Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The UN has sounded the alarm over fighting in eastern DR Congo, warning that violence, which is unfolding alongside an Ebola outbreak, could hamper next month’s elections. Leila Zerrougui, head of the UN stabilisation mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUSCO, said the …
Read More »UN to lift sanctions on Eritrea
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council will on Wednesday vote to lift sanctions on Eritrea following a landmark peace deal with Ethiopia and a thaw with Djibouti that have buoyed hopes for positive change in the Horn of Africa. Diplomats say they expect the council …
Read More »3 civilians killed in attack on UN contractor in Mali
Bamako, Mali | AFP | At least three Malian civilians were killed and four foreigners working for a UN-contracted mine-clearing operation wounded in a suicide attack Monday in the country’s violence-hit north, the security ministry and other official sources said. The attack, claimed by a group linked to Al-Qaeda, took …
Read More »UN report finds violations of South Sudan arms embargo
United Nations, United States | AFP | A UN panel of experts has found violations of the arms embargo imposed on South Sudan, reporting to the Security Council that there are “alarming levels” of sexual violence, hunger and human rights abuses in the war-scarred country. The panel’s 29-page report seen …
Read More »Macron, Merkel, UN chief target Trump’s world view
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN chief Antonio Guterres took turns in warning about the dangers of nationalism on Sunday as they marked the centenary of the end of World War I. Without mentioning US President Donald Trump by name, all …
Read More »Libya conference in early 2019 could pave way to elections: UN
United Nations, United States | AFP | A national conference will be held in Libya in the first weeks of 2019 to push for elections that could take place next year, the UN envoy told the Security Council on Thursday. UN envoy Ghassan Salame said the conference will provide “a …
Read More »UN to double food aid to Yemen
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said Thursday it will nearly double food aid to Yemen to reach 14 million people a month — almost half the war-ravaged country’s population. Yemen is in the grip of the world’s worst hunger crisis as government troops backed …
Read More »US delays UN approval of aid for North Korea
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States is delaying approval of several requests for sanctions exemptions to deliver tractors, spare parts and other goods needed for humanitarian relief in North Korea, according to documents seen by AFP on Thursday. Russia asked the Security Council to discuss the …
Read More »More than 200 mass graves found in former IS territory in Iraq: UN
Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | More than 200 mass graves containing up to 12,000 victims have been found so far in Iraq that could hold vital evidence of war crimes by the Islamic State group, the UN said Tuesday. The United Nations in Iraq (UNAMI) and its human rights office …
Read More »UN says war-torn Yemen ‘living hell’ for children
Amman, Jordan | AFP | Conflict-ravaged Yemen has become a “living hell” for children with thousands dying every year from malnutrition and easily preventable diseases, a top UN official said Sunday. Geert Cappelaere, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at UN children’s agency UNICEF, called on the …
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