Africa

Death of Sudanese refugee protestors in Cairo unjustified – UN top officials

30 December 2005
The United Nations Secretary-General and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today both expressed deep shock and sadness over a fatal confrontation in Cairo between Egyptian police and Sudanese protesters who have been demanding resettlement to third countries and better living conditions.

Aid workers in Chad persist in helping refugees despite recent clashes – UN agency

30 December 2005
Despite clashes between Chadian forces and armed groups along the Sudanese border in recent weeks, humanitarian workers continue offering aid to refugees living in camps in eastern Chad, home to some 200,000 people who have fled the Darfur region, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said today.

As UN peacekeepers leave Sierra Leone, Annan pledges help to consolidate stability

30 December 2005
With the peacekeeping United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) ending its mandate tomorrow, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today noted its successes and pledged that the UN would remain active in the West African country, helping the Government and people to address the root causes of a brutal civil war and to rebuild national capacity.

Military situation in area separating Ethiopia from Eritrea 'potentially volatile' – UN

29 December 2005
The military situation in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) separating Ethiopia and Eritrea remains “tense and potentially volatile,” a spokesman for the United Nations peacekeeping mission there, which has been forced to relocate some staff because of Eritrean demands, said today.

Annan reaffirms UN commitment to peace in the eastern DR Congo

29 December 2005
In the face of deadly clashes between United Nations peacekeepers and armed rebel groups in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Secretary-General Kofi Annan today reaffirmed the UN’s determination to work closely with the Congolese authorities in restoring peace in the region.

Despite forceful Security Council moves, atrocities continue in Sudan’s Darfur region – UN report

29 December 2005
Despite a consistent and forceful Security Council response to the crisis in Sudan’s western Darfur region, reports from there confirm a marked deterioration since September, including an increase in ethnic clashes, destabilizing elements crossing in from Chad and continuing banditry, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report released today.

UN operation in Burundi sponsors new projects aimed at spurring education

29 December 2005
The United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB) is funding nearly a dozen new initiatives aimed at boosting education and health across eight provinces in the country, which is stabilizing despite continued rebel activities.

Representing UN agency, Princess Haya heads to Malawi to spotlight hunger

28 December 2005
Acting as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan is headed to Malawi today to spotlight the food crisis in the country.

UN agency encourages Rwandan refugees to return after ‘go-and-see’ visits

28 December 2005
Exploratory visits to their homeland have calmed the fears of potential Rwandan returnees who have been taking refuge since the 1994 genocide in other African countries, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said today.

Côte d’Ivoire: UN mission welcomes formation of new Government

28 December 2005
The United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) today welcomed the formation of a new Government in the divided West African country – a move which followed in-depth consultations between the parties.