BANGUI, Central African Republic, February 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Chairperson of the International Commission of Inquiry tasked with investigating human rights violations in the Central African Republic, Bernard Acho Muna, will be visiting Bangui from 26 February until 1 March, for the first time since his appointment last month. The purpose of Mr. Muna’s visit is to establish formal contacts with local authorities, including the Head of State of the Transition, Mrs Catherine Samba-Panza, and other relevant stakeholders. The International Commission of Inquiry was established by the Security Council on 5 December 2013 (resolution 2127) for an…
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BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, February 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press briefing by Major General Philippe PONTIÈS Operation Commander for the EU military operation in the Central African RepublicThursday, 27 February 2014 at 16.30 Justus Lipsius building – press room
JUBA, South Sudan, February 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — As entire towns in South sudan suffer devastating attacks, medical care has also come under fire, with patients shot in their beds, wards burned to the ground, medical equipment looted, and, in one case, an entire hospital destroyed, the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced today. Hundreds of thousands of people have been effectively denied life-saving assistance. MSF staff witnessed the gruesome aftermath of recent armed attacks and clashes in Malakal in Upper Nile State, discovering patients murdered inside the town’s Teaching Hospital. In another disturbing violation…
DOHA, Qatar, February 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Communiqué Of the Third Meeting of the Joint Commission Of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur1. The Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) Joint Commission held its third meeting on 25 February 2014 in Khartoum. The meeting was chaired by the African Union-United Nations Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and was attended by the signatories to the DDPD, the Government of Sudan, the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) and the Justice and Equality Movement-sudan (JEM-Sudan) as well as the State of Qatar, the…
KHARTOUM, Sudan, February 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A continued commitment to the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), particularly the Final Security Arrangements, was the focus of the Third Meeting of the DDPD Joint Commission, which was held today in Khartoum. The Commission, one of two ceasefire monitoring and operational mechanisms provided for in the DDPD, is chaired by Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the Joint Special Representative (JSR) of the African Union-United Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Membership in the body includes the three parties to the Doha Document—the Government of Sudan, the Liberation and Justice…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, February 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Commission of the African Union (AU), in collaboration with Sweden, United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA) and UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), supported Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) training of ten Somali government officials from 10-22 February 2014, at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre (KAIPC) in Accra, Ghana. The Somali delegation included officials from the Ministries of Internal Affairs and National Security; Defense; Justice; Information and National Intelligence and Security Agency. It also included officers who are currently managing the Somali Transitional Centres for Disengaged Al…
NIAMEY, Niger, February 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Flintlock, the annual African-led military exercise for interoperability in security, counterterrorism and humanitarian aid, officially kicked off Feb. 19, 2014, with an opening ceremony celebrating the spirit of cooperation.The exercise, which beyond U.S. participation includes Burkina Faso, Canada, Chad, France, Germany, Mauritania, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Senegal, United Kingdom, and the host nation of Niger, focuses on building partner capacity to help strengthen stability across Africa. This year, there are 18 different African and Western country participants.For the next three weeks, more than a 1,000 different soldiers from across these countries will…
BARCELONA, Spain, February 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Today, the GSM Association has made public the 2nd Round recipients Mobile Enabled Community Services (MECS) Innovation Grant Fund. In this 2nd Round, Schneider Electric is proud to announce that two companies of its Schneider Electric Energy Access (SEEA) Fund portfolio (http://www.schneider-electric.com) were awarded: Fenix International and Nova Lumos.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/schneider_electric.jpg As part of its efforts to foster access to reliable, affordable and clean energy with its BipBop programme, Schneider Electric launched an impact-investment fund dedicated to support companies developing technologies and/ or distribution channels in that field. Since its creation in…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, February 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Minister for Africa arrives in Nigeria today for visit to Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, where he’ll join the centenary celebrationsMark Simmonds will visit Nigeria this week, his second visit as Minister for Africa. He will join President Goodluck Jonathan and other dignitaries to celebrate 100 years of the creation of Nigeria as a nation. At the centenary event Minister Simmonds will deliver a keynote speech in which he will address the potential for Africa and Nigeria’s future. “African choices in a new Nigerian century” will be the first of four…
LAGOS, Nigeria, February 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The third Annual Conference of the Borderless Alliance, dubbed Borderless 2014 (http://www.borderlesswa.com), will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria on February 26 – 28, 2014. Under the theme “Enabling Growth,” Borderless 2014 is being co-hosted by the Nigerian Export – Import Bank (NEXIM) (http://neximbank.com.ng) and the Nigeria Shippers Council, both members of the Borderless Alliance. Logo NEXIM: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/nexim.pngPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=588 (Mr. Roberts U. Orya, Managing Director of Nigerian Export-Import Bank)The conference will engage participants in an informative program of high profile speakers, facilitate networking and business opportunities for…
NEW YORK, February 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Raimonda Murmokaitė ( Lithuania):The members of the Security Council are appalled by today’s terrorist attack in Somalia, for which Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility. The attack was targeted against the office of the President of the Federal Government of Somalia and has caused numerous deaths and injuries. The members of the Security Council extended their condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia. The members of…
WASHINGTON, February 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press StatementJohn KerrySecretary of StateWashington, DCFebruary 23, 2014Unspeakable violence and acts of terror like the ones committed by Boko Haram last week in northern Nigeria are horrific, wrong, and have no place in our world. Last Saturday, a brazen attack on the village of Izge, Nigeria, near the border with Cameroon took the lives of more than one hundred innocent people. Not less than a week had passed before Boko mounted another attack in Bama, setting 1,500 buildings ablaze, killing more than 115 people and leaving many others injured. We support Nigerian…
BUKAVU (South Kivu), Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC), February 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A fact-finding mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo—led by Nobel peace laureate Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, and organized by the International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict—today called on the government of the DRC and the international community to put women at the centre of peace efforts and bring an end to rampant sexual violence.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/nobel.pngPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/avatar.png “They say that the DRC is the rape capital of the world,” said Gbowee. “But what I see is that it is the…
GENEVA, Switzerland, February 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — With the situation in the Central African Republic continuing to deteriorate, and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people at risk, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is today launching an emergency appeal to provide urgent assistance to those affected by the violence. “There are now an estimated 714,000 people forced from their homes within the country,” says Antoine Mbao Bogo, President Central African Red Cross Society. “More than one-third of them are finding refuge in dozens of camps in the capital of Bangui. The…
GENEVA, Switzerland, February 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM Ethiopia last week safely relocated 425 South Sudanese refugees by boat and bus from Akobo-Tergol to Pugnido camp in Gambella region 430 km away.The two-day journey for the ethnic Anuak refugees included a nine-hour, 130 km boat trip from Tergol to Burbeiy and an overnight stay en route.IOM will organize similar movements using the same route for ethnic Nuer refugees also stranded in Akobo-Tergol. The Nuer will be moved to Lietchuor camp, to reduce the risk of conflict between the two groups.UNHCR has currently registered 10,000 South Sudanese refugees at…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, February 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif has condemned the cowardly attack on Villa Somalia today.As people gathered for Friday prayers, a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) went off at the entrance of the Presidential palace and was followed by ground al shabaab fighters. The Somali National Army soldiers supported by AMISOM troops bravely fought off the attackers.“I commend the actions of the brave security forces who fought off the attackers, hell-bent on shedding the blood of innocent Somalis. The…
OTTAWA, Canada, February 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today released the following statement:“Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms the attack today against the presidential palace in Mogadishu, which was claimed by Al Shabaab. This attack killed a number of people, including worshippers who were attending Friday prayers.“On behalf of all Canadians, I express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed in this senseless attack and wish a prompt recovery to the injured.“Amongst those killed was a Canadian citizen, Mohamoud Abdulle, who had returned to his native Somalia and was…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, February 21, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Secretary William Hague condemns today’s attacks in Mogadishu and praises Somali emergency response.The Foreign Secretary said:“I condemn today’s attack on Villa Somalia, in Mogadishu, in the strongest possible terms. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and those injured. I’d also like to pay tribute to the Somali security services, some of whom were killed in the attack, who deserve credit for repelling the attack. Attacks like these only strengthen our resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Somali people in their efforts to build a more…
WASHINGTON, February 21, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Africa: Associate RSD Officer: Kakuma, KenyaApplication Deadline: March 14th, 2014Applications must be emailed to JPOCoordinator@state.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on the date indicated in order to be considered. Thank you.How to Apply: Please note that PRM-sponsored JPO positions are open to U.S. Citizens only.Applicants must submit a completed United Nations Personal History form (UN P-11) via email to JPOCoordinator@state.gov by the deadline noted above. The UN P-11 form is available for download from the UNHCR website at http://www.unhcr.org/recruit/p11new.doc. PRM will accept the UN P-11 form without a signature. If desired,…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, February 21, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A radio journalist was seriously wounded today after Al-shabaab fighters wearing suicide vests and carrying guns and grenades attacked Villa Somalia (the presidential palace) today. Journalist Ahmed Said Ahmed of Radio Kulmiye was wounded at the right side of the chest and right shoulder in this attack, which also called the life of senior government officials including Permanent Secretary of the Office of Prime Minister Mohamud Hersi. Ahmed, who was burned by the blast at both legs, was admitted to Daru Shifa hospital, and he is in a critical condition, according…