This is the News in Brief from the United Nation. 

Timor Leste: UN agencies support response to fatal floods 

UN agencies in Timor Leste committed on Monday to do all they can to support response efforts after torrential rains triggered landslides and flash flooding in the capital, Dili, and other parts of the country.  

In addition to wreaking havoc on homes, buildings and critical infrastructure, communication networks and electricity are said to be disrupted in some of the worst affected areas.  

The UN Resident Coordinator in Timor-Leste, Roy Trivedy, expressed  his deep concern, especially for the women and children who are often most affected by natural disasters, and avowed to “work with the authorities to mobilize all possible resources to support the response”.  

Meanwhile the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director, Dageng Liu, said that “the priority right now is to continue evacuating and relocating families most affected”.  

Abducted women and children reunited with families 

Turning to Africa, 58 women and children who were abducted last year during vicious intercommunal fighting in South Sudan are being reunited with their families, the UN said on Monday. 

The exchange came about following a community-led peace, negotiated in Jonglei State between the Lou Nuer, Murle and Dinka Bor ethnic communities. 

Since December, the UN Mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, has been working with United Kingdom- and United States-supported agencies on intensive efforts to broker peace between the three communities. 

While conceding that “abductions are a horrific aspect of conflict in this area”, the UNMISS chief and UN Special Representative for the country, David Shearer, said that the agreement to release the abducted women and children “is an essential step to build trust and avoid the cycle of revenge”.  

US lifts sanctions against ICC officials 

And finally, UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the United States’ decision to lift sanctions and visa restrictions against International Criminal Court (ICC) officials. 

President Joseph Biden on Friday revoked a Trump-era executive order issued after the ICC announced it was investigating alleged war crimes committed by all sides in the conflict in Afghanistan, including the US. 

The UN chief noted that the Netherlands-based Court, which prosecutes genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, “plays an important role in advancing accountability for international crimes”. 

At the same time, the ICC issued a statement acknowledging that “the United States has traditionally made important contributions to the cause of international criminal justice” and that it “stands ready to reengage with the US in the continuation of that tradition based on mutual respect and constructive engagement”. 

Liz Scaffidi, UN News