Adjust UN force in Abyei to current realities, peacekeeping chief urges Security Council

Amidst an increase in criminal activity in the Abyei area, which is contested by Sudan and South Sudan, the United Nations top peacekeeping official on Thursday called for deployment of additional police units, to enhance the UN’s focus on maintaining law and order there, and furthering peace between local communities

The proposed additional personnel – both formed police units and individual officers – are within the current troop ceiling authorized for the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told the Security Council. UNISFA was established by the Security Council in 2011, amid…

Joint United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) - Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) team deployed to assist families affected by mudslides in East Jebel Marra

Today, a joint team comprising United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) civilian staff and the Humanitarian Country Team, as well as 70 peacekeepers, including 30 Special Forces and six doctors, reached the affected area

The African Union - United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), have deployed a joint mission to provide emergency assistance to people affected by mudslides in East Jebel Marra, South Darfur. Heavy rains in the area last week caused mudslides in Wadi Tuliba and…

Commission on Human Rights Urges South Sudan to make peace and justice a reality

South Sudanese civilians continue to live in complete insecurity as the violence is ongoing, arbitrary detention and torture at the hands of the National Security Service are on the rise, some 6 million people – around 60 per cent of the population -- live under “emergency” food insecurity and humanitarian assistance convoys are routinely attacked

The Commissionto use the opportunity created by the renewal of the peace agreement to ensure justice and accountability for the victims of the many crimes committed against its population. While welcoming in its oral update before the Human Rights Council the “Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in…

‘Wind of hope’ blowing through Horn of Africa says UN chief, as Ethiopia and Eritrea sign historic peace accord

There is a powerful wind of hope blowing across the Horn of Africa region, said UN chief António Guterres on Sunday, in Saudi Arabia to witness the signing of a peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, ending decades of simmering conflict. Saudi Arabia facilitated the agreement, and in a message…

South Africa: President and Deputy President Scheduled to Answer Questions for Oral Reply in Parliament this week

Regular oral question and answer sessions are one of the ways in which Parliament fulfils its constitutional role of scrutinising and overseeing Executive action

The President and Deputy President will both be answering questions for oral reply this week. President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to have his question and answer session tomorrow, Tuesday 11 September at the plenary sitting of the National Council of Provinces. Deputy President David Mabuza is scheduled to answer questions…

Norway intensifies efforts in the Sahel region

Norway is stepping up its efforts in the Sahel, and today the Government is launching a strategy for Norway’s efforts in this region for the period 2018-2020

The Sahel region is facing significant security, humanitarian and development challenges. Weak state structures and porous borders have enabled Islamist terrorist groups to gain a foothold in the region. Conflicts are threatening stability in several of the region’s countries and have caused the civilian population enormous suffering. The human cost…

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) commemorates 20th Anniversary of the Guiding Principles of Internal Displacement

South Sudan has made positive efforts so far by becoming a member of the Protocol on Internal Displacement from the Great Lakes Pact

Today, UNHCR the UN Refugee Agency, Government authorities, UN agencies and partners have renewed their commitment to finding and facilitating solutions to internal displacement. At a high-level event in Juba on 4th September, a panel of experts and participants have discussed the need to build upon a participatory process for…

Refugee representatives set to meet South Sudan peace talk parties

This dialogue will help ensure that refugee voices continue to play a pivotal role in the revitalized peace effort to end the country’s devastating civil war

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is (today) bringing South Sudan refugee representatives face-to-face with the parties involved in key peace negotiations in Khartoum. This dialogue will help ensure that refugee voices continue to play a pivotal role in the revitalized peace effort to end the country’s devastating civil war. Following…

The Secret Chinese Arms Trade in the Horn of Africa

China is actively positioning itself as a major supplier of arms to the African continent and is stepping up its shipments of weapons to conflict zones through Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

EXX Africa (https://www.EXXAfrica.com) published a special report on the secret Chinese arms trade in the Horn of Africa. Download the report: http://bit.ly/2PvgfDy Beyond the commercial objective of increasing sales of Chinese manufactured weapons and military equipment, China also seeks to control a greater share of the weapons trade in Africa…

Community Networks Key to Connecting Africa, says Internet Society

As Internet access continues to grow in Africa, with over 450 million people now connected to the Internet, more than 60 percent of the population still remains offline

As Internet access continues to grow in Africa, with over 450 million people now connected to the Internet, more than 60 percent of the population still remains offline. Community Networks are a key way to address this connectivity gap, says the Internet Society, a global non-profit dedicated to ensuring the open…