Ministers from some of Africa’s largest oil and gas producing nations to meet in Cape Town to discuss future of energy industry

The ministers will be using Africa Oil Week Summit as a platform to discuss national strategies, sovereign competitiveness, issue licences and finalise tenders

Seventeen Ministers from Africa’s largest energy producing nations, including countries such as Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Tunisia among others, have agreed to meet in Cape Town at Africa Oil Week (AOW) (www.Africa-OilWeek.com), taking place from 4-8 November 2019 to broker new partnerships for their energy sectors. The ministers will be…

The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reinforce cooperation to empower women peacebuilders in the region

Over 30 participants representing eleven countries in the region were trained in conflict analysis, mediation and gender dimensions of conflict

The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in partnership with the UN System Staff College (UNSSC), the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC), organized a Training of Trainers…

‘The time for action is now’ senior UN peacekeeping official says, urging support for regional force combating Sahel terrorism

The Joint Force aims to bolster coordination to “neutralize” armed groups in the region

The five-year-old force working to stabilize Africa’s Sahel has shown great potential, but needs more support from the international community to reach full operational capacity, a top UN peacekeeping official said on Thursday, calling for enhanced political and economic solutions to help tackle the strife-torn region’s myriad challenges. Dubbed the…

Security Council Press Statement on the joint force of the Group of Five for the Sahel

The members of the Security Council welcomed the recent steps taken by the G5 Sahel States towards the full and effective operationalization of the Group of Five for the Sahel (FC-G5S)

The members of the Security Council were briefed on 16 May 2019 by the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Bintou Keita, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Burkina Faso, Alpha Barry, the High Representative of the African Union (AU) for Mali and the Sahel, Pierre Buyoya, the Special Representative…

Diplomacy the only way out of Libyan crisis

In Tuesday’s joint Foreign Affairs Minister’s Council (FAC), Minister Abela expressed Malta’s deep concern over the continued prolongation of hostilities in the Sahel region

An immediate halt to the ongoing violence in Libya and the commencement of a dialogue process between the warring sides would minimise the space for terrorist elements and render the entire region more secure. Speaking during an exchange of views with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, Ghassan Salamé,…

UN condemns deadly attack on Burkina Faso church

The church was burned to the ground, along with other buildings including a health centre

Senior UN officials, including Secretary-General António Guterres have voiced their outrage at a deadly attack on a Catholic church in the north of Burkina Faso on Sunday, during which six people were reportedly killed by gunmen. According to media reports, the attack took place in the town of Dablo, situated in a region that has…

Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on Burkina Faso

He expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured

The Secretary-General strongly condemns this morning’s attack on a Catholic Church during mass, in the village of Dablo, in the Center-North Region of Burkina Faso. He expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. He recalls the sanctity of all…

U.S. Embassy Observes World Press Freedom Day with Conference for Journalists and Students

The U.S. Embassy welcomed 50 journalists and journalism students for a conference on investigative journalism on May 8. Panelists Neloumta Mélodie from Radio FM Liberté and Djimet Wiché, Director of the online publication Alwihda, shared what they learned during a recent training in Burkina Faso, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy.…

UN warns Sahel crisis is reaching unprecedented levels

The number of security incidents in Burkina Faso, Mali and western Niger has sharply increased in recent months

Top UN officials today warned that insecurity and armed attacks in the Sahel have reached unprecedented levels. They called for increased humanitarian aid to millions of people affected by the spread of violence. Briefing UN Member States in Geneva, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger…

Unprecedented number of people forced to flee home in Burkina Faso; International Rescue Committee (IRC) launches response

The west African nation is experiencing a period of escalating violence, leading to the country’s greatest displacement crisis in recorded history

Since July violence involving militant groups has displaced almost 150,000 people in Burkina Faso -- and numbers continue to rise as violence continues; the IRC conducted an assessment and spoke to over 320 people to understand the needs of displaced people in Djibo, Sahel region; people report that they most…