Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | The United Nations will do “everything in its power” to prevent further atrocities in the Central African Republic, a top UN official said on Thursday at the end of a three-day visit. UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson was addressing lawmakers in the capital …
Read More »Kenya accuses UN of bowing to pressure in South Sudan probe
United Nations, United States | AFP | Kenya on Thursday accused the United Nations of bowing to pressure from certain countries by setting up an investigation that pinned the blame for peacekeeping failures in South Sudan on the Kenyan force commander. Ambassador Macharia Kamau charged that “certain current and future …
Read More »Uganda tells UN it does not ‘tolerate’ anti-gay conduct
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Uganda told the UN rights council on Thursday that it does not “tolerate” discrimination based on sexual orientation, a claim directly undermined by the government’s widely condemned record on gay rights. Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa also blamed British colonialism for laws that remain on Uganda’s …
Read More »Angola seeks smooth exit for Kabila in DR Congo
United Nations, United States | AFP | Angola said Wednesday that a date must be set for presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo that will allow a smooth handover of power from President Joseph Kabila. Angola and France will be leading a Security Council visit to the DR …
Read More »Kenya withdrawing from S.Sudan after Ondieki fired by UN
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya announced Wednesday it was withdrawing from United Nations peacekeeping duties in South Sudan after UN chief Ban Ki-moon fired the Kenyan head of the force for failing to protect civilians. Continued deployment of Kenyan troops in South Sudan “is no longer tenable”, the foreign …
Read More »UN commander sacked in South Sudan for failure to protect
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday sacked the commander of the peacekeeping force in South Sudan following a damning report showing failure to protect civilians during violence earlier this year in Juba. The report from a UN special investigation found that a lack …
Read More »Russia loses election to UN rights council
United Nations, United States | AFP | Russia on Friday failed to win re-election at the United Nations Human Rights Council in a vote rights groups said reflected international disapproval of Moscow’s involvement in the war in Syria. The UN General Assembly elected Hungary and Croatia instead to represent eastern …
Read More »Great Lakes leaders want UN force in DRC bolstered amid unrest fears
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Leaders of the Great Lakes region called Thursday for the UN peacekeeping force in strife-torn DR Congo to be bolstered, as fears rise of an upsurge in violence linked to delayed presidential polls. At the end of two-day talks, they called for more contributions to …
Read More »Gordon Brown calls for war crimes probe of Syria school strike
United Nations, United States | AFP | Former British prime minister Gordon Brown on Thursday called for a war crimes investigation of the deadly strike on a school in Syria that killed 22 children. “This is the worst assault on school children among 98 separate attacks on Syrian schools in …
Read More »Burundi notifies UN of ICC pullout
United Nations, United States | AFP | Burundi on Thursday formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, dealing a blow to the tribunal seen as a pillar of international justice. South Africa was the first to take the formal step at the United Nations …
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