PRAY FOR SYRIA as 180,000 displaced by northeast Syria fighting - 75 percent of refugees are women and children plusaround 228,000 Syrian refugees have fled to Iraq due to more than eight years of conflict

22 October 2019
Peace and Security


After nearly two weeks of fighting in northeast Syria, the UN’s humanitarian wing has estimated that around 180,000 have been forced to leave their homes or shelters, including 80,000 children, all in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.


The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Tuesday that despite a shaky five-day ceasefire, airstrikes and a ground offensive launched by Turkey on 9 October, targeting Kurdish held areas across the border, has had a “significant humanitarian impact.”

According to news reports on Tuesday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his forces would resume their offensive unless Kurdish fighters fully withdraw from the border area by the day’s end.

The Kurds provided most of the frontline fighters belonging to a US-led coalition that pushed ISIL terrorists out of its strongholds across the region, but Turkey regards them as terrorists, only pausing its offensive at the request of the US.



UN Humanitarian
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Close to 180,000 people have now been displaced in NE Syria: 80,000 of them children.

Despite security and access challenges, humanitarians are scaling up life-saving aid and essential services such as health and water.

Critical civilian infrastructure has been damaged, the agency said, explaining that in addition to a key water station which is now inoperable due to power line damage, at least four medical facilities are reported to be affected. “Against this backdrop, humanitarian needs continue to grow”, OCHA said.

“The Alouk water station, which serves nearly half a million people in Al-Hassakeh city and the surrounding displacement camps, has been out of service for the past ten days” the Office explained, but with help from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), together with water and electricity experts, temporary repairs mean that safe water is flowing again.

As of Tuesday, around half of those affected by the water crisis have access to potable supply, while the rest will gain access in the coming hours and days - the result of two consecutive missions across active frontlines to repair the damaged powerlines - an effort made possible by deconfliction efforts led by the UN and Turkish Government.

Upon returning from a visit to Syria’s northeast, Iman Riza, who heads up the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in the country, said the successful water restoration will “avert a more serious humanitarian problem for residents in the area”, adding that he was “struck by their heightened vulnerability.”

The UN and partners are scaling up life-saving assistance, despite ongoing security roadblocks. Blanket and food rations are set to reach some 580,000 civilians in Raqqa and Hasakeh governorates, and efforts are underway to provide essential services, in preparation for the onset of winter.

75 percent of refugees are women and children
The volatile situation on the ground has pushed thousands to flee to neighboring Iraq, with more than 7,100 Syrian refugees arriving there since last Monday, according to UNHCR.

Nearly all of them are sheltering inside the Bardarash refugee camp, around 140 kilometres east of the border.

Around three quarters of Syrian refugees are women and children, some requiring psycho-social first aid and support, after witnessing explosions and shelling and living in fear in midst of the fighting.

UNHCR and partners have supplied hot meals, camp transportation, shelter and protection services, in addition to protection monitoring, child protection and identification of unaccompanied children and persons with special needs.

The Bardarash camp has a water and electricity supply and sewage system, but the networks need beefing up and refugees continue to arrive, UNHCR said.

Prior to the arrivals over the last week, around 228,000 Syrian refugees have fled to Iraq due to more than eight years of conflict in their home country.

PRAY FOR AFRICA as spread of terrorist networks is growing across African national borders, with a pervasive climate crisis exacerbating violence, and leading to resource shortages

At a press briefing in Geneva, spokesperson Andrew Mbogori said that some 486,000 have been forced to flee within the country, 267,000 of whom in the past 3 months alone.

The spokesperson mentioned reports of more than 500 being killed in 472 attacks and counter-military operations since 2018, and of the severe effects that the attacks and insecurity have had on basic services such as health care and education, as well as freedom of movement. “Malnutrition and starvation are a real threat”, said Mr. Mbogori. “We need urgent resources to launch a coordinated humanitarian response – an immediate necessity to save lives”.

During a Security Council meeting on peace in Africa, held on Monday, the UN Secretary-General declared that the spread of terrorist networks is a growing threat across African national borders, with a pervasive climate crisis exacerbating violence, and leading to resource shortages.

In Saturday’s statement, Mr. Guterres expressed his deep condolences to the families of the deceased, and the people and the Government of Burkina Faso, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. He went on to reiterate the commitment of the United Nations to work with Burkina Faso to promote social cohesion, and ensure the country stays on the path towards sustainable development.

13 October 2019
Peace and Security


UN chief António Guterres has strongly condemned Friday’s attack on a mosque in northern Burkina Faso, in a statement released on Saturday.

At least 15 people were killed, and four injured in the town of Salmossi, which is near the border with Mali. The lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the north of the country are disrupted by growing numbers of attacks, and insecurity. On Saturday, some 1,000 people are reported to have protested in the capital, Ouagadougou, denouncing the violence and the presence of foreign military forces in the region.

The deteriorating situation is causing an “unprecedented humanitarian emergency”, the UN refugee agency warned on Friday.

PRAY FOR MALI as Terrorist Attacks on Military Camps left dozens dead and scores missing

2 October 2019
Peace and Security
The United Nations condemned on Wednesday, with “the utmost energy”, simultaneous terrorist attacks on military camps in central Mali, close to the border with Burkina Faso, that left dozens dead and scores missing.


The incursion against a Malian battalion of the regional G5 Sahel Force in Boulkessi, and also a Malian army base in Mondoro, were reported by the Malian Government on Tuesday.

Mahamat Saleh Annadif photographed by UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

“These acts of terror will not hinder the joint efforts of the Malian Government and its partners for peace and security”, said Mahamat Saleh Annadif, head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali, which goes by the French acronym of MINUSMA.

He spelled out that “at a time when the Government of Mali and its friends are pooling their efforts to overcome a security crisis with deleterious effects on the Sahel, these acts from another era cannot undermine our commitment and determination”.

The attacks occurred only a few days after the 74th UN General Assembly where security in Mali and the Sahel was given an important place on the agenda, with several high-level meetings attended by regional Heads of State.

This most recent offensive is the latest act of jihadist violence, as well as inter-communal strife, that began in 2012 when Islamist militants briefly took over the north of the country.

According to news reports, a hunt is under way for the missing troops.

Mr. Annadif reiterated MINUSMA’s strong commitment to carry out its Security Council mandate, making clear that the implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement and the stabilization of the country’s central region, remain the priority.

The UN will “spare no effort” in supporting the G5-Sahel and the Malian army in their “mission to fight terrorism” he affirmed.

“MINUSMA has provided the G5-Sahel Force (a coalition of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger) with aerial support to strengthen its position in Boulkessi and has evacuated the injured"

MINUSMA also extended its “deepest condolences to the Government of Mali and to the grieving families” and wished “a speedy recovery to the injured”.

PEACE VIGIL: Children from at least 42 Member States are curren...

Children from at least 42 Member States are currently interned in camps in northern Syrian Arab Republic. Owing to data gaps, including the absence of any data for several States known to have high numbers of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), this is likely to be an underestimation of the total number of Member States impacted by this issue

KEY TRENDS • 1 See the latest GRN newsletter for more information. 2 See CTED Analytical Brief: The repatriation of ISIL-associated women. 4 •


Approximately 1,000 children from at least 21 Member States have been repatriated from Iraq or the Syrian Arab Republic since September 2018. Around 75 per cent of those repatriations took place in May and June 2019, but progress appears to have slowed, with few subsequent examples of repatriation from either State. • Several Central Asia States, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation were responsible for more than 60 per cent of the total repatriations. In most of those cases, mothers were repatriated with their children, although in around 25 per cent of cases, unaccompanied children were repatriated from Iraq (where their mothers remain in prison). • Despite the significant number of children of European origin currently interned in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, the data available to CTED suggests that only seven European Member States have repatriated children since September 2018, predominantly young orphans or unaccompanied children. • Although large numbers of FTFs travelled to Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic from the Middle East, North Africa and South-East Asia, CTED found limited information on children from those regions currently interned in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic or on repatriations to those regions. There was also limited gender disaggregation across all datasets. • In order to fill those data gaps and help develop a more tailored response to this challenge, impacted Member States and relevant international, regional, subregional and civil society organizations should proactively collect (and where appropriate, share) gender-, age- and nationality-disaggregated data on the children who remain interned in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic.




RESPONSES Although a significant number of impacted Member States appear to have approached the issue of child repatriation on a case-by-case basis, some policy positions or approaches have emerged. These include: • Repatriation of large groups of children from either Iraq or the Syrian Arab Republic; • Prioritization of the repatriation of orphans or unaccompanied children; • Prioritization of the repatriation of younger children (including by only repatriating children below a defined age limit); • Introduction of measures preventing children born in the conflict zones from automatic entitlement to citizenship, if their parents are suspected of affiliation with ISIL; • Reluctance to take active steps to repatriate children. There have also been differences in the approaches taken by some Member States to the repatriation of children from Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, respectively. This appears to be 5 partly due to the different legal status of the entities with which Member States are engaging. Many States have existing bilateral agreements - including on mutual legal assistance - in place with the Government of Iraq. In contrast, several Member States who have publicly expressed their willingness to repatriate children from camps administered by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have undertaken, or are undertaking, a review and assessment process to understand how they can legally interact with a non-State actor on this issue.


CHALLENGES Thousands of children (most of whom are under the age of 12) remain stranded in overcrowded camps in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, where they have limited access to food, medical care, education and other fundamental rights and services. Although many of the children have been exposed to extreme acts of violence or subjected to human rights violations and abuses, the camps are unable to provide appropriate reintegration and rehabilitation assistance, including access to psychosocial support or post-trauma counselling. States have faced multiple challenges in developing their responses to this urgent, yet complex situation. These include confirming the nationality or nationalities of children (many of whom were born in the conflict zones and therefore lack birth registration and identify documents). Many were also born to a parent or parents with multiple nationalities of their own, while countless others have been orphaned. Confirming their nationality has been further complicated by the policies of some Member States, who have removed citizenship from parents of children or placed restrictions on the entitlement of those children to citizenship, thereby risking leaving the children stateless. The reluctance of some States to engage in the repatriation of children appears to have been driven by security concerns. These include uncertainty regarding the State’s own ability to adequately conduct risk assessments or provide appropriate reintegration and rehabilitation assistance on the children’s return. Some older children may also be above the age of criminal responsibility in their home State and be suspected of terrorism-related offences. Many States have alerted CTED to the broader challenges that they face relating to jurisdiction and evidence, which could potentially hinder their efforts to investigate and prosecute such individuals following their repatriation. Some approaches taken by States – including separating children from their parents for repatriation – have also resulted in domestic legal challenges and expressions of concern by civil society organizations, which have emphasized States’ obligations under international law (including international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law), particularly Article 3 and Article 9 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.3 3 A/RES/44/25.



GUIDANCE AND INITIATIVES There is guidance available for Member States, and several initiatives have been launched to raise awareness of the relevant issues and share good practices. The Security Council has adopted a number of related resolutions and issued guidance, most notably: • Security Council resolution 2396 (2017), which recognizes, inter alia, the particular importance of providing, through a whole-of-Government approach, timely and appropriate reintegration and rehabilitation assistance to children associated with FTFs returning or relocating from conflict zones, including through access to health care, psychosocial support and education programmes that contribute to the well-being of children and to sustainable peace and security. The resolution also encourages Member States to develop appropriate legal safeguards to ensure that prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration (PRR) strategies are in full compliance with their international law obligations, including in cases involving children.4 • The Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Addendum to the guiding principles on foreign terrorist fighters (2018), 5 which includes multiple principles relevant to Member States’ obligations in relation to children. These include, inter alia: o Guiding Principle 7, on legal frameworks and procedures, which calls on Member States to put in place special safeguards and legal protections in cases involving children, in full compliance with their obligations under international law. These include, inter alia, taking into consideration the age of the child and the many roles they may have served, while recognizing that they may be victims of terrorism, and assessing each child individually and without prejudice. o Guiding Principle 12, on PRR strategies, which states that Member States should, inter alia, make the best interests of the child a primary consideration and implement PRR strategies that are: age- and gender-sensitive; in compliance with criminal legislation; include access to health care, psychosocial support and education programmes; and enable the involvement of child-protection actors and the social sector, as well as their effective coordination with the justice sector. Other parts of the United Nations have also developed guidance, including: • In April 2019, the United Nations system developed Key principles for the protection, repatriation, prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration of women and children with links to United Nations-listed terrorist groups. The Principles aim to enhance the coherence of United Nations activities and assist Member States to design and implement policies and actions in accordance with international law, including international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law. 4 S/RES/2396 (2017). 5 S/2018/177. 7 • In 2018, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) launched the Guidance to States on human rights-compliant responses to the threat posed by foreign fighters.6 This document, which was developed with the support of multiple United Nations entities through the former United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (including CTED), includes a chapter on children affected by or involved in FTF activities. • In 2017, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) produced its Handbook on Children Recruited and Exploited by Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups: The Role of the Justice System.7 The Handbook includes extensive guidance on the rehabilitation and reintegration of children recruited and exploited by terrorist groups. • In June 2019, UNODC launched its Road map on the Treatment of Children Associated with Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups. The Road map (which is based on the associated UNODC training package) sets out guidance on key aspects of the preventative, rehabilitative, reintegrative and justice strategies and measures relating to child recruitment and exploitation by terrorist groups.8 • In late September 2019, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) will launch their Handbook on Children affected by the Foreign Fighter Phenomenon: Ensuring a Child Rights-Based Approach. The following internationally recognized guidance on this issue is also available: • In September 2018, The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) adopted a Good Practices document on Addressing the Challenge of Returning Families of FTFs,9 which lists 20 good practices identified during a series of regional workshops. These include four good practices specifically focused on children, emphasizing: o Prioritization of the child’s best interests; o Respect for international law and juvenile-justice standards; o Consideration of diversion mechanisms and alternatives to incarceration when prosecuting children; o Approaching rehabilitation and reintegration programming through a lens of socialization and education that promotes disengagement from violence and prosocial behaviour. 6 The full guidance is available on the OHCHR website. 7 The Handbook is available on the UNODC website. 8 See the UNODC website for more information. 9 The full Good Practices document is available on the GCTF website.PEACE VIGIL: Children from at least 42 Member States are curren...: KEY TRENDS • 1 See the latest GRN newsletter for more information. 2 See CTED Analytical Brief: The repatriation of ISIL-associated wo...

PRAY FOR IDLIB as Millions of children, women and civilians ‘counting on your support to make the violence stop’

Peace and Security
Despite an agreement signed nearly a year ago on a halt to further escalation in Syria’s war-battered Idlib, “the bombing and fighting go on in plain sight, day in and day out”, the UN humanitarian chief told the Security Council.


Noting that he has briefed “many times over the last few months”, Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that “three million people – two-thirds of them women and children – are counting on your support to make this violence stop”.

According to “conservative estimates” in the Secretary-General’s latest report, he revealed that “more than 500 civilians had been killed and many hundreds more injured” in northwest Syria since late April.


Most recently, 44 civilians were killed by airstrikes between 16 and 18 August, 15 others on Monday and 17 more just yesterday.

“Over the last three weeks, since the collapse of the conditional ceasefire on 5 August, dozens of communities have emptied out in northern Hamaand southern Idlib”, he stated.

“Satellite imagery shows that entire towns and villages have been razed to the ground,” he said, adding that many fled northwards closer to the Turkish border and those who stayed behind “are cowering in basements or in what’s left of their homes”.

And yet, despite the many challenges, “the humanitarian community is doing everything it can to respond to the needs” of the people in and around Idlib, Mr. Lowcock said, elaborating that some 15,000 aid workers continue to provide shelter materials, food assistance and health services, including for newly displaced people.

More than a million people who receive general food assistance every month are reached exclusively through a cross-border operation because “access from within the country is impeded,” the UN Humanitarian Coordinator stated.
Dire conditions drive people out of Rukban

Turning to Rukban, Mr. Lowcock said dire conditions and lack of assistance, coupled with the hope for durable solutions, have led many people to leave.

And per a UN agreement with the Syrian authorities, a mission is planned to help those who wish to leave find for shelters in Homs.


Satellite imagery shows that entire towns and villages have been razed to the ground – UN Humanitarian Coordinator

“All movement must be voluntary, safe, well-informed and dignified, with humanitarian access assured throughout”, assured Mr. Lowcock.

In Al Hol, “there are currently some 68,600 people in the camp”, living in extremely difficult conditions, he informed. “Most have been exposed to violence and trauma under ISIL”.

He mentioned that the United States and Turkey plan to coordinate a so-named “safe zone” in the country’s north-east, for which the UN is not a party, and emphasized that the welfare of civilians must be insured, including by guaranteeing “unimpeded and safe humanitarian access to civilians in need”.

“The UN and humanitarian agencies run a large relief operation all across Syria, reaching six million people”, including humanitarian assistance, he stated, however, with “significantly less” funding this year, he asked those who pledged at the Brussels conference in April “to take early action to implement them”.

Acknowledging that “we cannot turn back the clock on what has happened”, Mr. Lowcock underlined that “this Council and its members can take meaningful action now to protect civilians and ensure full respect for international humanitarian law.

“It is within your power to do that”, he concluded.
‘Alarming’ scale of violence

For his part, Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, flagged that the scale of violence and instability in Syria is “extremely alarming”.


He painted a grim picture of rising civilian death tolls; millions displaced; untold tens of thousands detained or missing; large territories fragmented between different actors; and ISIL terrorists stepping up guerrilla attacks, saying “and not yet the launch of a real political process”.

“These dynamics can and must change”, he stressed as he highlighted five of the current dangers beginning with resumed hostilities in and around Idlib, in the country’s north-west, where three million civilian lives are at risk.

He next turned to Syria’s north-east, where tensions flared in July with troop concentrations on the Turkish side of the border.

Thirdly, he spoke about Israeli-Iranian tensions that are putting the country in the crosshairs by planning drone attacks from Syrian soil.

Turning to the country’s south-west, he warned of reports of detentions, demonstrations, disappearances and assassinations.

“There is no military solution for Syria”, Mr. Pedersen underscored. “Only a political process and ultimately a political solution can restore Syria’s sovereignty, protect the rights and future of all Syrians, and begin to address the deep divisions within Syrian society”.


There is no military solution for Syria – UN Special Envoy
Constitutional committee

Amid surging violence and lagging political progress, he spoke of a constitutional committee in Geneva, maintaining that “to be a meaningful door opener…that turns the page towards a new Syria” it should be “accompanied by measures that have real impact on the ground”, pointing to “real action on detainees, abductees and missing persons” as being “such a measure”.

According to the UN envoy, “international players have the responsibility to deepen their dialogue too” and support the UN “as we work directly with the Syrian parties.”

“If the Syrians are to overcome their mistrust and division, and move step-by-step along a path to heal Syrian society and restore Syria’s place in the international community, a common international support format for Geneva will be absolutely key”, he stressed.

In closing, he asked for Council’s support “in making this happen”.

PRAY FOR WEST & CENTRAL AFRICA as Schools being Shut down robbing students of their education in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger and Nigeria

23 August 2019
Culture and Education

Data gathered by UNICEF to June indicates that 9,272 schools have been closed in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger and Nigeria as a result of insecurity - three times the number at the end of 2017. 

“Schools are being shut down,” according to UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Charlotte Petri Gornitzka. “Over the past two years, the number of schools that have been shut down has tripled; over 9,000 schools due to the insecurity have been attacked.”

The UNICEF report notes how spreading insecurity across north-west and south-west Cameroon has left more than 4,400 schools forcibly closed.

In Burkina Faso, more than 2,000 schools are closed, along with more than 900 in Mali, owing to increasing violence in both countries.

In the central Sahel region, moreover, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have witnessed a six-fold increase in school closures owing to attacks and threats of violence in just over two years, from 512 in April 2017, to more than 3,000 by June this year.

School closures in the four countries affected by crisis in the Lake Chad Basin – Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria – remained at around 1,000 between the end of 2017 and June 2019. 

A surge in “deliberate” attacks against students, teachers and schools in West and Central Africa has led to a tripling in school closures in the last year and left almost two million youngsters “robbed of an education”, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.


In a new report detailing threats of violence against schools across the region and issues as a ‘Child Alert’, the UN agency warned that a generation of children risks being denied the right to learn.

“Nearly two million children are out of school due to conflict, so it is not an easy number,” UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Muzoon Almellehan, told journalists in Geneva. “It is important to highlight those challenges, to highlight the struggle of those people. They need us, they need our attention.”

From Burkina Faso to Nigeria, more than 9,200 schools shut


Education is crucial when you’ve fled violence – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

Just back from visiting a camp for people displaced by violence in central Mali, Ms. Almellehan insisted in Geneva that for many people, herself included, education was vitally important in giving children hope for a better future.

“I had to flee my homeland in Syria in 2013 and I also had to live in refugee camps,” she explained. “It wasn’t easy for me and also I can feel like those children who can’t go to school, because education is something really, really important to me, myself.”

One direct result of children not getting an education is that they are more vulnerable to recruitment by extremists or abuse at their hands such as forced marriage, the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador insisted.

“When a child is not at a school, especially if the child suffers from a very bad economic situation, when they are in poverty, when they don’t have enough awareness, all of that can affect that child and can lead that child to being exploited easily,” she said.

On a wider level, the lack of schooling “is casting a foreboding shadow upon children”, their families, their communities and society at large,” UNICEF said in a statement, noting that more than 40 million six to 14-year-olds are already missing out on school in Central and West Africa.

The agency is working with education authorities and communities to support alternative learning opportunities including community learning centres, radio school programmes, technology for teaching and learning, and faith-based learning initiatives.

It is also providing tools for teachers who work in dangerous locations, and psychosocial support and care for schoolchildren emotionally scarred by violence.

$221 million appeal across seven countries only 28 per cent funded

“Now more than ever, governments must reaffirm their commitment to education and protect spending on education for their youngest citizens,” the UNICEF report insists. “Now is the time for renewed efforts to make sure the potential of a generation of young people is not wasted,” it emphasized, highlighting a funding gap of 72 per cent of the $221 million required for educational programmes across seven countries in the region.

PRAY FOR LIBYA to stop fighting, set aside their differences, and work together through dialogue, and not violence, to end the conflict

Three UN workers killed following Benghazi car bomb attack, as Security Council meets in emergency session, honours their ‘ultimate sacrifice’

10 August 2019
Peace and Security


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.


The Security Council convened an emergency session in New York later in the day,to discuss the latest developments impacting the war-torn north African nation.

According to a statement from the UN Special Representative for Libya, Ghassan Salame, the staff members who died and were injured served with the UN Support Mission in the country, UNSMIL, which he heads. Scores of civilians were also injured by the explosion.

“This cowardly attack, which comes at a time when Libyans are out shopping in preparation for the Eid al-Adha, serves as another strong reminder of the urgent need for Libyans to stop fighting, set aside their differences, and work together through dialogue, and not violence, to end the conflict”, he said.


Mr. Salame added that “this attack will not discourage us, nor will it prevent us from carrying out our duties to bring about peace, stability and prosperity to Libya and its people.”

Mr. Guterres said in a statement issued by his Spokesperson that he condemned the attack “in the strongest terms”, extending his deepest condolences to the bereaved families. “He calls on the Libyan authorities to spare no effort in identifying and swiftly bringing to justice the perpetrators of this attack”.

“The Secretary-General calls on all parties to respect the humanitarian truce during Eid al Adha and return to the negotiating table to pursue the peaceful future the people of Libya deserve”, the statement added.

The UN has been attempting to broker a truce in fighting which erupted following a major assault in April on the southern outskirts of the capital Tripoli by the forces of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) and forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord.

The Benghazi-based LNA has not been able to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, but it controls large swathes of eastern and southern Libya, under the command of its leader, Commander Khalifa Haftar. Hundreds of civilians and fighters have been killed in the fighting, while more than a 100,000 have been forced to flee their homes.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands have crossed the border into Tunisia, seeking safety.

According to news reports, in the last 24 hours, both the Government and LNA had accepted a UN proposal for a ceasefire during the holy Muslim holiday of Eid, beginning on Sunday. UNSMIL issued a statement late on Saturday welcoming the agreement “by concerned parties to the principle of humanitarian truce”.
Security Council honours ‘ultimate sacrifice’ of fallen UNSMIL staff

The UN Ambassador for Poland, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council for the month of August, Joanna Wroneka, said on behalf of the 15-member body that they condemned “in the strongest terms, the outrageous, deadly and totally unacceptable attack on the United Nations, that occurred today”.

She conveyed the Members’ deepest condolences to the families of the victims. “Those brave workers were operating under a mandate given by this Council in order to provide a more secure future, for the people of Libya. We commemorate their ultimate sacrifice, in the cause of peace.”

UN Photo/Evan Schneider
The Security Council observes a moment of silence during an emergency meeting on the situation in Libya, convened after a car bomb attack in Benghazi killed three United Nations staff members and injured two others, among scores of injured Libyan nationals.
UN has no intention ‘to evacuate’ from Libya: Bintou Keita

The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Bintou Keita, briefed the Council late on Saturday afternoon in New York, saying that the attack “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.”

She said it confirmed that the chronic violence and instability “is creating a vacuum easily exploited by radical elements that thrive on chaos and violence” and noted that the attack came in an area “supposedly under full control” of the LNA.

“The UN does not intent to evacuate from Libya” she said pointedly. “For the forseeable future, our place remains alongside the Libyan people, like our brave colleagues who gave their lives today.”

Ms. Keita expressed hope that both sides would abide by the Eid truce” in good faith, to their public commitment. Senseless and absurd violence needs to stop.”

She noted that Libya was incapable of pushing back against terrorism, “the tragedy of illegal migration” or the continued collapse of its economy, without pulling together in search of a common political solution through an agreed political process.

UNSMIL had worked hard in the days leading up to the truce. “It is essential that this truce is deepened and strengthened” through confidence-building measures such as prisoner exchanges, she urged, “and that the parties move quickly forward to an international meeting to recommit to a roadmap to transition the country from conflict, back to the peaceful, democratic process.”

She warned that “the continued brutal descent of southern Libya into chaos, and inter-communal fueds is a disturbing harbinger of what may ensue should the wider conflict persist.”

PRAY FOR NIGERIA as Humanitarian Crisis 7.1 million people in need of life-saving assistance

“We have to pay attention to the needs and rights of people, especially those of women and children, and support local organisations to play a more visible role in the response. The protracted crisis in the north-east is of matter to the entire country. We don’t want this crisis to last another 10 years,” said Ms. Josephine Habba, President of the Nigeria NGO Network on Humanitarian Development Initiative (NINGONET).

1 August 2019
Humanitarian Aid


Ten years after the start of a violent insurgency in north-east Nigeria plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis that is “still far from over”, the United Nations and its aid partners have underscored the need to “collectively redouble efforts” to help the most vulnerable.


“We are here today to remember those who have lost their lives in the conflict, and to remind of those still struggling to survive and rebuild their lives” Edward Kallon, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria said Thursday in Abuja, the West African country's capital.

The humanitarian community in Nigeria, which is comprised of the UN, the Government and non-governmental organizations, convened to solemnly mark the tenth year of the crisis in north-east Nigeria and to remember the millions of people affected.


“Ten years on, it is not the time for us to spare any effort”, continued Mr. Kallon, saying that at this “very critical period”, requires redoubled efforts, “with support at all levels – locally, nationally and internationally.”

The humanitarian community emphasized the immense needs caused by the crisis, the necessity to continue scaling up life-saving assistance and their commitment to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

Gathering at the UN house, they also reaffirmed their commitment to work together to help people rebuild their lives and communities.

“We have to pay attention to the needs and rights of people, especially those of women and children, and support local organisations to play a more visible role in the response. The protracted crisis in the north-east is of matter to the entire country. We don’t want this crisis to last another 10 years,” said Ms. Josephine Habba, President of the Nigeria NGO Network on Humanitarian Development Initiative (NINGONET).

The group also launched a virtual reality and photo exhibition of how the crisis is impacting the lives of compatriots living in conflict-stricken areas, which is being held at Jabi Lake Mall in the capital of Abuja until 15 August.

“The Holding On exhibition transports viewers into the homes and communities of internally displaced people who share the evocative stories of their displacement and the significance of the single possession they are holding on to”, said Richard Danziger, the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Regional Director for West and Central Africa. “This is the first time the exhibition visits one of the countries where these stories originate from and it is a unique opportunity for the people of Nigeria to experience these testimonies through their own eyes”.

Over the last decade, the conflict has claimed the lives of some 27,000 civilians and devastated entire communities, villages and towns across the three most-affected states.

Today, the ongoing humanitarian crisis remains among one of the most severe in the world with 7.1 million people in need of life-saving assistance and 1.8 million people uprooted from their homes – the vast majority of them women and children.

The humanitarian community has significantly scaled up collective efforts in recent years and reached nearly six million people with life-saving assistance in 2018.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) mobilizes and coordinates principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.

PRAY FOR CHILDREN to stop being used in combat in Somalia, Nigeria and Syria. Some 7,000 have been drawn into frontline fighting roles around the world. They also continue to be abducted, to be used in hostilities or for sexual violence

Some 933 cases of sexual violence against boys and girls were reported, but this is believed to be an under-estimate, due to lack of access, stigma and fear of reprisals.

Attacks on schools and hospitals have decreased overall, but have intensified in some conflict situations, such as Afghanistan and Syria, which has seen the highest number of such attacks since the beginning of the conflict in the country.

Mali provides the most serious example of children being deprived of access to education, and the military use of schools: 827 schools in Mali closed at the end of December 2018, denying some 244,00 children access to education.

“It is immensely sad that children continue to be disproportionately affected by armed conflict, and it is horrific to see them killed and maimed as a result of hostilities”, said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba. “Parties to conflict must protect children and put in place tangible measures to end and prevent these violations”.
Detention and release of children involved in conflict

Rather than being seen as victims of recruitment, thousands of children around the world were detained for their actual or alleged association with armed groups in 2018: in Syria and Iraq, the majority of children deprived of their liberty are under the age of five.

The report calls on nations to work with the UN to help relocate foreign children and women actually or allegedly affiliated with extremist groups, with the best interests of the child as the primary consideration.

The number of children benefiting from release and reintegration support, however, rose in 2018 to 13,600 (up from 12,000 in 2017). The report recommends increased resources and funding to meet the growing needs, as more children are separated from armed groups.


Peace remains the best protection for children affected by armed conflict António Guterres, UN Secretary-General

Three Action Plans to end and prevent violations, and protect children, have been signed, following engagement with parties to conflicts in 2018. The countries involved were the Central African Republic, where two armed groups signed up to Action Plans; and Syria, where the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to a deal.

Progress on increased child protection, and ending child recruitment, has also been made in Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In his statement, the Secretary-General reminded all parties to conflict of their responsibility to protect children, adding that they must “refrain from directing attacks against civilians, including children”, and reiterating that “peace remains the best protection for children affected by armed conflict”.

30 July 2019
Peace and Security


A new UN report has found that 2018 was the worst year on record for children caught up in armed conflict; the year saw the highest numbers killed or maimed since the United Nations began monitoring the violation.


In the 20 conflict situations monitored in the 2018 edition of the Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, released Tuesday, more than 12,000 children were killed or maimed that year.

A ‘disheartened’ Secretary-General António Guterres said that he was “particularly appalled” by the unprecedented numbers of grave violations committed against children.

PRAY FOR SOMALIA as terror attacks carried out by a female suicide bomber kills government officials

25 July 2019
Peace and Security


According to media reports, the attack was carried out by a female suicide bomber, and was claimed by terror group al-Shabab.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Wednesday’s deadly terror attacks in Somalia, that targeted the offices of the mayor of Mogadishu, reportedly killing six Government officials and injured several others.

Mr. Guterres extended his “deep condolences” to the victims’ families and loved ones, and reiterated the full support and solidarity of the UN with the people and Government of Somalia.




The mayor of Mogadishu, Abdirahman Omar Osman, was one of those injured in Wednesday’s attack. He is reported to be unconscious, and is due to be flown to Turkey for treatment.

The new UN special envoy to Somalia, James Swan, had met the mayor at the offices earlier in the day, to discuss progress and challenges in the capital and surrounding areas.

Mr. Swan, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia, UNSOM, described the bombing as a “heinous attack”, that “demonstrates a violent disregard for the sanctity of human life”, in a statement released by the Mission on Wednesday.

The following day, UN independent expert Bahame Tom Nyanduga, commended Somalians for their resilience in the face of extreme challenges such as conflict, terrorist bomb attacks, and grave violations of human rights, whilst dealing with poverty and a lack of basic necessities.

Mr. Nyanduga’s comments came in a statement released following a visit to Somalia, in which he called on the international community to continue help Somalia to strengthen its institution, and the justice and security sector, ahead of the next elections.

Earlier this month, al-Shabab reportedly claimed responsibility for an attack on the southern city of Kismayo, during which a car containing explosives was driven into a hotel, which was then stormed by gunmen. At least 26 people were killed.

PRAY FOR PALESTINE as Israeli's destruction of Palestinian homes in West Bank ‘not compatible’ with international humanitarian law -UN

Following “with sadness” the Israeli authorities’ destruction of homes in the Palestinian community of Sur Bahir, three top United Nations officials issued a statement on Monday underscoring that the move was “not compatible” with Israel’s “obligations under international humanitarian law”.


Israel’s Supreme Court has reportedly ruled that the houses were built too close to the separation barrier in the occupied West Bank, violating a construction ban.

“Among other things, the destruction of private property in occupied territory is only permissible where rendered absolutely necessary for military operations, which is not applicable”, said Jamie McGoldrick, UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Gwyn Lewis, Director of West Bank Operations for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and James Heenan, Head of the UN Human Rights Office in the area.


“Furthermore”, the statement continued, “it results in forced evictions, and contributes to the risk of forcible transfer facing many Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem”.

The statement said that Israeli forces entered the community early on Monday morning, while it was still dark. The large-scale operation forced families out of their homes and demolished a number of residential buildings on the East Jerusalem side of the Barrier.

“Among those forcibly displaced or otherwise impacted are Palestine refugees, some of whom today are facing the reality of a second displacement in living memory”, the UN officials flagged.

They stated that while humanitarian partners are poised to provide emergency response to those displaced or otherwise affected by the destruction of their private property, “no amount of humanitarian assistance can replace a home or cover the massive financial losses sustained today by the owners”.

Several of the affected people report having invested their life savings in the properties, after securing the required building permits from the Palestinian Authority.

“What happened today in Sur Bahir is of even greater significance, as many other homes and structures now risk the same fate” said the senior UN officials.
Against international law

In 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), ruled against constructing the Israeli Barrier and found that the parts running inside the West Bank, including East Jerusalem – including the Sur Bahir homes – “cannot be justified by military exigencies and thus violates Israel’s obligations under international law”, said the statement.

Moreover, in a resolution of 20 July 2004, the UN General Assembly, demanded that Israel comply with its legal obligations as stated in the ICJ’s advisory opinion.

“Had there been concrete action to ensure respect for these principles, and for international humanitarian and human rights law, generally, the people of Sur Bahir would not be experiencing the trauma they are today, and violations of their rights”, the statement concluded.

‘Deep sadness’ at passing of UN nuclear watchdog agency chief, Yukiya Amano

Dean Calma/IAEA
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano briefs the media at a press conference held during the 1412th Board of Governors meeting on Iran (file).


22 July 2019
Peace and Security


The head of the UN body that oversees nuclear activities across the world has died aged 72, it was announced on Monday. In a statement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the passing of Director General Yukiya Amano, with “deepest sadness”.


Mr. Amano, a Japanese national and head of the IAEA since 2009, had been due to step down next March amid reports of an unspecified illness.

UN chief António Guterres paid tribute, saying he was deeply saddened to hear the news of his death.

Through his stewardship of the IAEA, "Director-General Amano worked tirelessly to ensure that nuclear energy is used only for peaceful purposes. In leading IAEA in such an exemplary fashion, he advanced human well-being through efforts spanning medicine, agriculture and other vital areas" said the Secretary-General.

"Mr. Amano confronted serious global challenges, including those related to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, with equanimity and determination. Our world is so much better for it", he continued. "I send my deepest condolences to his family and the staff of the IAEA. In mourning his tragic loss, we are also thankful for Mr. Amano’s distinguished service to his country and all humanity."

In a letter to the agency’s Board of Governors announcing his decision to resign, Mr. Amano wrote that over the past decade, IAEA had delivered “concrete results” to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, in line with its mandate.

“I am very proud of our achievements and grateful to Member States and Agency staff,” Mr. Amano said.

Among the many tributes to Mr. Amano, UN General Assembly President, María Fernanda Espinosa, said in an online post that his achievements would stand the test of time.


“Deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Mr. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” she tweeted. “Mr. Amano worked tirelessly to promote a safer, denuclearised world. His legacy will not be forgotten. My condolences to his family and all IAEA staff.”

Echoing that message, José Graziano da Silva, head of the UN Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO), underlined how the two agencies had worked together to tackle global food insecurity.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of Yukiya Amano…Over the past 50 years, the @FAO/IAEA Joint Division has worked in the peaceful application of nuclear science & technology for more, better&safer food while sustaining natural resources,” Mr. da Silva tweeted.

When asked to explain the work of the IAEA and its mandate, “Atoms for Peace”, Mr. Amano said that in addition to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons by overseeing nuclear verification regimes involving Iran, for instance, the agency also helps countries use atomic science and technology for the overall good of humanity. For example, to produce more food, generate more electricity, treat cancer and respond to climate change.

The IAEA played “a much bigger role in our daily lives than most people realize”, Mr. Amano insisted, pointing out that radiation was routinely used to treat microchips and batteries in smartphones, car tyres and electrical cables used in the home.

On other practical levels, Mr. Amano noted that the IAEA’s expertise was used to track the spread of pollutants and biotoxins in the seas and oceans that pose a threat to fish and shellfish - key sources of food for millions of people.

With the help of the IAEA, countries “can take the necessary measures to protect fish stocks and consumers”, he told the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies in May 2018. All of these are routinely treated with radiation, Mr. Amano said.

Nuclear techniques are also used in plant breeding, soil and water management, and crop nutrition, the IAEA Director General continued, helping to improve food security.

In particular, the IAEA helps countries to develop and grow new varieties – and higher yields - of crops such as rice and barley, which are also more resistant to drought and disease.

Farmers in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Viet Nam had boosted rice production in recent years, Mr. Amano said, despite harsh conditions.

“By applying radiation in the laboratory, scientists accelerate the spontaneous mutation process that occurs in nature all the time,” Mr. Amano explained. “They can develop new varieties of crops with desirable characteristics very quickly. This does not involve genetic modification of the plants.”

PRAY FOR ZIMBABWE as Droughts leave 3.5 million people dangerously food insecure

Citing the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee’s recently concluded Rural Livelihood Assessment, WFP Spokesperson Herve Verhoosel, said that the situation was likely to last from now until September with a further deterioration into December that will widen the impact to more than 4.7 million people.

Moreover, WFP said that the hunger period will peak at the height of the lean season, from January through March 2020, when 59 per cent of rural households, or over 5.5 million people, will be food insecure.

“Given the scale and scope of the food insecurity in Zimbabwe”, Mr. Verhoosel said “WFP is planning to scale up to assist over two million people” by the peak of the lean season during early next year.

Until then, teams will continue providing food assistance to the most vulnerable populations, while also helping communities to build resilience to climate change and future shock impacts.

Over the next nine months, he said that WFP urgently requires $173 million to meet these needs.

The Committee is a consortium of government, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and other international organizations, and the Rural Livelihood Assessment provides key information for government and development partners on rural livelihood programming in southern African nation. WFP plays a key role in contributing financially and technically to the assessment.
Cyclones, drought push Mozambicans deep into food insecurity

And apart from the deadly cyclones that hit both Mozambique and Zimbabwe earlier in the year, Mozambique’s population has also suffered a rise in food insecurity, fueled by other extreme weather events, Mr. Verhoosel said.

In January, tropical storm Desmond flooded the central provinces of Sofala, Tete and Zambézia. And in March, Cyclone Idai destroyed unharvested crops.

Six weeks later, Cyclone Kenneth slammed the province of Cabo Delgado in the north. Since that time the area has been suffering through irregular rainfall patterns and cereal crops have been hit by pest infestations.

Assistance aims to reach 1.2 million people – 900,000 of whom live in areas affected by Idai, 100,000 in areas affected by Kenneth and 250,000 people in areas affected by the drought.

Mr. Verhoosel referenced a WFP report pointing out that “1.6 million people already face acute food crisis” in 63 districts. The most recent revision of the Integrated Classification of Food Security Phase, highlights the "difficult situation" the country of more than 29 million inhabitants faces, until its next harvest.

While WFP had initially planned from July to October to help some 560,000 people each month in areas affected by cyclones and droughts, the rising need has sparked the agency to scale that number to 1.25 million beneficiaries per month.

Based on current needs, including the response to drought and Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, WFP requires $102 million over the next six months to implement its recovery plan.

To provide adequate and timely assistance, “resources must now be mobilized" in response to increased needs”, warned Mr. Verhoosel.

UN food agency scales up assistance
19 July 2019
Humanitarian Aid


Severe drought has rendered more than a third of rural households in Zimbabwe – or around 3.5 million people – dangerously food insecure, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) revealed on Friday.

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PRAY FOR JAPAN as Man shouting ‘You die’ kills 33 at Japan anime studio

Associated Press / 12:52 AM July 19, 2019



Firefighters work as smoke billows from a three-story building of Kyoto Animation in a fire in Kyoto, western Japan, Thursday, July 18, 2019. Kyoto prefectural police said the fire broke out Thursday morning after a man burst into it and spread unidentified liquid and put fire. (Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO — A man screaming “You die!” burst into an animation studio in Kyoto, doused it with a flammable liquid and set it on fire Thursday, killing 33 people in an attack that shocked the country and brought an outpouring of grief from anime fans.

Thirty-six others were injured, some of them critically, in a blaze that sent people scrambling up the stairs toward the roof in a desperate — and futile — attempt to escape what proved to be Japan’s deadliest fire in nearly two decades. Others emerged bleeding, blackened and barefoot.

The suspect, identified only a 41-year-old man who did not work for the studio, was injured and taken to a hospital. Police gave no details on the motive, but a witness told Japanese TV that the attacker angrily complained that something of his had been stolen, possibly by the company.

Most of the victims were employees of Kyoto Animation, which does work on movies and TV productions but is best known for its mega-hit stories featuring high school girls. The tales are so popular that fans make pilgrimages to some of the places depicted.

The blaze started in the three-story building in Japan’s ancient capital after the attacker sprayed an unidentified liquid accelerant, police and fire officials said.

“There was an explosion, then I heard people shouting, some asking for help,” a witness told TBS TV. “Black smoke was rising from windows on upper floors. Ten there was a man struggling to crawl out of the window.”

Japanese media reported the fire might have been set near the front door, forcing people to find other ways out.

The building has a spiral staircase that may have allowed flames and smoke to rise quickly to the top floor, NHK noted. Fire expert Yuji Hasemi at Waseda University told NHK that paper drawings and other documents in the studio also may have contributed to the fire’s rapid spread.

Firefighters found 33 bodies, 20 of them on the third floor and some on the stairs to the roof, where they had apparently collapsed, Kyoto fire official Kazuhiro Hayashi said. Two were found dead on the first floor, 11 others on the second floor, he said.

A witness who saw the attacker being approached by police told Japanese media that the man admitted spreading gasoline and setting the fire with a lighter. She told NHK public television that the man had burns on his arms and legs and complained that something had been stolen from him.

She told Kyodo News that his hair got singed and his legs were exposed because his jeans were burned below the knees.

“He sounded he had a grudge against the society, and he was talking angrily to the policemen, too, though he was struggling with pain,” she told Kyodo News. “He also sounded he had a grudge against Kyoto Animation.”

NHK footage also showed sharp knives police had collected from the scene, though it was not clear if they belonged to the attacker.

Survivors said he was screaming “You die!” as he dumped the liquid, according to Japanese media. They said some of the survivors got splashed with the liquid.

Kyoto Animation, better known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 as an animation and comic book production studio, and its hits include “Lucky Star” of 2008, “K-On!” in 2011 and “Haruhi Suzumiya” in 2009.

The company does not have a major presence outside Japan, though it was hired to do secondary animation work on a 1998 “Pokemon” feature that appeared in U.S. theaters and a “Winnie the Pooh” video.

“My heart is in extreme pain. Why on earth did such violence have to be used?” company president Hideaki Hatta said. Hatta said the company had received anonymous death threats by email in the past, but he did not link them to Thursday’s attack.

Anime fans expressed anger, prayed and mourned the victims on social media. A cloud-funding site was set up to help the company rebuild.

Fire officials said more than 70 people were in the building at the time.

The death toll exceeded that of a 2016 attack by a man who stabbed and killed 19 people at a nursing home in Tokyo.

A fire in 2001 in Tokyo’s congested Kabukicho entertainment district killed 44 people in the country’s worst known case of arson in modern times. Police never announced an arrest in the setting of the blaze, though five people were convicted of negligence.

Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1143523/man-shouting-you-die-kills-33-at-japan-anime-studio#ixzz5u90AQLcY
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INSPIRATIONAL: He Prayed & Survived in the Island Alone

PRAY FOR MALI as Civilians killed in ‘barbaric’ attack on 95 civilians, including women and children

10 June 2019
Peace and Security


Nearly 100 people were reportedly killed during an attack on a traditional Dogon hunters’ village in Mali on Sunday, prompting a call from UN chief António Guterres for authorities to act fast and “bring the perpetrators to justice”.


The Secretary-General said he was “outraged by reports that at least 95 civilians, including women and children, have been killed and many injured”, following the assault on Sobanou-Kou village in the Mopti region of central Mali, according to a statement issued by his Spokesperson.


He also “strongly” condemned the attack and called on the Malian authorities “to investigate this tragedy”.

The Secretary-General expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims, the people and the Government, and wished a “speedy recovery to the injured”, the statement continued. He urged the Government and all actors to “engage in intercommunal dialogue to resolve tensions and differences”.
‘Unspeakable barbarity’

Meanwhile, the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali, (MINUSMA) said it was “extremely concerned” at the news of the attack, which has been corroborated by local authorities on the ground.

Preliminary information points to the attack being led by a group of armed men, and according to news reports, many of the bodies of the dead had been burned. Clashes between Dogon hunters - who have a highly distinctive traditional culture dating back centuries – and the semi-nomadic Fulani herders, have become a growing flash point in recent years.

While no one has yet claimed responsibility for this attack, tensions have been rising since the ethnicDogon hunters were accused of carrying out a massacre on the semi-nomadic Fulani herders’ village back in March.


The situation has passed the threshold of tolerable, and it is time for the nation to wake up – UN Special Representative in Mali

Spokesperson for the UN human rights office (OHCHR), Ravina Shamdasani, said “these traditional disputes have always been there”, often fuelled by disputes over access to land and water. “But lately it has taken on a particularly deadly turn because entire Fulani communities - and we are talking about millions of people - are being painted as violent extremists simply because they are Muslim.”

Sobanou-Kou village reportedly had around 300 inhabitants, and the mayor, said the death toll could increase, amid reports that some 19 people are still missing.

The Special Representative in Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, said he was "shocked and outraged" by the attack.

"I strongly condemn this act of unspeakable barbarity”, he stated, adding that this “spiral of violence” underscores that there are no bad guys on one side and good on the other.

“Everyone is responsible”, he stressed. “The situation has passed the threshold of tolerable, and it is time for the nation to wake up”, added the MINUSMA chief.

As of Monday Morning, MINUSMA had coordinated its response in support of the Malian authorities and is mobilizing humanitarian assistance to the affected populations.

Moreover, its security operations in central Mali are being redeployed to support the Malian Defense and Security Forces in securing and protecting the population. The UN mission also provided air assistance to help prevent further offenses.

And MINUSMA is currently deploying a special human rights fact-finding mission to investigate and bolster the Malian authorities in their judicial investigations.

Mr. Annadif indicated that MINUSMA stands ready to back the Government in any action that may alleviate the situation.https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/06/1040181

PRAY FOR UKRAINE: Children 'too terrified to learn’ amid spike in attacks on schools

Schoolchildren are bearing long-lasting mental and physical scars of eastern Ukraine’s conflict, the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said as the agency warned of an “alarming” increase in attacks on schools during the first four months of 2019.


Since the start of eastern Ukraine’s five-year conflict, more than 750 educational facilities on both sides have been damaged or destroyed, UNICEF said, explaining that there has been a four-fold increase in attacks on schools during the first four months of the year, compared to the same period in 2018.

Between January and April, there were 12 attacks on schools, compared to three incidents during the same period last year. The alarming increase is reminiscent of the violence experienced by schoolchildren and teachers in 2017, when there were more than 40 attacks on education facilities.

“Daily life at school is disrupted by shelling and shootings, forcing children to take cover in school basements and underground bomb shelters. In many cases, children have become too terrified to learn,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.

“Destroyed classrooms surrounded by sandbags to protect children from stray bullets are no place for a child to learn. All parties to the conflict must protect schools and keep children safe,” Ms. Fore said.

UNICEF called for an immediate end to the fighting and the protection of children at all times. The agency also urged all governments, including Ukraine, to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration, an intergovernmental political commitment to take concrete measures to protect students, educators and educational facilities from deliberate and indiscriminate attack during armed conflict.

Next week, the government of Spain will host the third International Conference on Safe Schools, an opportunity for states to highlight the progress they have made in implementing the Declaration.

UNICEF said it is working with partners across eastern Ukraine to provide much-needed counselling, psychosocial support, and information on the risks of mines to hundreds of thousands of children, youth and caregivers affected by the conflict.

The agency is also providing support to education facilities so that repairs to damaged schools and kindergartens can be made, and education supplies such as educational kits, furniture and sport equipment can be replaced.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/05/1038861

INTERFAITH Study: SUMARIAN Version On the Existence of Humanity

PRAY FOR SYRIA: Starvation of Children, Women & Men, Airstrikes & Retaliation Shelling Claimed Hundreds of Thousands of Lives & Displaced Millions

In Rukban camp, which is near the Jordanian border, UN humanitarians have repeatedly called for greater access since a second convoy last reached the site in February.

Echoing that message in Geneva, Najat Rochdi, Senior Humanitarian Adviser to the UN Special Envoy for Syria, said that more than 12,000 people had left the camp amid worsening conditions linked to shortages of basic services and supplies.


“The UN continues to advocate for a third humanitarian convoy and for food and fuel to continue to arrive to Rukban through commercial routes,” she said, adding that 29,000 remain there “and it will take time. It is simple math,” she added. “If they want to completely leave the camp - those people did not have any humanitarian assistance, any convoy, since February already, and starvation is already starting.”

Turning to the situation in Idlib, where violence has escalated in recent weeks despite a fragile ceasefire agreed last September, the UN official strongly condemned the targeting of civilians in schools and health centres – including some facilities that had moved to supposedly safer areas outside built-up areas after being targeted in previous attacks.

“Aerial bombardments including the reported use of barrel bombs causing severe damage to civilian infrastructures and civil casualties is a practice that goes against every single humanitarian principle,” she said. “Also alarming, is the reported shelling from the de-escalation zone into areas under government control.”

Latest displacement figures indicate that more than 180,000 people have likely fled their homes in Idlib, Ms. Rochdi said, explaining that for many, this was not the first time they had been forced to flee conflict from elsewhere in Syria.

Most had moved further to the north and east, she said, while others had gone to Aleppo.

“People fleeing because of fear and because of bombing is their cruel daily reality,” she said. “But now, if the bombing is continuing where do you want them to flee? They already fled there as the last resort…Where is it that they will be able to go?”

Speaking to journalists after chairing a meeting of the Humanitarian Task Force on Syria in Geneva, Ms. Rochdi reiterated the panel’s call for “an urgent de-escalation” of fighting in Idlib, and for the warring parties to recommit to the ceasefire agreement; in particular Russia and Turkey.

Of the approximately three million people living in Idlib, one million are children. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk because of the ongoing fighting, which has left tens of thousands of youngsters out of school and families sheltering under trees, the UN official explained.

“The insecurity there and the continuing airstrikes, is not something that is conducive really, to deliver humanitarian assistance,” she said. “And as you know, some NGOs, about 12, have suspended temporarily their assistance.”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/05/1038591

PRAY FOR MALI as armed men dressed as hunters attacked and left 134 people dead including women and children with dozens wounded

Located in Mali’s central Mopti region, the village of Ogossou-Peulh was attacked on Saturday morning, reportedly by armed men dressed as traditional hunters.

Calling the attack an act of “unspeakable barbarity,” Kakou Houadja Leon Adom, the Ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire to the UN and co-organizer with France and Germany of the Council’s Mali visit, expressed condolences to the families of the victims , as well as to the people and the Government.

Meanwhile, a UN spokesperson said Secretary-General António Guterres was “shocked and outraged” by reports that at least 134 civilians, including women and children, were killed and at least 55 had been injured in the attack.

“The Secretary-General condemns this act and calls on the Malian authorities to swiftly investigate it and bring the perpetrators to justice,” according to a statement, which added that the UN chief expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, the Malian people and Government, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

The Secretary-General called on the Malian authorities to “redouble their efforts to bring back peace and stability to central Mali.”

In a separate statement condemning the attack, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the Head of UN integrated mission, MINUSMA, called for an end to the spiral of violence in Mali and reported that as part of the mission’s civilian protection mandate, a rapid response force had been deployed to the scene. The mission was also working to ensure the wounded were evacuated to the nearby town of Sévaré, he added.

“This unspeakable tragedy…unfortunately reminds us that the challenges [in central Mali] are many,” he said, calling on the Malian authorities to launch an investigation “so that justice is done and the perpetrators of this atrocity answer for their actions.”

Deadly violence on the rise in Mopti region

The Mopti region has been the scene of deadly violence since the beginning of the year.

Last Sunday, the camp of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMAs) in the village of Dioura suffered an attack in which several of its soldiers were killed. On 26 February, 10 people from the Dogon community were killed in an attack on the village of Gondogourou. Further, on 1 January, 37 people were executed in the Fulani village of Kulogon by unidentified armed elements.

At the press conference, Ambassador Delattre recalled, in the context of a recent Security Council resolution extending MINUSMA until the end of June, that the question of central Mali was an integral part of the mandate of the UN peace operation.

“MINUSMA is to support the Malian State through the protection of civilians,” he said in response to a question from a journalist.

The situation in central Mali was at the heart of the various meetings that members of the Security Council had in Bamako. “The unanimous message [we received] is that it is essential to break this negative dynamic between the different communities, and to do everything to try and recreate a virtuous circle,” said Ambassador Delattre.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035341

Science Has Found Proof of the Existence of God!

PRAY for ROHINGYA: Escalating Violence in Myanmar’s Chin and Rakhine States Continues to Grow. Civilians Forced to Flee Internally And Across The Border

8 February 2019
Human Rights


Concern over escalating violence in Myanmar’s Chin and Rakhine states continues to grow, with civilians reportedly forced to flee both internally, and across the border into Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have already sought shelter.


Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed deep concern over the humanitarian impact of the continuing violence and the “potential for both further internal displacement and the outflow of refugees”.

“As part of inter-agency efforts, UNHCR stands ready to support the humanitarian response in the affected areas in Myanmar”, he stated, noting that more than 720,000 mostly-Muslim Rohingya had fled a 2017 military operation in Rakhine state, which was condemned at the time as being tantamount to genocide, by the then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visits Rohingya refugee camps in Chakmarkul camp, Cox's Bazar, south-east Bangladesh, while on mission with the UN Refugee Agency., by © UNHCR/Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo

“The scale of it is very difficult to gauge”, said Mr. Mahecic. “We understand from some of the reports that say 200 people have sought shelter”, but “without effective access in Rakhine, and without effective access in other parts, we can’t assess the scope of the current internal displacement as a result of the violence which flared up some time in December last year.”

The refugee agency has called on the Government of Bangladesh to continue its policy of offering shelter and support and offered to assess and respond to the needs of civilians who have arrived in the past few weeks, seeking safety from violence in Myanmar.

Since August 2017, nearly 700,000 minority Muslim Rohingyas have fled violence in Myanmar across the border into Bangaldesh’s Cox’s Bazar, joining several hundred thousand more that were already settled there in overcrowded camps.

“UNHCR is grateful to the Government of Bangladesh for its generosity and the leadership it has shown”, Mr. Mahecic said.

During a visit early in the week to the world’s largest refugee camp, Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh, UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie said that it was “deeply upsetting” to meet the families who “have only known persecution and statelessness their whole lives, who speak of being ‘treated like cattle’”.

She also met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen in the capital of Dhaka, where she expressed UNHCR’s gratitude to the Government and the people of Bangladesh, for their kindness.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1032311

PRAY for LIBYA to stop unlawful killings, arbitrary detention, torture, gang rape, slavery, human trafficking, violations and abuses committed by a range of State officials, armed groups, smugglers and traffickers against migrants and refugees

Since armed conflict erupted in Libya in 2011, during the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, some 200,000 people have been internally displaced. 

ISIL, or Da’esh, terrorist fighters took over Derna in 2014, leading to a succession of battles for control of the city, involving the Shura Council of Mujahideen, a coalition of pro-sharia law Islamist militants, the Libyan national army and local militias.

Increasing hostilities in the oil-rich city of Derna are becoming an increasing source of concern said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya on Friday, following an intensification in fighting which has resulted in “substantial civilian casualties”.


“I am deeply concerned by the escalation of hostilities in the eastern city of Derna and the consequent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in parts of the city”, said Maria Ribeiro. In addition to substantial civilian casualties, Ms. Ribeiro said that recent intense fighting has reportedly resulted in deteriorating infrastructures and services, leaving some civilians without basic food, water and urgent lifesaving medical care for families and the wounded.


“I firmly call for unconditional, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to the affected civilians in the old city”, she underscored, urging all conflict parties to respect and protect civilians and civilian facilities, and to “strictly adhere to their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law.”



Back in December, a trauma hospital in Benghazi, the country’s second-largest city, was hit and before that media reports said that Da’esh had claimed responsibility for attacking the Foreign Ministry in the capital, Tripoli.

In November, fighting between armed militia damaged a Tripoli hospital for Women and Childbirth, resulting in a doctor being shot and a three-day halt to non-emergency medical services.

Meanwhile, migrants and refugees are being subjected to "unimaginable horrors" from the moment they enter Libya in what Ghassan Salamé, the head of the UN political mission there (UNSMIL), told the Security Council last month was a “hidden human calamity”.


11 January 2019
Peace and Security
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/01/1030312

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Migrants and refugees are being subjected to "unimaginable horrors" from the moment they enter Libya, throughout their stay in the country and – if they make it that far – during their attempts to cross the Mediterranean, according to a report released on Thursday, by the United Nations political mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN human rights office (OHCHR).


"There is a local and international failure to handle this hidden human calamity that continues to take place in Libya," said Ghassan Salamé, who heads UNSMIL.

From unlawful killings, arbitrary detention and torture, to gang rape, slavery, and human trafficking, the report covers a 20-month period up to August 2018, and details a terrible litany of violations and abuses committed by a range of State officials, armed groups, smugglers and traffickers against migrants and refugees.


Unidentified bodies of migrants and refugees bearing gunshot wounds, torture marks and burns are frequently uncovered in rubbish bins, dry river beds, farms and the desert - UN Libya report on migrants and refugees

The findings are based on 1,300 first-hand accounts gathered by UN human rights staff in Libya itself, as well from migrants who have returned to Nigeria, or managed to reach Italy, tracing the entire journey of migrants and refugees from Libya’s southern border, across the desert to the northern coast.

The climate of lawlessness in Libya provides fertile ground for illicit activities, leaving migrants and refugees "at the mercy of countless predators who view them as commodities to be exploited and extorted," the report says, noting that “the overwhelming majority of women and older teenage girls” report having been “gang raped by smugglers or traffickers."

Many people are sold from one criminal group to another and held in unofficial and illegal centres run directly by armed groups or criminal gangs. "Countless migrants and refugees lost their lives during captivity by smugglers, after being shot, tortured to death, or simply left to die from starvation or medical neglect," the report says. "Across Libya, unidentified bodies of migrants and refugees bearing gunshot wounds, torture marks and burns are frequently uncovered in rubbish bins, dry river beds, farms and the desert."

Those who manage to survive the abuse and exploitation, and attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing, are increasingly being intercepted – or “rescued” as some claim – by the Libyan Coast Guard. Since early 2017, the approximately 29,000 migrants returned to Libya by the Coast Guard were placed in detention centres where thousands remain indefinitely and arbitrarily, without due process or access to lawyers or consular services.


UN staff visiting 11 detention centres, where thousands of migrants and refugees are being held, documented torture, ill-treatment, forced labour, and rape by the guards. Migrants held in the centres are systematically subjected to starvation and severe beatings, burned with hot metal objects, electrocuted and subjected to other forms of ill-treatment with the aim of extorting money from their families through a complex system of money transfers.

The detention centres are characterized by severe overcrowding, lack of ventilation and lighting, and insufficient washing facilities and latrines. In addition to the abuses and violence committed against the people held there, many of them suffer from malnutrition, skin infections, acute diarrhoea, respiratory-tract infections and other ailments, as well as inadequate medical treatment. Children are held with adults in the same squalid conditions.

The report points to the apparent "complicity of some State actors, including local officials, members of armed groups formally integrated into State institutions, and representatives of the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defence, in the smuggling or trafficking of migrants and refugees."

The UN independent human rights expert on torture, Nils Melzer, estimates that, given the risks of facing human rights abuses in the country, transfers and returns to Libya can be considered a violation of the international legal principle of “non-refoulement”, which protects asylum seekers and migrants against returns to countries where they have reason to fear violence or persecution.

"The situation is utterly dreadful," said Michelle Bachelet on Thursday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. "Tackling the rampant impunity would not only end the suffering of tens of thousands of migrant and refugee women, men and children seeking a better life, but also undercut the parallel illicit economy built on the abuse of these people and help establish the rule of law and national institutions."

The report calls on European States to reconsider the human costs of their policies and ensure that their cooperation and assistance to the Libyan authorities respectful of human rights, and in line with international human rights and refugee law, so they do not, directly or indirectly, result in men, women and children being trapped in abusive situations with little hope of protection and remedy.

20 December 2018
Migrants and Refugees

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/12/1029031