29 May 2015 – The United Nations Special Envoy for Burundi today travelled to Tanzania where he hopes an East African community summit over the weekend will help reinforce dialogue among the Burundian parties amid concerns raised by UN agencies that the current political instability and violence puts children at risk and could lead to a humanitarian crisis. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that amid the ongoing crisis in Burundi, children are at risk, especially those who have been exposed to violent clashes and demonstrations along with the more than 60,000 refugees who had fled to neighbouring countries. “Prolonged…
Author: UN News
29 May 2015 – Across northern Mali, a flare-up in clashes between armed groups has spurred a renewed exodus of people fleeing the violence and their homes, the United Nations refugee agency said today, reporting difficulties in reaching the beleaguered populations with critical humanitarian aid. “The volatile security situation is hindering access for humanitarian workers to all affected areas and the growing insecurity in the region is making the provision of protection and assistance to the newly-displaced very challenging,” William Spindler, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters today at a press briefing…
28 May 2015 – The Security Council today adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations mission in the country until 30 November 2015, giving the operation authorization to use all necessary means to protect civilians, monitor and investigate human rights, and create the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Council members requested that the Secretary-General, through his Special Representative, continue to direct the operations of an integrated UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), coordinating all UN activities in the country and supporting a coherent international approach to achieving peace. The draft decided that the military…
28 May 2015 – The United Nations Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, arrived in Burundi today as the top UN political official met with a Burundian government representative at UN headquarters and discussed the need to prevent and investigate political violence and killings. Also in Burundi today, a “consultative political dialogue” resumed today, under the facilitation of Said Djinnit, the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, with all parties being represented. In a phone call yesterday to the Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said it was vital that Burundian stakeholders take concrete…
28 May 2015 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern about the escalation of fighting in Yemen in a telephone conversation with the country’s President, the United Nations has confirmed. “The Secretary-General expressed his concern about the escalation of fighting on the ground and air strikes since the end of the humanitarian pause, and reiterated his firm belief that there is no military solution to the conflict,” the UN spokesperson’s office said in a readout of Mr. Ban’s exchange with Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour. The violence in the Gulf state continues to rumble on amid a worsening humanitarian…
28 May 2015 – This is 35-year-old Oscar Ouedraogo’s first deployment with a United Nations peacekeeping mission. The native of Burkina Faso has been working as a corrections officer for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) since 20 September 2014, in the capital, Bangui. In his own country, Mr. Ouedraogo, who is from the northern city of Ouahigouya, worked in the corrections administration for eight years, including as Deputy Director of the prison in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, for about two years. “My desire to work in a peacekeeping operation is the…
27 May 2015 – The diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East peace process today announced that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair plans to step aside as the group’s Representative and expressed its “deep appreciation” for his “remarkable service” and commitment to advancing peace and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians. “As the Quartet’s envoy on the ground during the last eight years, Mr. Blair demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace and made lasting contributions to the effort to promote economic growth and improve daily life in the West Bank and Gaza,” read a statement issued by…
27 May 2015 – More open and constructive dialogues should be held among Sudanese stakeholders as a top priority to address ‘the silence and the denials’ of crimes against women, a United Nations human rights expert concluded after her recent mission to the country. “The silence and the denials, whether by State authorities or many civil society participants, regarding the subject of violence as experienced by women, is a source of concern,” Rashida Manjoo, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, said in a news release which covered the events of her 12-day visit to Sudan. Reports and interviews…
26 May 2015 – The Security Council today adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) as the Horn of Africa country continues down its road towards political recovery and increased security. The resolution – adopted unanimously by the 15-member Council – reaffirms the UN body’s “respect” for Somalia’s “sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and unity” while allowing the Organization and African Union (AU) to review the dynamics of a temporary surge of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops. Moreover, the Council recalled its request for both the UN and AU to…
26 May 2015 – Travelling around South Sudan to see efforts made by the United Nations to protect civilians in the country, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Ellen Margrethe Løj, who also heads the UN Mission (UNMISS), visited Bentiu in Unity state this weekend. “We face a great challenge in ensuring the protection of the hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians throughout South Sudan,” said Ms. Løj during a joint visit with the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). “UNMISS is deeply troubled by reports of grave violations and abuses of human rights perpetrated during the fighting.” She said…
25 May 2015 – Each year, Africa Day is an opportunity to celebrate the continent’s achievements and to reflect on its challenges, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, highlighting the courage and determination it took to make remarkable progress to end the Ebola outbreak and urging leaders to commit to ending violence against women and empower them. “The dominant story of the year has been the Ebola crisis that swept West Africa, claiming at least 11,000 lives and threatening hard-won social, economic and political achievements,” Mr. Ban said in his remarks on the Day, which is celebrated worldwide on…
22 May 2015 – The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria has said today that consultations on the future of the country continued today, as he shared perspectives with several interested parties, according to a UN spokesperson. Among those who met with Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura was the Islamic scholar Muhammad Al Habash, who shared his thoughts on methods and processes to facilitate a peaceful solution to the conflict, based on religious perspectives and traditions, according to UN spokesperson Farhan Haq. Mr. Haq said the Special Envoy also met with Hind Kabawat and Asma Kftarou from a civil society…
24 May 2015 – The United Nations Special Representative for South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Løj, has urged accountability and justice for those responsible for gross human rights violations committed as a result of South Sudan’s continuing fighting. The announcement came as Ms. Løj completed a visit to a protection-of-civilians (PoC) site run by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Bentiu, located in the country’s Unity state, and following a recent enlargement of the camp. According to a joint press release issued earlier today by UNMISS and the International Organization of Migration (IOM), the PoC site’s extension work included…
24 May 2015 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the killing of a Burundian politician and his bodyguard in a move that threatens to further destabilize the country amid simmering political tensions and a growing humanitarian crisis. Zedi Feruzi, leader of the opposition Union pour la paix et le développement (UPD) Zigamibanga party in Burundi, and his bodyguard, were reportedly shot dead in the country capital of Bukumbura late yesterday evening. According to the UN spokesperson’s office, the killing comes just one day after a fatal grenade attack on Bujumbura’s central market that left two dead and many…
23 May 2015 – The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has condemned a spate of suicide bombings committed by Islamist terrorists in what it says is a blatant effort to undermine the country’s ongoing political dialogue. “At a time when all parties in Libya are exerting intense efforts to try and reach a political agreement that brings an end to the political and military conflict, there can be no doubt about the timing of these terrorist attacks, which are clearly part of a systematic campaign to undermine the ongoing dialogue process, and to instil a sense of mistrust…
21 May 2015 – After examining the case, a United Nations Committee has found that Canada’s deportation of a Jamaican man with a mental disability who had spent much of his life in Canada amounted to cruel and inhuman treatment, effectively leaving him without medical and family support. The man, known by his initials A.H.G., 52, immigrated to Canada when he was 18 years old and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1993. He was deported to Jamaica on 29 August 2011, after Canadian authorities ruled that he was not eligible to be in the country on the grounds of…
22 May 2015 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said he is deeply troubled by Boko Haram’s “continuing indiscriminate and horrific attacks” against the civilian populations of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, according to the United Nations. In a statement released today, a UN spokesperson said Mr. Ban is appalled by the continued abductions and use of children as so-called “human bombs,” as well as by testimony that many of the girls and women held by Boko Haram are repeatedly raped while in captivity and compelled to marry their captors as part of the group’s ongoing campaign of forced…
22 May 2015 – The escalation of fighting in South Sudan has resulted in “alarming gross violations” of international human rights and humanitarian law as well as having exacted a terrible toll on the young nation’s civilian population, the United Nations human rights chief confirmed today. South Sudan’s ongoing conflict began in December 2013 and has been marked by brutal violence against civilians and deepening suffering across the country. Some 119,000 people are sheltered in UN compounds there while the Organization estimates that the number of people in need for 2015 will include an anticipated 1.95 million internally displaced persons…
21 May 2015 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is rushing critical relief supplies to Tanzania’s north-western border with Burundi amid a devastating cholera outbreak affecting tens of thousands of refugees there. In a press release issued earlier today, UNICEF confirmed it had dispatched cholera treatment supplies, as well as water, sanitation, health and nutrition items to stem the spread of cholera among 50,000 Burundian refugees living rough along the shores of Lake Tanganyika. The influx of Burundian refugees into Tanzania has been steadily increasing since the 13th May declaration of a coup d’état against Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza.…
21 May 2015 – Ten trucks carrying vital relief supplies have crossed the border between Tunisia and Libya, as the United Nations hunger relief agency said today that it has resumed providing assistance in support of displaced people affected by the ongoing conflict in Libya. “The violence and insecurity in Libya is continuing unabated and has led to massive population displacements and an increase in humanitarian needs,” said Wagdi Othman, World Food Progamme (WFP) Emergency Coordinator for Libya. “As thousands of vulnerable people are displaced now, WFP is doing its utmost to support those people who have been left without…