UN News Centre - Africa

Taking note of the wrap-up of the African-Union mediated national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the Government to remain actively engage with all political stakeholders, and called on political actors not involved in the talks to resolve their difference peacefully.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has partnered with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to generate job and business opportunities for young people in rural Benin, Cameroon, Malawi, and Niger, thanks to a $4 million grant from the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund.

After more than two years of being held hostage by Boko Haram, in northeast Nigeria, Chibok girls have finally been reunited with their families, however, their return emphasizes the necessity of urgent and intensive psychosocial care, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

There is a need to reforest Africa’s highest mountain to help protect vital water supplies that are under threat across large parts of East Africa, a UN Environment report urged today.

United Nations human rights experts have welcomed the release of 21 Chibok school girls from Boko Haram and called upon Nigerians – particularly their families and local communities – to support their immediate reintegration and rehabilitation.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA) today strongly condemned repeated assaults against its peacekeepers, in the wake of two attacks over the past five days.

Expressing “deep concern” over the political situation in Burundi, the United Nations Security Council reiterated its demand that all stakeholders to refrain from any action that could threaten peace and stability in the country or undermine the East African Community-led inter-Burundian dialogue.

A United Nations report released today documents the high incidence of rape in Liberia and the widespread impunity enjoyed by perpetrators, and provides a number of recommendations to the Government, other national and international stakeholders, including the UN, to urgently combat the scourge.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the reported release of 21 Chibok schoolgirls, who were abducted by the Boko Haram insurgent group more than two years ago, while expressing deep concern about the safety and well-being of the remaining schoolgirls and other victims still in captivity.

In the wake of a number of killings and attacks on civilians in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has called on all actors in the country to exercise restraint and prevent any further escalation in violence.

The Security Council will dispatch a senior United Nations envoy to consult with officials in Burundi to “find a way forward on all issues related to peace and security and UN activities in the country,” after the Government earlier rejected a Council resolution on establishing a police officers’ component there and amid reports that it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The United Nations refugee agency today condemned attacks on civilians in the Central African Republic (CAR), where clashes between rival groups have forced thousands of people to flee their homes and disrupted vital humanitarian aid operations.

Chad’s economy is losing 575.8 billion CFA francs ($1.2 billion) per year, or 9.5 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP), to the effects of childhood undernutrition and resultant increased healthcare costs, additional burdens on the education system and lower productivity by the workforce, a new United Nations-backed study has revealed.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said today that it is &#8220extremely concerned&#8221 over increased reports of violence and armed conflict in various parts of the country in the last few weeks, including heavy artillery and gunfire exchanges between Government and opposition forces in Leer town.

Welcoming the start of an inclusive dialogue among political leaders, civil society and religious communities of Guinea-Bissau today, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged all the parties to engage in constructive discussions and “seize this opportunity for a favourable outcome” in the interest of the country’s people.”

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, warned today about growing restrictions on civil society in Egypt, with human rights defenders and organizations in particular being targeted.

More than 41 million children are expected to get vaccinations against polio as part of a major new health campaign by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the Lake Chad basin, aimed at the recent outbreak of polio in north-east Nigeria.

Warning of an extremely fragile political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where “actors on all sides appear more and more willing to resort to violence to achieve their ends,” the top United Nations official in the country called today on the Security Council to urge the parties to return to dialogue, guarantee the right to peaceful opposition and to end impunity for violence.

Recent unrest in the Central African Republic (CAR) demonstrates that the situation there remains fragile, and “spoilers are still active, on both sides,” the United Nations peacekeeping chief said today, telling the Security Council that the international community must stand firm and support the Government’s efforts to ensure lasting peace.

Thanks to growing implementation of a law passed last year, child marriage may soon be a relic of Malawi’s past, and on the eve of the International Day of the Girl Child, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson visited the country to celebrate the achievements of UN Women, the Malawian Government, local chiefs and girls who have returned to school after having their marriages annulled.