Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco) on Wednesday urged a fair trial for an army officer who deserted and is accused of rebellion. “We are calling for the holding of a fair trial for Mr (John) Tshibangu,” Monusco spokeswoman Florence …
Read More »UN chief takes aim at Burundi leader’s bid to extend rule
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is sharply criticizing a bid by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza to make changes to the constitution that could see him hold onto power for another decade or more, according to a report obtained by AFP on Tuesday. Guterres said …
Read More »UN says probing suspected chemical weapons use in Syria
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | United Nations war crimes investigators on Tuesday said they were investigating fresh reports that chemical weapons were being used in rebel-held zones in war-ravaged Syria. The UN Commission of Inquiry on the human rights situation in Syria voiced alarm that it had received “multiple reports …
Read More »UN urges Uganda to probe refugee trafficking, corruption
Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Uganda must investigate allegations of “human trafficking” and corruption in refugee camps, the UN’s top official in the country told AFP on Monday. Rosa Malango, UN Resident Coordinator in Uganda, said she had written to the government last month over allegations ranging from “corruption to …
Read More »Rohingya abuses could spark regional conflict: UN rights chief
Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | The UN human rights chief warned Monday that possible acts of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority could fuel a religious-based conflict that spreads beyond the country’s borders. “Myanmar faces a very serious crisis –- with a potentially severe impact on the …
Read More »France freezes assets of DR Congo general over civilian ‘massacres’
Paris, France | AFP | France has frozen the financial assets of a Congolese general placed on the UN’s sanctions list for supporting a massacre of civilians by a suspected militia in 2014 and 2015, according to a notice published Sunday. The government will freeze the “funds and financial resources” in …
Read More »UN imposes sanctions on DR Congo general for ‘massacres’
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The UN imposed sanctions on a Congolese general on Friday for supporting the massacre of civilians by a suspected militia in eastern DR Congo. General Muhindo Akili Mundos, an ally of President Joseph Kabila, is one of four names to be added on to …
Read More »UN deplores ban on Libya displaced from pro-Kadhafi town
Tripoli, Libya | AFP | The United Nations expressed “grave concern” Friday over the breakdown in a deal to allow thousands of displaced to return to a town that backed Libya’s leader Moamer Kadhafi in its 2011 revolution. “For too many people displacement becomes more protracted every day, as insecurity …
Read More »UN slams Nigeria over Cameroon extradition
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | The UN refugee agency on Thursday criticised Nigeria for breaching international agreements after the leader of a Cameroonian anglophone separatist movement and his supporters were extradited at Yaounde’s request. The UNHCR said it learned “with great concern” about the case of Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, who was …
Read More »40,000 displaced Yemenis stranded without aid in Aden: UN
Aden, Yemen | AFP | The UN expressed concern on Wednesday for more than 40,000 displaced Yemenis who had sought refuge in second city Aden, only to find themselves caught in deadly fighting between troops and separatist militia. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said it had been unable to distribute …
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