United Nations, United States | AFP | Burundi is not ready to hold credible elections because the ruling party and its allies remain firmly in control of political life and tensions remain high, a UN envoy said Monday. In power since 2005, Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza is leading a push for …
Read More »Genocide against the Tutsi’ recognised by UN
Kampala, Uganda | FRANCIS BYARUHANGA | With one month left for Rwanda to commemorate 24 years since the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, the United Nations General Assembly has unanimously adopted a decision on the “International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda”. The decision corrects …
Read More »UN backs Syria ceasefire as death toll in rebel enclave tops 500
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously demanded a 30-day ceasefire in Syria, as new air strikes on the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta took the civilian death toll from seven days of bombing to more than 500. With support from Russia, the …
Read More »UN wants prosecutions for South Sudan war crimes
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | A UN rights commission in South Sudan said Friday there was sufficient evidence to charge at least 41 senior officers and officials with war crimes and crimes against humanity. South Sudan’s four-year-old civil war has been characterised by extreme brutality and attacks on civilians. …
Read More »UN Security Council to vote Friday on Syria ceasefire
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council will vote Friday on a draft resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria to allow for humanitarian aid and medical evacuations. A slightly amended text was circulated to council members late Thursday but it was unclear whether Russia …
Read More »Ethiopian President advocates for efficient use of Nile waters
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | NBI | Ethiopia’s President Dr. Mulatu Teshome has said that one of the common challenges within the Nile Basin is that the majority of its inhabitants live under extreme poverty. Speaking during Thursday’s regional Nile Day 2018 celebrations at the UN Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, …
Read More »UNICEF number two Forsyth resigns after complaints of inappropriate behavior
United Nations, United States | AFP | UNICEF deputy director Justin Forsyth on Thursday resigned from the UN children’s agency following complaints of inappropriate behavior towards female staff in his previous post as head of British charity Save The Children. He apologized again for his past “mistakes”, but said his …
Read More »Russia seeks UN Security Council meeting on Eastern Ghouta
United Nations, United States | AFP | Russia called for a UN Security Council meeting to be held Thursday on the violence engulfing Eastern Ghouta after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described life for civilians in the rebel-held Syrian enclave as “hell on earth.” Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council on …
Read More »UN chief ‘deeply alarmed’ by Eastern Ghouta violence
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said he was “deeply alarmed” by the escalating violence in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta enclave after more than 100 civilians were killed in the second straight day of air strikes. Guterres urged all sides to uphold the basic …
Read More »UNICEF issues blank statement slamming ‘war ON children in Syria’
Amman, Jordan | AFP | The UN children’s fund on Tuesday expressed “outrage” over the killings of children in Syria by issuing a blank statement, adding in a footnote that “no words will do (them) justice”. The statement came after a ferocious Syrian regime bombing campaign pounded the rebel-held enclave …
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