Very serious challenges remain “on the ground” in South Sudan

Very serious challenges remain “on the ground” in South Sudan which are preventing the United Nations from carrying out its work effectively; that’s the assessment of a senior UN peacekeeping official who is currently in the African country. South Sudan is recovering from almost three years of internal conflict which has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people and forced some 2.6 million to flee their homes.The UN Security Council has called for the free movement of personnel working for the mission there, UNMISS, and for the establishment of a regional protection force.Sebit William asked El Ghassim Wane, Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, what he had achieved during his visit.

It’s “not easy to forgive” says Ugandan left on death row for 18 years

A Ugandan man who lived for more than 18 years on death row says it’s “not easy to forgive”, in his own words, “everybody who participated in my suffering.” But that’s exactly what Edward Mpagi has been able to do, taking his call for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, all the way to UN Headquarters in New York. He took part in a panel discussion on the theme of moving away from the death penalty. The UN advocates for the universal abolition of the death penalty and more than 160 Member States have either abolished it or do not practice it. Matthew Wells asked Mr Mpagi to explain how he ended up in prison, back in the early 1980s.

Sudan encouraged to cooperate with chemical weapons body

A report on alleged chemical weapons use in the Darfur region of Sudan underscores the need to bring an end to the ongoing conflict there, the head of UN Peacekeeping told the Security Council on Tuesday. Hervé Ladsous was referring to an investigation released last week by Amnesty International which found that “at least 30 suspected chemical attacks have taken place so far this year” in the Jebel Marra region. Dianne Penn has the story.

Presenter: Jocelyne Sambira

Production Assistant: Sandra Guy

Duration: 10'00″