Suicide bombing in Mali “direct attack on the peace process”

A suicide bombing on Wednesday which targeted government troops in Mali, killing dozens, should be seen as a “direct attack on the peace process” there. That’s according to the UN Under-Secretary-General for peacekeeping, Hervé Ladsous, addressing the Security Council on Wednesday, warning that the country stood at a “crossroads.” A UN-brokered peace deal was signed in June 2015 to end years of fighting between government forces and Tuareg-led rebels, but attempts to bring all the sides together are moving slowly.

Millions of children to receive measles vaccine in Nigeria

A mass vaccination campaign to protect more than four million children against a measles outbreak in north-eastern Nigeria is underway, overseen by the World Health’s Organization (WHO). The two-week-long campaign will target children in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States; areas that have long been affected by conflict involving Boko Haram, and where some areas remain inaccessible to health workers. WHO reported more than 1,500 suspected measles cases in the Borno State alone, that occurred between September and December last year. Andita Listyarini asked Dr Rex Mpazanje of WHO Nigeria, how big a threat the outbreak was.

Refugee scholarships restoring “educational hope” in South Sudan

A scholarship programme administered by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is restoring hope among young people displaced by the conflict in South Sudan. The DAFI scholarship programme, which the German government has funded for the past 25 years, has allowed more than 2,000 refugees in 41 countries to continue their post-secondary education. DAFI is the German acronym for Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Fund. Sebit William has been speaking to UNHCR External Relations Officer in South Sudan, Richard Ruati, and scholarship recipient Kolax Abraham, who is pursuing a degree in the capital, Juba. Mr Ruati began by explaining why DAFI scholarships benefit students and their countries.

Presenter: Matthew Wells

Production Assistant: Sandra Guy

Duration: 10’00″