11 March 2014 – With 44 people missing and feared drowned after a smugglers’ boat capsized off the coast of southern Yemen, the UN refugee agency today urged the donor community and civil society to develop comprehensive responses to reduce and ultimately prevent these hazardous journeys. Spokesman Adrian Edwards said the Office for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is “deeply saddened” by the boat accident in the Gulf of Aden over the weekend involving refugees and migrants. The boat was reportedly carrying 77 men, women and children from Somalia (31) and Ethiopia (46). “Thirty-three people were rescued, but…
Author: UN News
11 March 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency said today it is increasingly alarmed at the humanitarian impact of continuing violence in north-eastern Nigeria and stressed the importance of protecting civilians. Newly arrived refugees interviewed by the staff of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Niger have spoken of atrocities on the islands and shores of Lake Chad in north-east Nigeria’s Borno state. “One woman described corpses strewn through houses and floating in the water. She said people feared staying even to bury their dead or find missing relatives. Others recounted fleeing a village shooting incident and…
11 March 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay have voiced deep concern about the escalation of violence and its impact on civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region, and urged an immediate halt to hostilities. Since late February, fighting between rebel groups and local militia in South Darfur has left thousands of people homeless, with reports of looting and villages burnt. In North Darfur, over the past few days, thousands of people have fled inter-communal fighting and sought protection at the African Union-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) camp in Saraf Umra. “The…
10 March 2014 – As the2014 session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women got under way today, the head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) spotlighted the agency’s joint efforts with the World Bank to address the multidimensional challenges that women and girls face in Africa’s Great Lakes and Sahel regions. “These two regions are similar because they represent the future of Africa, you see young people everywhere, vibrant, wanting to make a difference in their own lives, the lives of their communities and in the lives of their countries,” said UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin…
10 March 2014 – International and well-coordinated support is vital to helping Libya through its democratic transition, a United Nations envoy told the Security Council today, as he described the recent polarization in the country, a dramatic increase in violence, including attacks on the media, as well as difficulties in strengthening the security sector. “Libya faces the risk of embarking on a new trajectory of unprecedented violence,” Tarek Mitri, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said in his briefing to the 15-member body. Mr. Mitri has been heading the UN’s efforts to…
10 March 2014 – Underscoring the Central African Republic’s (CAR) history of coups, violence and impunity, the head of a United Nations inquiry warned today that the spread of hate speech and the collapse of law and order in the strife-riven country are likely precursors to grave human rights violations, including genocide. “We want to present to the [UN] Security Council a complete file so the appropriate action can be taken,” said Bernard Acho Muna, who chairs the International Commission of Inquiry tasked with probing reports of human rights violations in the CAR, compiling information, and helping identify the perpetrators…
9 March 2014 – Deeply concerned by an outbreak of inter-communal violence in North Darfur, the African Union-United Nations Mission in the region called today for an end to the fighting, which has sent thousands fleeing for safety and left a number of people dead over the past few days. According to a news release from the Mission, known as UNAMID, thousands of displaced civilians from the town of Saraf Omra, located some 90 kilometres east of El Geneina, are currently seeking refuge near UNAMID’s base in the vicinity. “The Mission is providing protection and water to those affected, as…
8 March 2014 – The African Union-United Nations Joint Mediator for Darfur has wrapped up talks between the top African Union (AU) official and leaders of two of the region’s main rebel movements, encouraging the parties to overcome their misgivings and press ahead towards a comprehensive political accord, for the benefit of not only strife-ridden Darfur, but also for wider sudan. “This meeting is a significant opportunity for the movements and the African Union to exchange views and for building a common understanding of the basis for a lasting political settlement for Darfur,” said Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who is also…
7 March 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency today expressed its deep concern about the situation in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, where needy populations, including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and, increasingly, host communities are being affected as security conditions have prevented the delivery of food and other relief items to several camps since February. “It has been impossible to deliver food due to the security situation, which is leading to severe malnutrition [and] recent severe cases among children have us particularly worried at the risks of prolonged disruption,” said Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner…
7 March 2014 – Painting a grim picture of war-torn Central African Republic (CAR), where months of inter-religious violence has wrecked State institutions, left millions on the brink of starvation and now threatens to suck in the wider region, the top United Nations relief official today called for urgent international action – more peacekeepers and more aid – to end the crisis. “The situation…is extremely grave and urgent action is required by everyone if we are going to prevent further bloodshed,” Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said in Geneva, where she told reporters that the violence in the Car…