Intensifying clashes in the southern Libyan town of Murzuq involving air and drone strikes in recent days have left at least 90 people dead and displaced thousands of “terrified” civilians, the UN said on Tuesday.
“If I ever come face-to-face with a Boko Haram fighter and if I have strength and a knife in my hand, I will cut his throat and spill his blood! Because, it makes me sick whenever I remember the suffering I went through.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday congratulated the people of Sudan after the military council and civilian opposition alliance agreed earlier in the day on a power-sharing accord.
A summary of evaluations and lessons-learned studies related to the work of the Department carried out in 2017 and 2018. In the spirit of transparency, the Department has decided to systematically disseminate summaries of all its self-evaluations and lessons-learned studies, if sharing of full reports is not feasible.
Our main stories today: Women celebrated on World Humanitarian Day; Afghanistan bloodshed mars 100 years of independence; Brazil’s ‘exemplary’ response to Venezuelans; UN urges Yemen’s warring parties to down weapons; and UN expert calls for Mali reconciliation efforts.
The appointment of Sri Lankan Lieutenant-General Shavendra Silva as Commander of the country’s army is deeply troubling, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a statement released on Monday, adding that the military leader had been given the role despite “serious allegations of gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law against him and his troops during the war”.
Reconciliation initiatives in central Mali, to bring together local leaders and end ongoing violence, have been welcomed by the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, Alioune Tine, who said on Monday that they should be supported “in whatever way possible.”
Afghanistan is at a “crucial moment” in its history as it marks 100 years of independence, the head of the UN Mission there said on Monday, following a series of terror attacks in recent days.
The work of women humanitarians makes a “huge difference” to the lives of millions of women, men and children in urgent need, the United Nations chief said in his message for World Humanitarian Day.
To mark the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism this coming Wednesday, UN News travelled to Chad and the Far North region of Cameroon in West Africa to interview people who have personal stories to tell about how terrorism has shattered their lives.
The Security Council met to consider the volatile situation surrounding Kashmir on Friday, addressing the issue directly within the UN body dedicated to resolving matters of international peace and security, for the first time since 1965.
Two months since hundreds of thousands of people fled violence in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN humanitarians warned on Friday that armed militia continue to make their safe return impossible.
An attack in the south of Syria’s restive Idlib province that led to the deaths of a paramedic, an ambulance driver and a rescue worker, were added to the grim total on Thursday of more than 500 civilian fatalities documented in the country by the United Nations, over the past three and a half months alone.
To mark next week’s International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, UN News travelled to Chad and the Far North region of Cameroon in West Africa earlier in the year, to interview people who have personal stories to tell about how terrorism has shattered their lives.
Since the beginning of the offensive on Tripoli in early April, more than 37 attacks have been registered against health workers and facilities, including hospitals, field hospitals and civilian and military ambulances. These deplorable attacks which impacted at least 19 ambulances and 19 hospitals, have resulted in 11 deaths, and injuries to more than 33 persons, although the actual number may be significantly higher.
In late July, airstrikes conducted by the...
Our main stories today cover: Scaled-up assistance for Venezuelans; Ebola vaccinations for Burundi health workers; reports of civilian deaths following an Afghan-sponsored security operation; agrochemical spray probe urged in Paraguay; Libya violence abates during truce, and disarmament conference’s first woman chief urges Governments to “overcome their differences”.
A UN call for a humanitarian truce over this week’s Eid al-Adha religious holiday led to a “palpable reduction” of violence around the embattled capital of Tripoli, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement released on Wednesday.
To mark the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, on 21 August, UN News travelled to Chad and the Far North region of Cameroon in West Africa earlier this year, to interview people who have personal stories to tell, about how terrorism has shattered their lives.
In answers to questions asked about the situation in Yemen, the Spokesman said the following:
We are closely following the developments on the ground in Aden. We are particularly concerned by the impact of the...
Our main stories today cover: Human rights chief on chaos at Hong Kong airport; Geneva Conventions have been ‘limiting brutality’ for 70 years; breakthrough drug in DR Congo Ebola fight; France pushed to repatriate nationals on death row in Iraq; ‘Race against time” for migrants in Mediterranean
Our main stories today cover: Human rights chief on chaos at Hong Kong airport; Geneva Conventions have been ‘limiting brutality’ for 70 years; breakthrough drug in DR Congo Ebola fight; France pushed to repatriate nationals on death row in Iraq; ‘Race against time” for migrants in Mediterranean
In commemorating the 70th anniversary of the landmark Geneva Conventions, the president of the United Nations Security Council hailed the “significant body of law”, describing it as playing “a vital role in limiting brutality of armed conflicts”.
Voicing great concern over a sharp increase in the killing and maiming of children in Mali due to ongoing fighting and instability, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners on Tuesday, called on all warring parties to stop attacks and “keep them out of harm’s way”.
After two consecutive days of chaos at Hong Kong International Airport, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Michelle Bachelet expressed her concern and condemned “any form” of violence or destruction of property and urged the demonstrators to “express their views in a peaceful way”.
After two consecutive days of chaos at Hong Kong International Airport, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Michelle Bachelet expressed her concern and condemned “any form” of violence or destruction of property and urged the demonstrators to “express their views in a peaceful way”.
Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned a car bomb attack in front of a shopping mall in the Libyan city of Benghazi, which left three UN workers dead, and three others injured, with dozens of civilians also wounded.
Mr. President, Members of the Council,
I begin with the tragic news of the car bomb explosion that took place in Benghazi today. There were a number of casualties, including UN staff working and living in Benghazi. We are now in a position to confirm that three UN staff members were among the fatalities, and three others were injured and are now being treated. Scores of Libyans are also among the injured.
This horrific attack came at a time when people in Benghazi were preparing for the Eid al-Adha holiday, in an area supposedly under full security control of General Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces. It serves to highlight the continued danger of terrorism across the country, and the limits of effective security control in the absence of one government and one military and police force working across the country. It also confirms that this latest bout of hostilities is creating a vacuum easily exploited by radical elements that strive on chaos and violence. The UN does not intend to evacuate from Libya. For the foreseeable future our place remains alongside the Libyan people, like our brave colleagues who gave their lives today.
Mr. President.
There are other significant developments today in Libya. It is a positive development that both Prime Minister Serraj and the General Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces have agreed to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General’s 29 July call for a truce for the period of Eid al Adha to begin this evening. I can only hope that both sides will genuinely abide, in good faith, to their public commitment. Senseless and absurd violence needs to stop.
We have made it clear, on several occasions, in front of this same audience, that no party can emerge as the winner from the current conflict. Today is clear evidence that there are already many losers – the majority of whom are innocent Libyan civilians. This message has resonated both with Libyans directly party to the conflict and to those international and regional stakeholders in Libya, who have seen that after more than four months of conflict there is no quick military win capable of resolving the complex situation on the ground. Terrorism cannot be effectively fought under the circumstances on the ground. The tragedy of illegal migration cannot be adequately addressed. And Libya’s substantial economic potential cannot be realised for the benefit of the Libyan people, or as a stabilising influence in the region and beyond.
In the days leading up to the truce, UNSMIL worked hard to build confidence between the parties. Proposed immediate humanitarian measures including the exchange of prisoners, the exchange of mortal remains and visits to prisoners or phone calls can rebuild contacts and lower tensions to enable the truce to take place. We urge the parties to seize this opportunity. This is the first step in returning to a political process. It is essential that this truce is deepened and strengthened through these important confidence-building measures and that the parties move quickly forward to an international meeting to re-commit to a roadmap to transition the country from conflict back to the peaceful, democratic process. Consistent with the Special Representative’s initiative, such a meeting would then be followed by a meeting of Libyans themselves.
This Council’s statement, supporting the call for a truce, was certainly an important element in demonstrating the renewed unity of the international community and its faith in the Special Representative and commitment to his three-point initiative to end the conflict. The public and private support of key member states has also played a considerable role in building the credibility and necessity for the truce that is now about to start.
Mr. President,
The situation on the ground necessitates a truce across the country. The continued brutal descent of southern Libya into chaos and inter-communal feuds is a disturbing harbinger of what may ensue should the wider conflict persist. Simmering inter-communal tensions between Tebu and Ahali groups in Murzuq, exacerbated by countrywide political polarization, took a turn for the worse. On 4 August, three LNA airstrikes against Tebu elements, including a number of civilians, resulted in approximately 45 fatalities.Murzuq suffers from the same environment as much of Libya: an absence of state institutions manifested in an absence of services, an almost total lack of governance, a lack of impartial security forces and an absence of hope.
It is a tragedy that so many have died in a town where there are deep-rooted grievances, that in the current circumstances risk taking on a national dimension. It is essential that the intra-communal violence in Murzuq not spread to other towns in the South. I therefore ask the Council to express its emphatic support to ensure that the truce takes place not only in areas under the clear control of specific security forces but also in areas where there is no clear security actor.
The United Nations family has been active in trying to address the urgent humanitarian priorities in Murzuq, through the provision of safe passage for the injured, and through emergency supplies of food, shelter and medicine.
Mr. President,
I would like to conclude by raising an issue that the Special Representative and many member states have been following closely: the fate of abducted lawmaker Siham Sergawa. Ms. Sergewa was abducted from her home in Benghazi on 17 July and has not been heard from since. This unacceptable attack on a female lawmaker constitutes a serious crime against women and the prospect for women playing a role in political life in Libya. We are grateful to those member states that have continued to follow the case closely and reiterate our demand that authorities in Benghazi assume their responsibility and find those responsible for this cowardly abduction of a female parliamentarian in front of her family.
Thank you, Mr. President.
10 August 2019 - The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Ghassan Salame condemns in the strongest possible terms the explosion that took place today, 10 August, in front of a shopping mall in the eastern city of Benghazi, which resulted in a number of civilian casualties, including UN staff. The Special Representative announces with a heavy heart the death of two UN staff members and several others injured. The...
Leaders of the Greek and Turkish parts of the divided island of Cyprus have agreed to meet with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in order to “plan the way forward”, and improve the daily lives of all Cypriots, a statement from the UN Mission in Cyprus, declared on Friday.