NDJAMENA, Chad, March 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Tens of thousands of people who have fled from violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) to neighbouring Chad remain in dire need of humanitarian assistance. “These vulnerable people continue to suffer after surviving the carnage we are witnessing in Car. We urgently need more resources to help them,” said Thomas Gurtner, Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad. “The world needs to take notice of this human tragedy.” Since the last wave of violence in Car began in December last year, the Government of Chad and the United Nations have registered more than…
Author: apofeed
GENEVA, Switzerland, March 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Turkish NGO Gonulluler and the Fondation Baladi pour le Developpement au Tchad, supported by the Turkish Embassy in Chad, have delivered USD 10,000 of desperately needed medicines to an IOM temporary health post at a transit centre in the Chadian capital N’Djamena.The donation will cater for the primary health needs of the 60 people a day who use the health post in the Gaoui transit centre, which has a population of some 4,000 Chadians and nationals of the Central African Republic (CAR), who have fled to Chad to escape the…
MASERU, Lesotho, March 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — “Unless we step up practical messages to ensure that our productive lands are preserved and degraded lands restored, nothing would stop agriculture in Africa from encroaching on existing forests to meet the increasing demands for land and other resources vital for livelihoods”, stressed by Mrs.Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission during the Africa Environment and Wangari Maathai Day held in Maseru, the Kingdom of Lesotho on 03 March 2014. This is the 12th consecutive year that Maseru has hosted the commemorations since 2002,…
GENEVA, Switzerland, March 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Forty unemployed university graduates hired by an IOM livelihoods programme to work as interns in Somaliland’s local and regional government in Burao and Borama have completed their seven-month internships. Twenty-six of the 14 women and 26 men have already been offered permanent positions in the public and private sectors – many of them in the various local and regional offices in which they completed their internships. In Burao municipality, all nine interns – six women and three men – were hired at the end of the programme. The Japanese-funded programme offered…
GENEVA, Switzerland, March 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — This weekend IOM organized four evacuation flights from Cameroon at the request of the Malian government for 672 Malians stranded by the conflict in Central African Republic (CAR.)Malian Ambassador to Gabon, Dagnoko Diadié, and a Malian Embassy representative went to Kenzou, Cameroon on the Car border, where over 12,000 migrants are stranded, to identify Malian citizens and to support the IOM effort.In Kenzou, 261 Malians were stranded with minimal humanitarian support, most living out in the open without shelter or adequate supplies. Their journey to Kenzou had begun om Bangui and…
GENEVA, Switzerland, March 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) by states, is meeting in Geneva from 10 to 28 March. The Committee will review these countries on the following dates: Kyrgyzstan (10-11 Mar); Sierra Leone (11-12 Mar); Latvia (12-13 Mar); USA (13-14 Mar); Chad (17-18 Mar); Nepal (18-19 Mar) The above are among the 167 States Parties to the ICCPR, which is one of the main international human rights treaties. They are required to submit regular reports to the Committee of 18…
OTTAWA, Canada, March 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development CanadaThe Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, and Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, Cameroon’s Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, today signed the Canada-Cameroon Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA). The signing took place at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) International Convention, Trade Show and Investors Exchange in Toronto.A FIPA is a treaty designed to protect Canadian investment abroad and promote foreign investment in Canada through reciprocal, legally binding provisions. By ensuring greater protection against discriminatory and arbitrary practices and by enhancing…
JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, March 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On 5 March 2014, the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), in cooperation with the Tobeka Madiba Zuma Foundation (TMZF), a co-sponsor of the “Protect the Goal” campaign, and the South African Football Association Development Agency (SDA), will kick-off the World Tour of the “Protect the Goal” campaign ‘From Soweto to Bahia’ in Johannesburg. The kick-off event provides a unique opportunity to introduce Kweku Mandela and Ndaba Mandela as global spokespersons of the “Protect the Goal” campaign. The “Soweto to Bahia” launch is scheduled to take place at…
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, March 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Tunisia and the EU today formally established a Mobility Partnership. A joint declaration was signed by Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr Tahar Cherif,Tunisian Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, and the Ministers of the ten EUMember States involved in the Partnership: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom.‘This Mobility Partnership aims to facilitate the movement of people between the EU andTunisia and to promote a common and responsible management of existing migratory flows, including by simplifying procedures for granting…
PARIS, France, March 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — For years, Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has been in the grip of an emergency. Persistent conflict in its eastern provinces and instability in other regions have led to recurrent humanitarian crises and outbreaks of disease.In areas affected by conflict, members of numerous militias and armed groups do not appear to distinguish between civilians and combatants – and neither do the soldiers of the Congolese national army (FARDC). There is little respect for the neutrality of medical facilities, for humanitarian principles or for medical ethics. In the country’s eastern provinces,…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, March 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, is closely monitoring developments in Baidoa, including the outcome of today’s conference, and has taken note of the Federal Government’s response. “I urge all parties to observe maximum restraint and refrain from any action that could pose a threat to security,” said SRSG Kay. “This year is critical for consolidating a united and stable federal Somalia. The country has overcome many recent challenges through compromise and dialogue.” “I encourage traditional leaders, politicians and stakeholders in Baidoa to commit to serious,…
BEIJING, China, March 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On February 27, 2014, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping announced the appointment of the following new Ambassadors in line with decisions adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.Zhang Yue was appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, replacing Zhao Jianhua.Liu Xianfa was appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Kenya, replacing Liu Guangyuan.
NAIROBI, Kenya, March 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — African leaders, civil society and youth groups today mark Africa Environment Day, which seeks to accelerate action on the numerous pressing environmental challenges facing the continent. Maseru, in the Kingdom of Lesotho, is the regional host of the 12th annual celebration, which is focused on the theme Combating Desertification in Africa: Enhancing Agricultural Productivity and Food Security. In the Kenyan capital Nairobi, over 200 young people and high-level experts will convene to review key environmental issues impacting Africa, including illegal wildlife crime, forest conservation and food security. The event—which dovetails with…
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, March 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is deeply concerned over reports of an escalation in violence in South Darfur over the course of the past several days. The violence has resulted in the reported burning of a number villages and the displacement of a large number of civilians in the vicinity of Um Gunya, located approximately 50 kilometers southeast of Nyala. The Mission has received reports of looting, arson and civilian casualties, as well as the arrival of newly displaced populations into the Al Salam…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 2, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Yesterday, the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on sudan and South sudan adjourned negotiations between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on the conflict in the “Two Areas” of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The adjournment was occasioned by a deadlock between the Parties over a proposal made by the Panel in line with previous directives of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and the United Nations Security Council. As is its right, the SPLM-N presented a fundamentally different proposal, which rendered…
GENEVA, Switzerland, March 2, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Mary Robinson, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region will visit the DRC from 2 to 3 March to participate in an important event — the Forum Mondial des Femmes Francophones. Bringing together high-level women from Governmental and non-Governmental organizations of the Francophonie, the Forum will focus on three themes — Women and Peace; Women and Power; and Women and Education.Mrs. Robinson will deliver a key note address at the Plenary Session and will moderate the Working Group on Women and Peace. Mrs. Robinson will also meet…
BUJUMBURA, Burundi, March 1, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed the fourth review of Burundi’s economic performance under the program supported by the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). The Executive Board’s decision, which was taken without a meeting,1will allow for the disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 5 million (about US$7.7 million), bringing disbursements under the arrangement to an amount equivalent to SDR 20 million (about US$30.9 million). Burundi’s three-year ECF arrangement was approved on January 27, 2012 (See Press Release No.12/35).Burundi’s economic recovery continues to gain momentum in the…
On March 6, 2003, President George W. Bush declared a national emergency through Executive Order 13288, blocking the property of certain individuals under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706). This action was taken in response to the actions and policies of specific members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other individuals undermining Zimbabwe’s democratic processes and institutions. These actions contributed to a breakdown in the rule of law, politically motivated violence, and instability in Zimbabwe and the southern African region. To address the ongoing threat, additional steps were taken: November 22, 2005: Executive Order 13391 was issued…
NEW YORK, March 1, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The new Permanent Representative of Cabo Verde to the United Nations, Fernando Jorge Wahnon Ferreira, today presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.Until his latest appointment, Mr. Wahnon Ferreira was the National Director for Political Affairs and Cooperation in his country’s Ministry for External Relations since September 2011. He served as a Counsellor in the Ministry from April 2010 to September 2011.Mr. Wahnon Ferreira was Ambassador to Belgium from January 2000 to March 2010, gaining accreditation as Permanent Representative to the European Union in March 2000, to Luxembourg in June…
BISSAU, Guinea Bissau, March 1, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On 26 February 2014, in Bissau, Ambassador Joaquín González-Ducay, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, and Mr. Ussama Osman, Country Director and Representative of the World Food Programme (WFP), signed a contribution agreement for the amount of 5 million Euro (about 3 billion and 280 million CFA francs) in the framework of the implementation of the programme “Integrated Actions in Nutrition and Agricultural Development” (UE-AINDA).”The contribution of the European Union comes in timely, given that almost all Guinean families depend on the income…