Niamey, Niger | AFP | The UN refugee agency appealed on Wednesday for $157 million (126 million euros) to help over a quarter of a million people affected by the insurgency led by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. The UNHCR, acting with more than 40 other agencies, said it …
Read More »UN to slap sanctions for hate speech in C. Africa
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council on Tuesday maintained an arms embargo on the Central African Republic and added incitement to hatred as well as attacks on aid workers as criteria for sanctions. The council unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution that would pave the way to …
Read More »UN urges C. Africa mission to safeguard civilian lives
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | An internal inquiry for the United Nations recommends tactical changes to the UN mission in the Central African Republic to protect civilians, according to findings made available Friday to AFP. “(The mission) MINUSCA should overhaul its strategy to protect civilians to ensure that its operational …
Read More »UN in talks on peacekeeper failings in C. Africa
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United Nations is in talks with countries that contribute peacekeepers to its mission in the Central African Republic after an investigation found their response to attacks last year fell short, a UN spokesman said Friday. A special investigation led by a retired …
Read More »US calls for South Sudan arms embargo after failed truce
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Wednesday called for an international arms embargo to be imposed on South Sudan following the failure of the latest ceasefire aimed at ending the four-year war. US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the Security Council that President Salva Kiir’s government …
Read More »UN hits out at surge in extra-judicial ‘executions’ in DR Congo
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday reported a surge in summary “executions” in the country, notably in the southern Kasai region. In 2017, “state agents” carried out 1,176 extra-judicial killings, “including at least 89 women and 213 children,” the United …
Read More »UN report backs peacekeeping changes in face of deaths
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN peacekeeping forces need to change the way they operate and not shy away from using force to reverse a worrying trend of escalating fatalities, according to a new report made public Monday. The recommendations were submitted to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in …
Read More »Global unemployment down but working poverty rampant: UN
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The global unemployment rate is expected to tick down in 2018, the United Nations said Monday, while warning that far too many workers still live in desperate poverty. The International Labour Organization forecast a worldwide unemployment rate of 5.5 percent this year, a marginal improvement on …
Read More »Internet cut off, at least five dead in DR Congo protest crackdown
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | At least five people were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, the UN said, as the authorities cracked down on a banned protest against President Joseph Kabila. Witnesses said security forces fired live rounds and tear gas in Kinshasa to disperse …
Read More »Last three years hottest on record: UN
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The last three years were the hottest on record, the United Nations weather agency said Thursday, citing fresh global data underscoring the dramatic warming of the planet. Consolidated data from five leading international weather agencies shows that “2015, 2016 and 2017 have been confirmed as the …
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