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.
This Week in DPPA aims to keep you abreast of developments and events on the agenda of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, at UN HQ and in the field, and especially those that sometimes "fly under the radar".
Security CouncilDiCarlo: "Parties must fulfill their obligations under international law, to unilaterally release all arbitrarily detained or abducted"
New YorkIndigenous languages and conflict prevention
AfghanistanNangarhar educators strategize on ways to improve women’s rights
Provincial leaders in Afghanistan’s northeast rally behind national peace efforts
Central AsiaWorkshop on effective border security and management as a means of countering terrorism in the region
IraqSRSG visits Sinjar to commemorate atrocities against the Yazidi community |
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Guinea-BissauCommunication course for Armed Forces
First Bissau-Guinean Soap Opera
LibyaAmbassadors Conference in Turkey
CyprusMeeting between Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders ColombiaCoffee for peacebuilding and reconciliation
Candidates for Governor of Arauca sign pact for peace and non-violence
Central AfricaNew Issue of UNOCA Newsletter
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Life-saving food aid distribution is set to resume to 850,000 people in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, following guarantees by Houthi opposition forces that the supplies will reach those who need them most, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
Thursday’s top stories: food security risk from climate crisis, fresh violence threat for millions of Syrians, UN chief urges “maximum restraint” in Jammu and Kashmir, calls for investigations into “brutal abduction” of Libyan politician.
The League of Arab States (LAS) shares a common mission with the United Nations (UN): promoting peace, security and stability by preventing conflict, resolving disputes and acting in a spirit of solidarity and unity. In doing so, the two organizations also work together to expand economic opportunity, advance respect for human rights and build political inclusion.
The UN and the LAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 1989, which was renewed in 2016 by concluding a Protocol of Amendment. In June 2019, the UN opened a Liaison Office to the League of Arab States in Cairo, the first such office to be funded through the regular budget. The UN and LAS secretariats and respective agencies, funds and programmes regularly hold general cooperation and sectoral meetings. as mandated by the General Assembly. The two organizations also continue to invest in building their engagement through capacity-building exercises and staff exchanges. The Security Council also has sought to strengthen interaction with the LAS, including by holding informal informal meetings between its members and the LAS.
A new set of unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela this week prompted the concern of the United Nations’ top rights official on Thursday, who said in a statement that she feared they would have a “potentially severe impact” on the human rights of the South American nation’s “long-suffering” people.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for ‘maximum restraint’ over the territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, which has been disputed by India and Pakistan, since the end of British rule in the late 1940s.
Following the collapse of the latest truce in Idlib at the start of this week, the Senior Humanitarian Adviser to the UN’s Syria Envoy urged Member States on Thursday to increase their support for “critical humanitarian needs” in the country’s last opposition-held enclave.
Responding to the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio on Saturday, a group of independent UN experts has called out the “increased use of divisive language”, as well as attempts to marginalise racial, ethnic and religious minorities”, by some politicians and leaders.
Wednesday’s top stories: Syrian detainees “failed by Security Council”; Zimbabwe experiencing “worst-ever hunger crisis”; Guterres welcomes new Mozambique peace accord; deadly Kabul attack; Mexico “responsible for enforced disappearances”; indigenous languages at risk; and how innovation should be used to feed the world.
The Security Council has “utterly failed Syrian detainees and their families”, Amina Khoulani, Co-founder of Families for Freedom, told the Security Council on Wednesday, during a meeting focussed on those who have been jailed or gone missing across Syria, during years of brutal conflict.
Madame President,
Members of the Security Council,
Thank you for the opportunity to brief the Council on the crucial issue of detainees, abductees and missing persons in Syria.
I’d like to welcome Dr. Hala and Ms. Khoulani to today’s briefing.
In June this year, this Council unanimously adopted resolution 2474 on “Missing persons in armed conflict”. The resolution establishes a clear link between solving the issue of missing persons and resolving conflicts. In conversations with us, many Syrians see resolution 2474 as a glimmer of hope.
Given the continued lack of access to places of detention and to detainees in Syria, the UN has no official statistics on those detained, abducted or missing. What we know comes from accounts recorded and corroborated by the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, mandated by the Human Rights Council, and human rights organizations since the start of the conflict in 2011. While the UN is not able to verify, reports suggest that more than 100,000 people have so far been detained, abducted, disappeared or went missing, largely, but not only, by the Syrian government.
Many families have no information on the fate of their loved ones. Detainees, including women and children, are held without due process or access to legal representation or their families. Places of detention are not accessible to the UN or international monitors. Records from hospitals or burial sites are not public. Some families have been forced to pay enormous sums of money in hope of obtaining information—often in vain.
Deaths in detention have continued to occur, allegedly many as a result of torture, neglect or inhumane conditions. For the families of detainees, their tragedy is compounded by the difficulty of obtaining death certificates or remains. Even if they obtain the certificates, the real causes of death remain hidden.
Women, besides being direct victims, are also impacted when their husbands or male relatives disappear. Syrian women risk losing legal rights, including their housing, land and property rights. This happens if they cannot explain their husband or male relative’s whereabouts and lack legal documentation or a death certificate. Many women under these circumstances carry the heavy burden of sustaining their entire families. For refugees or those internally displaced, these challenges are multiplied.
Madame President,
The Commission of Inquiry has documented since 2011 how the Syrian government has, and I quote, “perpetrated the crimes of extermination, murder, rape or other forms of sexual violence, torture, and imprisonment in the context of its widespread and systematic detentions of dissidents, as well as those perceived to be sympathetic to armed groups”.
Perhaps the most prominent evidence of torture and ill-treatment of detainees in government detention centers is the more than 50,000 photos smuggled out of Syria by a military defector and made public in 2014. These photos show nearly 7,000 dead bodies bearing marks of torture.
Following the government’s reassertion of control in some areas previously held by armed groups, the UN has continued to receive reports of civilians arbitrarily detained or disappeared, including in areas subject to so-called “reconciliation agreements”.
Human rights organizations have reported cases of detention and enforced disappearance of refugees who return to Syria or IDPs who return to their places of origin. Surveys by UNHCR indicate that fear of detention is among the factors preventing refugees from return.
Excellencies,
These abuses are not limited to Government forces. According to the Commission of Inquiry, ISIL and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, both designated by the Council as terrorist organizations, have committed heinous abuses.
Armed groups affiliated with the opposition have also committed serious abuses. They allegedly established makeshift places of detention in different areas of their control where captured government soldiers, suspected collaborators with the government or members of opposing armed groups were held and sometimes executed. Reporting from human rights organizations indicates that armed opposition factions currently controlling Afrin have conducted arbitrary detention, torture and abduction of civilians. The Syrian Democratic Forces have also conducted arbitrary detentions, including the arrest of men attempting to evade forced conscription.
The Government of Syria claims that the number of those detained by armed groups is estimated at 16,000. However, without access to all detention centers in Syria, the UN cannot verify the accuracy of this information.
Justice and accountability for these abuses must be ensured, regardless of the perpetrators.
The UN is also concerned that thousands of foreign nationals—many women and children who are family members of alleged ISIL members—are currently being detained in the Al Hol camp. We call on Member States to ensure that their nationals are repatriated for the purposes of prosecution, rehabilitation or reintegration, as appropriate, and in line with international law and standards.
Madame President,
Special Envoy Pedersen has prioritized the case of detainees, abductees and the missing. Meaningful action on this file would build confidence and move the political process forward.
The Special Envoy continues to seek progress within the working group on this issue where the UN is a member, along with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey. The International Committee of the Red Cross is an observer.
Since it was established in December 2017, the working group has facilitated four exchange operations, including one last week. The releases of detainees so far, while welcomed, are insufficient in scale – nowhere near commensurate with the magnitude of the problem. Only 109 people in total have been released thus far.
We stress the need for the parties to move beyond “one for one” exchanges. All sides should engage in unilateral releases, in the true spirit of resolution 2254. Furthermore, meetings of the working group should occur regularly and with more frequency. I urge the working group to also adopt the procedures on missing persons which have been submitted by the United Nations.
And I reiterate the invitation by the United Nations to host the next meeting of the working group in Geneva.
Madame President,
In its resolutions 2139, 2254, and 2165, this Council called for the release of those arbitrarily detained, particularly women and children. These calls must be heeded especially by those with influence on the Syrian parties. The UN stands ready to provide all necessary support.
The parties must fulfill their obligations under international law, to unilaterally release all arbitrarily detained or abducted, and most urgently, women, children, the sick and elderly. They must collect, protect, and manage all the relevant data and documents on detainees, abductees and missing persons and establish a mechanism with the ICRC to manage this information in coordination with the Office of the Special Envoy. Furthermore, they must provide families with information; identify the dead and return remains, wherever possible, to their relatives. Last, they should provide, without delay and through appropriate channels a list of all places in which persons are being detained and arrange for immediate access to such locations by a neutral third party.
Accountability for serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights is central to achieving and maintaining durable peace in Syria. In this regard, all parties to the conflict must cooperate fully with the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism and the Commission of Inquiry.
Finally, Madame President, I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Thank you.
The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed outrage at a Taliban attack in Kabul, that led to “scores” of civilians casualties on Wednesday. In a Tweet, the Mission said that such “indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks in heavily populated civilian areas must stop”.
Amman, 07 August 2019 – I am alarmed by the military escalations in Aden today, including reports of clashes in the vicinity of the Presidential Palace. I am also deeply concerned by the recent rhetoric encouraging violence against Yemeni institutions.
Escalations of violence will contribute to instability and suffering in Aden and will deepen Yemen’s political and social divisions.
...“The Israeli authorities approved over the past two days the advancement of some 2,400 housing units in settlements in Area C of the occupied West Bank.
The expansion of settlements has no legal effect and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law. By advancing the effective annexation of the West Bank, it undermines the chances for establishing a Palestinian state based on relevant UN resolutions, as...
Armed groups affiliated with the Al Qaeda and ISIL terror groups, appear to have intensified their activities in Yemen, Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) declared on Tuesday, describing the situation as an example of “deeply worrying developments” that have seriously impacted civilians over the past ten days.
Paying homage to those who perished as the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, as well as the many others whose lives were devastated in the years that followed, UN chief António Guterres on Tuesday underscored their “courage and moral leadership” in reminding the world of “the human cost of nuclear war”.
