14 February 2014 – The United Nations today is warning against the return of 130,000 South Sudanese who have fled to neighbouring countries due to the continued violence despite last month’s ceasefire accord between Government and opposition forces. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is recommending that States refrain from returning South Sudanese to the country unless cases involve people who may have committed serious human right violations, spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a news briefing in Geneva today. “UNHCR’s advisory against forced returns to South sudan remains in effect until security, rule of law and the human rights conditions improve enough…
Author: UN News
14 February 2014 – The United Nations children’s agency says it is horrified by the cruelty and violence being perpetrated against children in the Central African Republic (CAR), where at least 133 children have been killed or maimed in the past two months. Children have not been spared in the conflict in CAR, which erupted when mainly Muslim Séléka rebels launched attacks in December 2012 and has taken on increasingly sectarian overtones as mainly Christian militias known as anti-Balaka (anti-machete) have taken up arms. According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), recent weeks have witnessed “unprecedented” levels of violence against…
13 February 2014 – Welcoming the start of the latest round of talks between South Sudan’s sparring factions aimed at resolving the crisis in the country, the Security Council today stressed that the dialogue will only succeed if “fully inclusive”, and called for all detained and formerly detained political leaders to be allowed to take part in the process. In a wide-ranging statement to the press that also addressed the Security Council’s ongoing concerns about human rights violations and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the world’s youngest country, the 15-nation body expressed strong support to the mediation effort being led…
12 February 2014 – An independent United Nations human rights expert today urged the Government of Tajikistan to fully implement its policies to eradicate and prevent torture and ill-treatment. “Tajikistan still needs to breach the gap between policies and reality,” said the Special Rapporteur on torture, Juan E. Méndez, following a three-day follow-up mission to the evaluate the implementation of the recommendations issued after his 2012 visit. “I find it very satisfying to see that my recommendations were taken so seriously and that systematic action has been initiated by the Government to implement some of them,” he stressed. Mr. Méndez…
13 February 2014 – Some 90 per cent of the 11th century archaeological site of Gao Saneye in northern mali was pillaged by Islamic extremists during their seizure of the region in 2012, traditional musical instruments and costumes were destroyed, and a World Heritage site mosque needs urgent repairs, United Nations cultural officials reported today. The report on the damage to cultural heritage in the town of Gao, addressing both sites and the cultural practices of local people, follows a UN assessment last year of Timbuktu, another major heritage site in northern Mali, which found that damage there was more…
13 February 2014 – The Security Council today renewed until the end of the year the United Nations mission helping Burundi recover from decades of ethnic war, despite the Central African country’s request to end it earlier, as it moves towards crucial elections amid political violence and intra-party tensions. In a unanimous resolution the 15-member body welcomed the continued progress that Burundi, a centrepiece of UN peacebuilding efforts to ensure that countries once ravaged by war do not relapse into bloodshed, has made towards stability, but it endorsed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recommendation not to wrap up the UN Office in…
13 February 2014 – The United Nations has allocated an additional $10 million from its emergency humanitarian fund to support the most critical relief operations in Central African Republic (CAR), where hundreds of thousands have been uprooted by violence across the country. This is the second $10 million allocation in about two months from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support aid efforts in CAR, which has plunged into chaos and deadly violence following months of political crisis and lawlessness. An estimated 2.5 million people – well over half of the country’s 4.6 million residents – are in…
13 February 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) strongly condemned an attack near the airport in Mogadishu that resulted in a number of deaths and injuries, as well as damage to a UN vehicle. A vehicle exploded close to a UN convoy near the airport at about 12:30 local time, according to a statement issued by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay. The Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, which media reports say killed at least six people. “The UN in…
12 February 2014 – Standing on his hind legs to peer at a United Nations vehicle in South Sudan, he poked his head under the hood and sniffed, brown curls shaking around as he searched for explosives. This water cocker spaniel is one of eight sniffer dogs that arrived last week from the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to help with random searches in and around UN bases and some displacement camps in strife-torn South sudan . “They are here to search and indicate if people are bringing in weapons or explosives or other contraband,” said Robert Thompson, UN Mine…
12 February 2014 – Rural development is key to Africa’s prosperity, yet it has been undervalued by Governments, international lenders and policy advisers, the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a paper released today, calling for increased investment in the field. “Boosting agriculture and building around it a strong rural economy is crucial for Africa. Done right, it would create millions of much needed jobs, as well as wealth, inclusion, food security, crisis resilience, and social and political peace,” ILO Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships, Gilbert Houngbo wrote in a commentary. “A key lesson from ILO rural…