AFRITAC) in Ghana, offering capacity building services to six countries across Western Africa.This fulfils the IMF’s commitment to extend the AFRITAC network to serve all sub-Saharan African countries—a commitment made in 2002 with the IMF Capacity Building Initiative for Africa. The initiative seeks to strengthen the capacity of African governments and institutions to design and implement sound macroeconomic policies consistent with their poverty-reducing strategies.“This is an important day for capacity building in Africa,” the IMF’s Africa…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 425th meeting held on 24 March 2014, adopted the following decision on the Strategic Review of the AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) operations: Council, 1. Takes note of the update provided by the Joint Special Representative of the AU and the United Nations for Darfur and Head of the AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) on the situation in Darfur and the Review of UNAMID undertaken in pursuance of UN Security Council resolution 2113 (2013), adopted on…