January 21, 2021 No comments
Central African Republic: UN mission chief appeals for more peacekeepers
INTERNATIONAL, 21 January 2021, Peace and Security - The top UN official in the Central African Republic (CAR) appealed to the Security Council on Thursday for more peacekeepers and equipment amid escalating violence surrounding elections last month. Mankeur Ndiaye, head of the UN mission in the country, MINUSCA, said this “new security situation” is testing its ability to ensure civilians are protected. An alliance of armed groups, known as the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), launched attacks ahead of the 27 December vote, which saw incumbent President, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, returned to power. Assaults and ambushes have continued, including against UN peacekeepers, seven of whom have been killed in recent weeks. “We need an increase in our capacity in order to respond to this new...
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January 21, 2021 No comments
Fauci announces US intention to resume major role in global health
INTERNATIONAL, 21 January 2021, Health - The United States’ top medical official said on Thursday that the US will now join the World Health Organization’s global initiative to help poorer nations overcome COVID-19, in addition to a raft of new measures in support of access to universal healthcare, such as abortion services. Addressing the WHO’s Executive Board Meeting, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Adviser to the new US President, said that Mr. Biden intended to issue a directive within hours so that the country can become part of the COVAX platform to advance multilateral efforts to distribute coronavirus vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. Speaking one year ago “to the day” since the United States confirmed its first case of COVID-19 infection, Dr. Fauci noted that global infections had now surpassed 90 million. This was...
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January 21, 2021 No comments
Colombia: Criminal elements use violence and intimidation to ‘stamp out’ leaders’ voices
INTERNATIONAL, 21 January 2021, Peace and Security - Illegally-armed groups and criminal organizations in Colombia are determined to “drive out State institutions and stamp out the voice of social leaders” through violence and intimidation, the head of the UN mission in the country told the Security Council on Thursday. “They cannot be allowed to succeed”, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative and Head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia said via videolink, urging authorities to “remain firm” in developing robust institutions. He maintained that consolidating institutional practices; strengthening local protection and conflict resolution mechanisms; and providing decent economic opportunities for vulnerable populations are “the strongest bulwark” against armed groups and criminal organizations. An agreement for peace The UN envoy upheld that Colombia’s historic 2016 peace agreement “represents a threat” to the...
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January 21, 2021 No comments
Iraq: UN chief condemns ‘horrific’ double suicide bombing at Baghdad market
INTERNATIONAL, 21 January 2021, Peace and Security - Perpetrators behind twin deadly suicide bombings at a busy market in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Thursday must be prosecuted, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement strongly condemning the attacks. At least 32 people died, and more than 100 were injured, in the blasts, which were carried out that morning by two suicide bombers who detonated their vests at the market in Tayaran Square in the capital, Baghdad. The last time that the Iraqi capital was hit in a deadly suicide attack, was two years ago, when 35 people were killed, in the same square. No group has yet claimed Thursday’s attack. The incident comes just a few days after the Iraqi Government announced that it was...
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January 21, 2021 No comments
Senior panel probing violations in Syria, examining new measures to safeguard humanitarians
INTERNATIONAL, 21 January 2021, Peace and Security - The UN chief announced on Thursday that he has set up an independent Senior Advisory Panel on strengthening the mechanism whereby humanitarian workers and sites are better protected from attack in Syria, according to a statement released by his spokesperson. As Syria’s warring parties had in some cases failed to abide by obligations to protect civilian facilities on the UN’s so-called deconfliction list – that would exempt them from military targeting because they either involved healthcare or other purely civilian activities, or were supported by the UN – last April Secretary-General António Guterres submitted a letter to the Security Council transmitting a report by a UN Headquarters Board of Inquiry that he had set up to investigate incidents in northwest Syria since 17...
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