Africa

Paucity of political leadership at root of Somalia’s problems, says top UN envoy

31 December 2008
Somalia’s problems are driven by a lack of responsible political leadership, the top United Nations envoy to the Horn of Africa nation said today.

UN-African Union peacekeeping operation in Darfur marks one-year anniversary

31 December 2008
The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission, tasked with protecting civilians in war-ravaged Darfur and quelling the violence in the Sudanese region, commemorated its first anniversary in operation today as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon confirmed that troop levels have exceeded 60 per cent of the full authorized strength.

Top envoy to Sudan still misrepresented in Khartoum media, says UN mission

31 December 2008
The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) today reiterated that the world body's top envoy to the African nation never made remarks attributed to him by some by Khartoum-based newspapers.

UN feeds over 18,000 Congolese victims of attacks by Ugandan rebels

31 December 2008
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered emergency supplies for more than 18,000 displaced people in the strife-torn eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who are victims of violence at the hands of the notorious Ugandan rebel group known as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

Zimbabwe cholera death toll now more than 1,600 - UN reports

30 December 2008
The death toll from the worst cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe’s history continues to rise and now stands at 1,608, the United Nations said today, adding that the number of cases of the acute intestinal infection caused by contaminated food or water has risen to 30,365 as of 29 December.

Ban denounces ‘appalling atrocities’ by Ugandan rebels in DR Congo

30 December 2008
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned the “appalling atrocities” reportedly committed by the Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and southern Sudan, and demanded that they respect all rules of international humanitarian law.

UN envoy lauds ‘courageous’ decision of Somali President to step down

29 December 2008
The top United Nations envoy to Somalia today called for unity and solidarity among all the people of the strife-torn nation in the wake of President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed’s resignation from office, which he called a “patriotic and courageous” decision.

Military officer with UN-African Union force in Darfur dies after car-jacking

29 December 2008
A military officer serving with the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) died today, after being shot in the leg two days ago during a car-jacking in the strife-torn Sudanese region.

Somalia: UN agencies launch campaign to boost child survival

26 December 2008
United Nations agencies in Somalia have launched a multi-million dollar campaign aimed at reaching more than 1.5 million children under the age of five and women of child-bearing age across the strife-torn nation with critical interventions to improve child survival rates.

UN medical supplies arrive in Zimbabwe as cholera deaths top 1,500

26 December 2008
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is providing local hospitals in Zimbabwe with critical medical supplies and money to treat pregnant women, amid a collapsing health system and the worst cholera outbreak in the sub-Saharan African country's history which has now claimed over 1,500 lives.