Africa

A migrant sits in a patch of light entering through one of only two windows as he tries to warm himself up at a detention centre, located in Libya, 1 February 2017. At the time of UNICEF’s visit, 160 men were being detained there.
UNICEF/UN052822/Romenzi

UN report sheds light on ‘unimaginable horrors’ faced by migrants and refugees in Libya, and beyond

20 December 2018
Migrants and Refugees

Migrants and refugees are being subjected to "unimaginable horrors" from the moment they enter Libya, throughout their stay in the country and – if they make it that far – during their attempts to cross the Mediterranean, according to a report released on Thursday, by the United Nations political mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN human rights office (OHCHR).

A Rwandan peacekeeper from the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) Formed Police Unit (FPU) speaks with children while patrolling the streets of Gao in northern Mali.
UN Photo/Marco Dormino

UN chief advocates for a strengthening of peacekeeping in Africa

20 November 2018
Peace and Security

Citing the “encouraging progress” achieved by United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa – which hosts half of all ongoing missions – UN chief António Guterres on Tuesday called the international community to strengthen cooperation and commitment to peacekeeping, during an open debate held at the Security Council.

Nigerian migrants stranded in Libya arrive in Lagos as part of IOM’s voluntary return and reintegration programme. 14 February 2017.
IOM

Nigeria: Awareness-raising radio show on perils and opportunities of migration, launched by UN agency

30 October 2018
Economic Development

A radio series was launched on Tuesday in Nigeria by the UN migration agency (IOM) to sensitize vulnerable people seeking to pursue economic opportunities abroad on the perils of irregular migration – migration done outside the regulated frameworks – and provide information on pathways to migrate legally and safely.

Police officers of the UN peacekeeping misison in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA patrol in Bouar in August 2018.
MINUSCA/Hervé Serefio

‘Reasons to hope’ for sustainable peace in Central African Republic – UN Mission chief

23 October 2018
Peace and Security

The top United Nations official in the Central African Republic (CAR), said on Tuesday he is “hopeful that the necessary foundations to build sustainable peace” have been established and that long-lasting stability will depend on the will of its people, and support from the international community.

On 12 September 2018 in Beni, Kambale, 7 years old, attends school in the Ndindi neighborhod of Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been hit by an Ebola epidemic. There he learned that washing his hands is a good way to prevent Ebola.
© UNICEF/Thomas Nybo

Ebola in DR Congo: UN chief ‘outraged’ by recent killings of civilians and health workers

22 October 2018
Peace and Security

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres said on Monday he is “outraged by the continued killing and abduction of civilians by armed groups” near Beni, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s North Kivu region, which has been grappling with an Ebola outbreak since August.

Displaced persons, community leaders and local authorities in Tambura in Western Equatoria meeting with a delegation from UN and humanitarian agencies on 12 July 2018.
UNMISS

UN rights chief calls for release of hundreds abducted and abused in South Sudan

18 October 2018
Human Rights

Hundreds of civilians who were taken by opposition forces in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria region during an uptick in fighting are still missing, the UN’s top rights official said on Thursday, in a call for their immediate release.

Dr. Atar Atahi sits with a refugee from Sudan and her malnourished son in the nutrition stabilization centre of Bunj Hospital in the town of Bunj, Maban County, South Sudan.
UNHCR/Will Swanson

‘Selfless’ South Sudanese surgeon, who’s saved thousands of lives over 20 years, ‘humbled’ to receive top UN award

1 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid

For 20 years, Doctor Evan Atar Adaha has been providing medical services to the conflict-affected people of Sudan and South Sudan and, on Monday, he received the 2018 Nansen Refugee Award, a prestigious prize given annually by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to honour the women and men who work tirelessly to provide life-saving help to people caught in humanitarian crises.

Nearly 160 tons of food from Uganda was sent via Sudan to help 8,000 of the 20,000 internally displaced people in south-eastern Central African Republic, including Pombolo, Gambo, Rafai, Zemio.
UN Photo/Hervé Serefio

Security, human rights, political upheaval in war-torn Central African Republic, focus of key Friday meeting at UN

27 September 2018
Peace and Security

What are the key events that have led the Central African Republic (CAR) to go from being a land-rich nation full of optimism at independence, in 1960, to an impoverished country facing multiple challenges, and the subject of a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters on Friday?

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has investigated human rights abuses in Kajo Keji in the south of the country. (file: January 2017)
UNMISS/Isaac Billy

Human Rights Council hears plea to protect victims of ‘brutal’ sexual violence in South Sudan

17 September 2018
Human Rights

The plight of South Sudan’s women and girls “should no longer be ignored”, UN investigators told the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, citing the disturbing testimonies of sexual abuse victims who have been treated by soldiers and militias as the “spoils” of the more than five-year conflict.

Surrounded by family, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s widow Nane pays final respects to her late husband in Accra, Ghana on 13 September 2018.
UN Photo/Ben Malor

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan laid to rest in Ghana; Guterres hails ‘exceptional global leader’

13 September 2018
UN Affairs

Like few today, former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, could “bring people together, put them at ease, and unite them towards a common goal”, said the current UN chief, António Guterres on Thursday, speaking at his predecessor’s funeral in Ghana.