UN News Centre - Africa

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed disappointment that Sudan&#39s warring parties failed to reach an agreement on a cessation of hostilities in Darfur and the two states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan, during the last round of negotiations.

Appealing to donors to urgently help bolster the humanitarian response in Uganda following an influx of thousands of people fleeing violence in neighbouring South Sudan, the United and the Ugandan Government today announced that they will be forced to halve food rations or cash assistance in Uganda and put priority focus on those refugees most in need.

Speaking ahead of the 10th anniversary of the illegal dumping of toxic waste in Côte d’Ivoire, a group of United Nations experts today urged the Ivorian Government, all responsible States and the international community to use the opportunity to address the ongoing human rights impacts of the incident.

The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the 13 August killing of at least 50 civilians in a village in the restive North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), by suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

Alarmed by preliminary findings on the 11 July attack on a hotel in Juba, South Sudan, in which one person was killed and several civilians were raped and beaten by men in uniform, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has decided to launch an independent special investigation to examine this and other incidents and evaluate the overall response by the UN mission there.

Working with health ministries in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations health agency is coordinating one of the largest emergency vaccination campaigns ever attempted in Africa to protect more than 14 million people against yellow fever in an outbreak that has killed more than 400 people and sickened thousands of others.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated the people of Zambia for the peaceful and orderly presidential, parliamentary and local elections, as well as the referendum on the Bill of Rights, held on 11 August.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon joined his envoys from the Great Lakes Region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today in strongly condemning the killing of dozens of civilians during an overnight attack in Beni, located in restive eastern part of the country, where the UN mission and national authorities have now deployed forces in the wake if the incident.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) has reported that after a standoff with a convoy of heavily-armed men near Sibut, the capital of Kémo Prefecture, UN forces detained 10 of the suspects and recovered a “significant quantity” of weapons and munitions.

Seasonal floods, resulting in crop damage and inundation of pastures, following a severe El Niño-induced drought in Ethiopia may be further exacerbated by its cool weather counterpart, La Niña, expected from October onwards, the United Nations agricultural agency has warned.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein today said that the denial of visa to a human rights researcher in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a regrettable development.

The Security Council today authorized a 4,000-strong regional protection force within the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), “responsible for providing a secure environment in and around Juba,” the capital, which in early July was the scene of the latest eruption of deadly violence in the young country, exacerbating an already desperate humanitarian situation.

The countries hosting refugees from their crisis-gripped neighbour, South Sudan, are straining under the sheer weight of the ongoing exodus as desperate people continue to arrive at their borders daily, joining hundreds of thousands of others that fled for safety before them, the United Nations has warned.

Amid the difficult humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR), the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are stepping up efforts to respond to a recent cholera outbreak in villages along the Oubangui River and have stressed the urgent need for more resources and support for the country.

After two children were paralyzed by polio in Borno state in north-eastern Nigeria, the first cases of wild poliovirus in more than two years, the United Nations health agency today stressed the need to prioritize immunization of children in hard-to-reach areas such as the Lake Chad region, spanning several countries and often affected by conflict.

Recently returned from a three-day visit to South Sudan, United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien today painted a grave picture of the enormous humanitarian crisis facing the world’s newest country and the devastating impact of the ongoing violence on its people.

The United Nations health agency and its partners are continuing their programmes against yellow fever outbreaks even though the epidemic, first reported in January 2016, appears to be declining, with no new cases confirmed in the last six weeks.

Welcoming the signing by Sudanese opposition groups of an African Union-brokered roadmap for ending conflicts in the country, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called the parties to “maintain this positive momentum” and work towards agreement on cessation of hostilities.

Welcoming today the announcement by Somalia of a timetable for the 2016 electoral process, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that process for the upcoming polls, which sets October for presidential elections, is an important milestone in the country’s journey towards democracy.

As more areas previously controlled by Boko Haram become accessible to humanitarian assistance, a critical opportunity has arisen to tackle “alarming levels” of food insecurity in north-east Nigeria, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said today.