The top United Nations official in Somalia, Nicholas Kay, has met with country leaders in Mogadishu to discuss the ongoing political crisis days ahead of the first high-level meeting held in Copenhagen to review the embattled nation’s progress to political reconciliation.

Mali is at a critical humanitarian crossroads and failure to act immediately in response to the country’s urgent needs may ultimately jeopardize its path towards peace and stability, three senior United Nations relief officials warned today following a three-day visit to the country.

A senior United Nations World Health Organization official warned reported that the number of Ebola cases in Liberia, which had recently shown some signs of decline, is starting to pick up again, most likely because “people are relaxing their guard.”

In the wake of car bombings in Tripoli and deadly clashes between rival armed groups in cities across long-troubled Libya, the United Nations human rights office today voiced alarm over escalating violence in the long-troubled country, while the Organization’s refugee agency warned that mounting insecurity is taking a toll on humanitarian operations.