29 December 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council strongly condemned the terrorist attack that occurred at the central train station of the Russian city of Volgograd today causing numerous deaths and injuries. Media reports say 16 people were killed and some 40 injured in the suicide attack, which occurred around 12:45 p.m. local time at the train station. “The Secretary-General calls for the perpetrators of this heinous act to be brought to justice. He stands in solidarity with the Russian Federation in the face of terrorism,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement. The 15 members of…
Author: UN News
29 December 2013 – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan today voiced concern about reports of large numbers of armed youths moving towards the Jonglei state capital of Bor and called on all those with influence to convince them to immediately halt their advance and avoid a further escalation of the current crisis. The mission (UNMISS) said in a news release that the youths have been reportedly moving across the state for some time, with a possible intention of attacking communities. It is conducting aerial reconnaissance over Jonglei to get a clearer idea of the numbers of armed…
29 December 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned a “cowardly” attack on a convoy of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) that left two peacekeepers dead, and called on the Sudanese authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. A statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said the UN chief was “appalled” to learn of today’s armed attack by unidentified assailants on the convoy near Greida, South Darfur. One assailant was killed and another injured by UNAMID peacekeepers in return fire. “The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms this cowardly attack on UNAMID peacekeepers and expects…
28 December 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday welcomed the appointment of a mediation team to work with Government of South Sudan and the opposition towards reaching a ceasefire to end the current conflict, which has taken a heavy toll on the world’s youngest nation. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban commended the East African regional bloc known as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for its efforts and the outcome reached at its summit on 27 December. At yesterday’s meeting of heads of State and government, held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, IGAD issued…
28 December 2013 – The deadline set for the removal of the most critical chemical weapons material from Syria for destruction will not be met owing to technical difficulties, the Joint Mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations said on Saturday. Preparations continue “in readiness” for the transport of these materials, the Joint Mission said in a statement issued in the Syrian port city of Latakia. “However, at this stage, transportation of the most critical chemical material before 31 December is unlikely.” At the end of October, the Syrian Government destroyed critical…
27 December 2013 – An independent United Nations human rights expert today urged Cambodian authorities to continue to exercise restraint amid daily demonstrations in the capital of Phnom Penh, while also praising the increasing democratic space allowing people to comfortably express themselves in the streets without fear of retaliation and warning them against resorting to violence. Surya P. Subedi, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, appealed to all sides to exercise “the utmost restraint and calm,” adding that tolerance and racial harmony are crucial for the future of democracy in the country. Members of the…
27 December 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Security Council and the top United Nations envoy in Lebanon have strongly condemned the car bombing in Beirut today that killed former minister Mohammad Chattah and at least five others, underlining the need to protect the country’s stability in the face of such terrorism and the crisis in neighbouring Syria. “The Secretary-General is deeply troubled by the recurring acts of terrorism in Lebanon which pose a severe threat to the country’s stability and national cohesion,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement that urged all parties to act with restraint and to…
27 December 2013 – The United Nations today called on the Iraqi Government to ensure maximum security for some 3,200 Iranian exiles in a camp near Baghdad airport after a rocket attack on the airport last night reportedly killed a number of residents and seriously wounded others. “This is another stark reminder of the increasing violence in Iraq,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative Nickolay Mladenov said, voicing deep concern at the attack, in which rockets fell on Camp Hurriya, which houses the exiles, many of them members of a group known as the People’s Mojahedeen of Iran who have been…
27 December 2013 – Some 63,000 civilians have now sought refuge in United Nations bases in South Sudan as the UN peacekeeping mission there moves to reinforce its strength with troops and helicopters in the face of a conflict that has killed thousands and driven at least 122,000 others from their homes in the past 12 days. “Priorities for the response to the displaced are food, healthcare, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services, protection and camp management,” the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported today, noting that aid agencies will need $166 million to respond to immediate needs until…
27 December 2013 – The United Nations human rights office today called on the President of Uganda to refrain from signing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law, and urged the country to ensure the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people from violence and discrimination. “LGBT individuals in Uganda are a vulnerable and marginalised minority, already facing violence and discrimination. If signed by the President, this new law would reinforce stigma and prejudice, and institutionalise discrimination,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). If it becomes law, the bill – passed…