This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.
UN chief urges restoration of law and order after Darfur killings
The United Nations Secretary-General has voiced deep concerns over escalating violence in West Darfur and called on Sudanese authorities to “expend all efforts” to end the fighting and protect civilians.
At least 83 people were reportedly killed and more than 160 wounded in inter-communal clashes over the weekend.
Houses are also said to have been destroyed and about 50,000 people have been displaced.
In a statement on Sunday, António Guterres called on the Sudanese authorities to “expend all efforts to de-escalate the situation”.
He also called on them to “bring an end to the fighting, restore law and order and ensure the protection of civilians”.
The violence comes only weeks after the joint African Union/United Nations peacekeeping mission ended its operations.
The military draw-down is expected to be completed by the middle of the year.
Libya talks in Geneva break deadlock with agreement on interim leadership deal
Talks to help secure a peaceful future for Libya made progress at the UN in Geneva at the weekend with agreement on an interim political leadership deal, ahead of nationwide elections at the end of the year.
Announcing the development on Saturday, Acting UN Libya envoy Stephanie Williams said that Libyan delegates who had travelled to the Swiss city had broken the “deadlock” over selecting representatives for a temporary executive, from all regions of the country.
It has been split since the overthrow of President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with conflict between the UN-recognised Government of National Accord in the west, and the Libyan National Army in the east.
The terms of the Geneva deal would be decided by a vote on Monday by the 75 members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Tunis, Ms. Williams told journalists at a virtual press conference.
She described the proposal as “the best possible compromise” as it “respects the regional dimension and …encourages people to work across the divide and across regions, in order to strengthen understanding and to build unity in the country”.
The temporary authority will be replaced by a permanent, democratically elected government, chosen by the Libyan people.
UN rights office calls for release of Russian dissident Navalny
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has issued an appeal for the immediate release of Aleksei Navalny in Russia.
The opposition activist and blogger was arrested on Sunday upon returning to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport from Germany, after recovering from an attempt to kill him last year, which he blames on the Kremlin, using the nerve agent Novichok.
In a tweet, the UN rights office said that it was “deeply troubled” by Mr Navalny’s arrest and called for his immediate release.
Due legal process should be respected in line with the rule of law, OHCHR continued, before reiterating its call for a thorough and impartial investigation into his poisoning. MW
Daniel Johnson, UN News.
