Africa

Special Representative Nicholas Kay.
AU/UN/IST/Tobin Jones

Amid escalating tensions, UN’s Somalia envoy urges calm in Baidoa

31 January 2014
The top United Nations envoy in Somalia today voiced his concern over escalating tensions in Baidoa surrounding a federal State-building conference, calling for calm and dialogue by all parties as they address legitimate concerns.
UN Military Police checking for weapons from people seeking shelter in the UNMISS compound in Bor, Jonglei state, South Sudan.
UNMISS

Protecting South Sudan’s internally displaced must be priority, says UN rights expert

31 January 2014
The congestion at United Nations bases in South Sudan has started to create risks for the 85,000 displaced civilians seeking shelter there, but they must not be forced or induced to leave, a United Nations independent human rights expert today warned.
Peacekeepers serving with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) on patrol.
UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti

DR Congo: amid military gains, root causes of violence must be addressed, says UN official

31 January 2014
An action plan to stabilize the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has made important progress thanks to the support United Nations peacekeepers have given the Congolese army in the fight against rebel groups, but military means alone are not the solution, a top UN official said today.
Food aid arriving at an IDP camp in Bangui, Central African Republic.
IRIN/Nicholas Long

Central African Republic: UN calls on donors to close massive funding gap

31 January 2014
Unless additional funding is secured for the Central African Republic (CAR), nearly two million desperate people will be forced to go without food and basic necessities, the United Nations said today, as regional leaders attending an African Union summit in Ethiopia discuss ways to stop the ongoing fighting.
Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson.
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras (file photo)

UN is Africa’s ‘unwavering partner’ on road to stability and growth – Deputy Secretary-General

30 January 2014
Africa will always find a ready and willing partner in the United Nations as it progresses on the road of economic development to provide peace, more jobs, greater equality and better living conditions to its peoples, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told leaders of the continent’s 54 States today.
IDPs at Bangui Airport in the Central African Republic (CAR).
OCHA/R. Gitau

Insecurity in Central African Republic hampering access to civilians outside Bangui

30 January 2014
Unless the security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) improves, humanitarian agencies will not have sufficient access to people in the provinces outside the capital Bangui, the United Nations relief arm today warned.
South Sudanese fleeing fighting, find refuge inside the UNMISS compound in Bor, Jonglei state.
UNMISS/Tina Turyagyenda

UN steps up patrols, probing alleged human rights abuses in South Sudan

30 January 2014
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan is seeking to verify reports of human rights violations in the conflict that erupted just over a month ago, a spokesperson today said, as peacekeepers are boosting patrols in the world’s youngest nation.
Distribution of food and household items at the IDP site surrounding the airport in Bangui, Central African Republic.
OCHA/R. Gitau

Ban welcomes new efforts to put Central African Republic ‘back on track’

29 January 2014
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the establishment of a new transition Government in the Central African Republic (CAR), and urged determined national and international efforts to stop sectarian violence which is affecting more than half of the country’s population.
Humanitarian chief Valerie Amos (right) is greeted by children during a visit to Malakal town in Upper Nile State, South Sudan.
OCHA

UN humanitarian chief hopes South Sudan ceasefire will ease civilian suffering

29 January 2014
Noting that the recent conflict in South Sudan has rolled back development gains made over the past two years since independence, the top United Nations humanitarian official today voiced her hope that a recent ceasefire will enable people to return to their homes and rebuild their lives.
Communal gardening, Kaabong District in the Karamoja region, Uganda.
IRIN/Khristopher Carlson

Agriculture ‘engine of growth’ to eradicating hunger in Africa, UN official stresses

29 January 2014
A senior United Nations official today stressed that agriculture is the engine of growth needed to eradicate hunger and boost food production in Africa, ahead of the launch later this week of the 2014 African Year of Agriculture and Food Security.