APO Group - Africa Newsroom / Press Release

Source: UN News | Apr 23, 2024

Airlines urged not to facilitate United Kingdom-Rwanda asylum transfers

Airlines should be held responsible if they assist in the removal of asylum seekers from the UK

Two years ago, London announced the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP), now referred to as the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership, which stated that asylum seekers in the UK would be sent to Rwanda before their cases could be heard. The national Rwandan asylum system would then consider their need for international…

Source: UN News | Apr 20, 2024

War in Sudan is ‘a crisis of epic proportions’ as atrocities abound

The year-long ongoing war in Sudan is “a crisis of epic proportions”, and the world must rethink the way it supports the Sudanese people amid rampant atrocities against civilians and no end in sight, top UN and African Union officials warned the Security Council on Friday

The Sudanese people have endured “unbearable suffering” since the conflict started just over a year ago when an outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) “brutally interrupted the political transition”, Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said. “This is…

Source: UN News | Apr 17, 2024

Libyan leaders must put national interests above their own, top envoy tells Security Council

Efforts to foster dialogue and address the concerns of Libyan politicians are being met with “stubborn resistance, unreasonable expectations and indifference” on their part, contrary to the national interest, the UN envoy to the North African nation said on Tuesday

Special Representative Abdoulaye Bathily told the Security Council that since the end of 2022, UN-led efforts to resolve Libya’s political crisis have encountered national and regional pushbacks, “revealing an intentional defiance to engage in earnest and a tenacity to perpetually delay elections”. Resignation tendered Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters outside the…

Source: UN News | Apr 17, 2024

Geneva conference pledges $630 million in life-saving help for Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s international partners convened in Geneva on Tuesday to address the urgent need for increased humanitarian funding for the crisis-hit country, pledging a total of almost $630 million

The UN-backed $3.24 billion humanitarian response plan for 2024 is only five per cent funded. Organised by the UN along with the Governments of Ethiopia and the United Kingdom, the conference aims to hear commitments that will enhance life-saving aid to approximately 15.5 million people in 2024. An immediate funding…

Source: UN News | Apr 17, 2024

United Nations leaders call for more action to end racism and discrimination

Tuesday marked the opening of the third session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, bringing together anti-racism activists, human rights defenders, government delegations and others

UN Secretary-General António Guterres celebrated the achievements and contributions of people of African descent from across the world, while addressing the forum via video message, but also acknowledged existing racial discrimination and inequalities Black people continue to face. He said the establishment of the Permanent Forum shows a dedication from the international community…

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- WHO/Christopher Black WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (file)
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Source: UN News | Apr 13, 2024

Nigeria first country to introduce ‘revolutionary’ meningitis vaccine

Nigeria has become the first country to roll out a “revolutionary” five-in-one vaccine against meningitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement on Friday

The Men5CV vaccine offers a powerful shield against the five major strains of the meningococcal bacteria - A, C, W, Y and X - which cause the disease. Known by the brand name MenFive, it provides broader protection than the vaccine currently used in much of Africa, which is only…

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- UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Secretary-General António Guterres (centre) and other participants light candles at the UN General Assembly event commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda
- UNICEF/UNI55086/Press A 14-year-old Rwandan boy from the town of Nyamata, photographed in June 1994, survived the genocidal massacre by hiding under corpses for two days
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Source: UN News | Apr 13, 2024

United Nations (UN) pays tribute to victims and survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

The UN renewed its commitment to never forget the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda during a candle lighting ceremony on Friday to mark 30 years since the horrific events there unfolded

The commemoration in the General Assembly Hall was held to remember the victims and honour the survivors and those who tried to stop the genocide. Focus was also on young people who have grown up in its shadow, and on countering hate speech which fuelled the killing and has become…

Source: UN News | Apr 12, 2024

Wave of increased food insecurity hits West and Central Africa

The most recent data shows that economic turmoil including stagnated production, currency devaluation, increasing inflation and trade barriers have exacerbated the food crisis in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Mali

Almost 55 million people are facing further food and nutrition insecurity in West and Central Africa during the region’s three-month lean season from June through August, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday. This is a four million increase in the number of people currently dealing with food insecurity…

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Source: UN News | Apr 09, 2024

‘Fear and loss’ multiplies in Sudan exodus

Over 8.5 million Sudanese have been forced to flee their homes in Sudan since the war between rival militaries erupted last April, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday

At least 1.8 million among them fled across the border into neighbouring, South Sudan, Chad, Central African Republic, Egypt and Ethiopia; as well as Uganda. Thousands more are arriving by the day, agency spokesperson Olga Sarrado told journalists at the regular news briefing in Geneva. The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)…

Source: UN News | Apr 05, 2024

Sudan: Aid lifeline reaches Darfur region in bid to avert ‘hunger catastrophe’

Two aid convoys carrying lifesaving supplies have reached Sudan’s Darfurs for the first time in months, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday, as humanitarians try to avert a “hunger catastrophe”, after nearly a year of heavy fighting

“The UN WFP has managed to bring desperately needed food and nutrition supplies into Darfur; the first WFP assistance to reach the war-wracked region in months,” said Leni Kinzli, WFP Communications Officer in Sudan. The convoys crossed into Sudan from Chad in late March carrying enough food and nutrition supplies for 250,000 people facing acute hunger…