This is the News in Brief from the United Nations
Aden escalation ‘clear sign’ that Yemen conflict must end, UN envoy
The recent outbreak of fighting in southern Yemen between former allies that are still locked in combat with Houthi opposition forces in the north of the country is a “clear sign” that the current conflict must be brought to an end, UN envoy Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday.
Updating the Security Council in New York on his efforts to secure a peaceful end to more than four years of war, Mr. Griffiths insisted that the UN remains committed to inclusive dialogue that resolves differences and to addressing the concerns of all Yemenis, including southern groups.
His comments come amid clashes between southern separatists and Government forces in Aden.
“There is a range of views to be taken into account in any dialogue on the future of Yemen and we need all of its citizens to assist us in making sure that future is safe and secure. This is of vital importance for the efforts to end the conflict and ensure the resumption of the political transition that has been interrupted by these recent years. I hope that all Yemeni stakeholders, from all parts of the country, take events in Aden as a clear sign that the current conflict must be brought to an end – swiftly and peacefully, and in a manner which addresses the needs of Yemenis across the country.”
Mr. Griffiths welcomed the fact that a ceasefire deal in Hudaydah governorate had maintained the flow of desperately needed humanitarian supplies and led to a sustained reduction in violence.
Deadly airstrikes displace thousands of civilians in Libya oasis town: OCHA
Intensifying clashes in the southern Libyan town of Murzuq involving air and drone strikes in recent days have left at least 90 people dead and displaced thousands of “terrified” civilians, the UN said on Tuesday.
The warning over the small oasis town follows local media reports that the clashes involved tribal opponents of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) of commander Khalifa Haftar, which in April began an offensive on Libya’s capital, Tripoli.
Jens Laerke from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), condemned the ongoing clashes:
“Casualties on all sides of the fighting have continued as a result of airstrikes by planes and drones, indiscriminate rocket attacks and shelling, and direct fighting on the ground…We know for a fact at least (of) six children, two of them were killed, four of them were injured in a strike that hit a house hosting internally displaced people on 8 August.”
According to the UN, 9,450 people have now been displaced by the violence in and around Murzuq since the beginning of August.
The UN and humanitarian partners are responding with emergency health care, food distribution, shelter and non-food items, but access remains “extremely limited” in Murzuq itself.
Venezuela: UNICEF seeks $70 million to aid 900,000 children
And finally, to Venezuela, where the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has appealed for help to provide life-saving assistance to 900,000 youngsters.
As the country continues to face a dire economic crisis, more than three million children need help, amid food shortages and limited access to healthcare and safe water, UNICEF said in a statement.
In its appeal for more than $70 million, the UN agency said that vaccine-preventable diseases including measles and diphtheria have re-emerged, while yellow fever and malaria are on the rise.
Around 1.3 million children and adolescents need protection services, while over a million are now out of school, UNICEF added.
Daniel Johnson, UN News.
Duration: 3’31”
