18 April 2015 – The head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Bernardino León has strongly condemned the renewed outbreak of violence in the Libyan capital of Tripoli amid ongoing political dialogue aimed at resolving the crisis in the country. According to a press release issued by UNSMIL this afternoon, the outburst of violence in the Tripoli neighbourhood of Fashloum has already caused “many casualties and endangered the lives of civilians” with initial reports suggesting that three civilians were killed, including a young girl, since the resumption of hostilities. There have also been reports of abductions of…
Author: UN News
16 April 2015 – During a speech delivered at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. this evening, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underlined the gravity of the situation in Yemen, saying the country in “in flames” and pointing out how the current crisis is multiplying the already high levels of suffering and insecurity faced by many in the population. “Even before the latest escalation, two out of three Yemenis relied on humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Ban said. “Levels of food insecurity were higher than the in the poorest stretches of Africa.” Hundreds have been killed while deliveries of humanitarian supplies…
17 April 2015 – The United Nations refugee agency has today welcomed efforts by South Africa’s Government to contain a recent wave of xenophobic violence that has accounted for the deaths of six people in the past three weeks in South Africa. However, Adrian Edwards, a spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the agency remains concerned about the attacks, which have also led to displacement of more than 5,000 foreigners, some of whom included refugees and asylum-seekers. “The attacks in KwaZulu-Natal province began in late March following an apparent labour dispute involving…
16 April 2015 – Intense efforts to control the Ebola outbreak in the three most-affected West African countries in will continue, the United Nations health chief said in Washington, DC today, adding that the international community is also looking for ways to build on dramatic recent progress by aiding with efforts aimed at recovery from the outbreak. “The goal is to help people and their communities to return to a normal life again,” said Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). “It means that children are going back to school, women can once again shop in their local…
15 April 2015 – A new round of political dialogue on Libya, hosted by Morocco and facilitated by the United Nations Support Mission (UNSMIL) in the country began in Skhirat, Morocco, today, aiming to end the crisis in the country. Since the last round of talks ended on 26 March, participants have had the opportunity to consult with their constituencies and key stakeholders on a proposal on a comprehensive solution to end the conflict in Libya and in Skhirat, parties are expected to present their remarks regarding the overall framework outlined in the Draft Agreement on the Political Transition in…
15 April 2015 – The United Nations refugee chief called today on the international community to step-up its efforts to ease the plight of Syrian refugees who continue to live in harsh conditions in informal settlements in southern Lebanon. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), António Guterres, made his comments, while in Debane, close to the southern city of Ghaziye, where he was visiting some of the 1.2 million Syrians who have sought refuge in Lebanon because of fighting in their country. “The equivalent of what we have in Lebanon in the United States would be [equivalent to] more…
15 April 2015 – The United Nations in Mali condemned today’s deadly attack on its Gao area compound that injured nine peacekeepers, killed at least three civilians and injured seven others, calling it a “cowardly and heinous” act. According to the UN, at around 11:30 a.m. this morning, a suicide vehicle exploded at the entrance to the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) camp in Ansongo, in the Gao region, as it tried to enter. The attack injured nine peacekeepers from the contingent of Niger, two of them seriously. Medical evaluations are underway. “I am shocked that valiant peacekeepers, as…
15 April 2015 – The top United Nations official in Somalia condemned yesterday a terrorist attack against the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education in Mogadishu city that resulted in the death and injuries of civilians, members of the security forces and Government workers. “I condemn today’s terrible terrorist attack in Mogadishu in the strongest terms and am appalled by the complete disregard for the lives of innocent people shown by the attackers,” said Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay. “An attack on the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education is an assault on Somalis’ brave efforts…
14 April 2015 – The United Nations refugee agency today urged Kenyan authorities to reconsider their decision to shut down within the next three months Dadaab refugee camps, a decision that would require some 350,000 Somalis to return to their country and would cause “extreme” humanitarian consequences. “Large-scale returns are still not possible in many parts of the country, in particular to South Central Somalia,” spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Karin de Gruijl, told journalists in Geneva. The Government’s decision was announced this past weekend following the horrific attack at Garissa University…
13 April 2015 – Libyan stakeholders must give the country’s United Nations-facilitated peace process a chance in order for a political solution to take hold and end the ongoing fighting in the North African nation, the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has declared. “We are here today to send a strong message that no more Libyans should be killed. No more Libyans should lose their lives,” Special Representative of the Secretary General for Libya and head of UNSMIL, Bernardino León said today in his opening remarks to the latest meeting of Libyan political leaders and activists…