UN News Centre - Africa

Urging Ethiopian authorities to end their violent crackdown on peaceful protests, which has reportedly led to the death of over 600 people since November 2015, two United Nations human rights experts today further called on the Government to allow an international commission of inquiry to investigate the protests and the violence used against peaceful demonstrators.

Noting the socio-economic progress made by African countries and their centrality in major sustainable development discourses, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for continued support to the continent, particularly for strengthening good governance and for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the attack against a security post at a refugee hosting area in Tazalit, in the Tahoua region of Niger, bordering Mali, on 6 October, in which at least 22 members of Niger’s security forces were killed and several others were injured.

Most civilians living in areas of northern Nigeria recaptured by the armed forces from Boko Haram since the start of the year still face serious protection problems and lack the most basic assistance, with women particularly at risk, the United Nations refugee agency warned today.

Expressing concern at increasing unrest in several Ethiopian towns following deaths of a number of people in unclear circumstances in the country’s Bishoftu town, the United Nations human rights arm has called on protesters to exercise restraint and on security forces to conduct themselves in line with international human rights laws and standards.

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) today announced a new partnership with the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), aiming at adopting sustainable water bird hunting management to protect wetland resources in Africa’s Sahel region which are crucial for food security and economic development.

Citing a lack of progress on the peace process in Mali, the United Nations peacekeeping chief today warned that the UN mission there would not be able to fully carry out its mandate as long as the signatories to the peace agreement do not resolutely engage in its implementation.

Deploring continued loss of life due to migrant smuggling and human trafficking off the coast of Libya, the United Nations Security Council this morning extended its authorization for Member States to intercept vessels on the high seas suspected of being used for those illicit activities, for a further period of one year.

Expressing deep concern over the plight of civilians caught in the cross-fight in a Benghazi neighbourhood, a senior United Nations official in Libya has called for a humanitarian pause to allow aid to reach those in urgent need and as well as a safe passage for those who wish to leave.

Following a visit to Madagascar, the Executive Director of the United Nations’ food relief agency has announced plans to scale up humanitarian operations in response to rising levels of hunger and malnutrition as a third consecutive year of drought deepens the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people in the south of the island nation.

The security situation in Darfur, Sudan, remains volatile and the humanitarian impact of the conflict significant, the top United Nations peacekeeping official said today, calling on the Government of Sudan and the international community at large to address the current challenges in the country.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned yesterday&#39s series of attacks against the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali.

The UN refugee agency and delegations from African countries as well as the African Union (AU) agreed today on final steps to end the protracted Rwandan refugee situation after seven years of negotiations.

Urgent humanitarian assistance is needed for some 100,000 people trapped in the South Sudanese town of Yei, where the security situation deteriorated rapidly after renewed conflict broke out in Juba, the capital, in early July, the United Nations refugee agency warned today.

With Africa set to play an ever-growing role in feeding the world’s bourgeoning population, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) today stressed that the sub-Saharan region needs modern, efficient – and above all mechanized and environmentally sound – farming system to meet global demand and transform the lives and economies of millions of rural families.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revised its humanitarian appeal for Nigeria from $55 million to $115 million in order to be able to assist an additional 750,000 people who can now be reached across conflict-affected areas in the north-east of the country.

Regretting an extension to the 2016 electoral process in Somalia announced by the country’s electoral body, the United Nations Security Council has called on all parties in the country to upload their commitments on the elections and to come to an agreement on the remaining political challenges without further delay.

A new delay in Somalia’s elections is a matter of “immediate concern,” raising fears that the process is being politically manipulated and that the latest postponement may only be one of yet further rolling delays, the top United Nations official in the long-troubled East African country warned today.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today cautioned that unless it receives $3 million in urgent funding, it will have to suspend its school meals programme in Mali, affecting nearly 180,000 children in about 1,000 schools.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) today found a Malian Islamist accused of destroying historical and religious monuments in the fabled city of Timbuktu guilty in the first-ever prosecution of the destruction of cultural heritage as a war crime.