Category: APO-OPA

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Media invite – Launch of MDG Report 2014

What : MDGs Report 2014 launch

Who : Ms. Nardos Bekele Thomas, UN Resident Coordinator

W…

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Dr. Jill Biden has arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone, her final stop on a three-country visit to Africa.

In Sierra Leone, Dr. Biden will highlight how her trip to Africa has focused on the…

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Fifth meeting of the International Contact Group on the Central African Republic (ICG-CAR) was opened this morning by key speakers from the African Union, United Nations, the Government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

The Contact Group has been meeting since May last year to discuss coordinated regional, continental and international action to enable CAR to find a lasting solution to the political, security and humanitarian situation of the country.

In his opening remarks the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui, strongly appreciated the efforts of MISCA, (the African-led International Support Mission to CAR), in carrying out its mandate. Paying tribute the troop and police contributing countries, he said “We bow to the memory of the soldiers and police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice to bring peace to CAR”. Nine weeks before the transfer of authority from MISCA to MINUSCA (the United Nations Mission to CAR), Ambassador Chergui said this transfer will open a new chapter. “In close cooperation with ECCAS and in the spirit of partnership with the United Nations, the transfer will support the ongoing process of reconciliation, elections and the reform of the defence sector and security,” he added.

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Herve Ladsous, said that “since March, there has been some improvement in the security situation as a result of the hard work of MISCA, the French led Operation Sangaris and the European force, EUFOR-RCA”. But he said the task remains daunting, and that there is a real urgency for political dialogue to consolidate progress made by the CAR Transitional Authority. “The coming months will be critical”, said Mr Ladsous, “and Central Africans will need to re-double their efforts to address the challenges ahead. The region and international community also have an important role to play”.

Further speakers included the ECCAS Secretary General, Ahmad Allam-Mi, who said that in order put and end to CAR’s violence “we need a consensual political framework which is strong and could be shared by all CAR stakeholders.”

The Prime Minister of CAR, Andre Nzapayeke, commented that “To make peace and to move forward to positive action is for the brave, so that lasting peace can prevail in CAR. I appeal to the groups carrying out violence to join the brave.”

BERLIN, Germany, July 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — With regard to the support Germany is providing within the context of the German Partnership Programme for Excellence in Biological and Health Security, Minister of State Maria Böhmer issued the following statement:

“We must do everything we can to support the people in West Africa in the fight against the Ebola virus and to prevent a spread of the disease. I am very glad that the Federal Foreign Office can play a role in helping to contain the epidemic as quickly as possible.”

The Federal Foreign Office is supporting the fight to stop the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa with a total of 760,000 euros. The goal is to implement measures to facilitate the diagnosis of Ebola so that the disease can be targeted effectively. As early as March 250,000 euros were made available to the non-governmental organisation Médecins Sans Frontières to treat those infected and fund vital efforts to raise public awareness.

Not all states are in a position to single handedly implement the preventive measures necessary to ensure comprehensive and effective protection from biological risks. The aim of the programme is therefore to prevent abuse of highly pathogenic biological agents while strengthening the health care systems and the national security of partner countries. Germany is implementing the programme in more than 22 countries. Activities range from awareness-raising, through detection and diagnostics, disease monitoring and laboratory security, to networking.

The Federal Foreign Office is cooperating closely with the World Health Organization as well as the Bernhard Nocht Institute, the Robert Koch Institute, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute/Federal Research Institute for Animal Health (FLI), the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Background information:

The current Ebola crisis in Guinea and neighbouring countries is the worst epidemic since the virus was discovered in 1976. The local health authorities have so far been unable to bring the outbreak of Ebola fever under control.

LONDON, United-Kingdom, July 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — An exiled Ethiopian opposition leader unlawfully deported by Yemen back to Ethiopia is at risk of mistreatment including torture, Human Rights Watch said today. Andargachew Tsige is secretary-general of Ginbot 7, a banned Ethiopian opposition organization, and was convicted and sentenced to death in absentia in separate trials in Ethiopia in 2009 and 2012.

The current whereabouts of Andargachew, a British national, is unknown, raising concerns for his safety, Human Rights Watch said. The Ethiopian government should take all necessary steps to ensure Andargachew’s safety and his right to a fair trial. Many individuals arrested in politically related cases in Ethiopia are detained in Addis Ababa’s Maekelawi prison. In an October 2013 report, Human Rights Watch documented the use of torture by authorities against detainees in Maekelawi, including members of opposition political parties and organizations, as well as journalists.

“We are deeply concerned for Andargachew Tsige’s safety,” said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Ethiopia needs to demonstrate that it is holding Andargachew in accordance with its international obligations, and he should be allowed immediate access to a lawyer, his family, and to British consular officials.”

Yemeni officials arrested Andargachew at El Rahaba Airport in Sanaa, Yemen, on June 23 or 24, 2014, while he was in transit on a flight from Dubai to Eritrea. They did not permit him consular access to UK embassy officials and summarily deported him to Ethiopia, credible sources told Human Rights Watch, despite his being at risk of mistreatment.

Yemeni authorities initially denied any knowledge of Andargachew’s detention and transfer to Ethiopia. Ethiopian government officials publicly called for his extradition from Yemen on July 3.

Under the Convention against Torture, which Yemen ratified in 1991, a government may not “expel, return (‘refouler’) or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.” These protections override any extradition treaty or other security arrangement that may exist between Yemen and Ethiopia.

Trials in absentia generally violate the defendant’s right to present an adequate defense, concerns heightened in cases involving the death penalty.

“Yemen blatantly violated its international legal obligations by deporting someone to Ethiopia who not only is at serious risk of torture, but also faces the death sentence after being tried in absentia,” Lefkow said.

Ginbot 7, of which Andargachew is a founding member, was established in the aftermath of Ethiopia’s controversial May 2005 national elections. The Ethiopian government banned Ginbot 7, which has advocated the armed overthrow of the Ethiopian government, and officially considers it to be a terrorist organization.

The government has prosecuted Ginbot 7 members and leaders in trials that did not meet international fair trial standards, Human Rights Watch said. In November 2009, a court convicted Andargachew and 39 others under the criminal code on terrorism-related charges. Andargachew, who was tried in absentia, was sentenced to death. In June 2012, he was convicted again in absentia, this time under the abusive 2009 anti-terrorism law, along with 23 journalists, activists, and opposition members. Again, he was sentenced to death.

Human Rights Watch has repeatedly criticized provisions in Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism law that violate due process rights guaranteed under Ethiopian and international law. At least 34 people, including 11 journalists and four Ginbot 7 leaders, are known to have been sentenced under the law since late 2011 in what appeared to be politically motivated trials; the real number is likely much higher. Suspects held under the law may be detained for up to four months without charge, among the longest periods under anti-terrorism legislation worldwide.

Ethiopian courts have shown little independence from the government in politically sensitive cases. Defendants have regularly been denied access to legal counsel during pretrial detention, and complaints from defendants of mistreatment and torture have not been appropriately investigated or addressed – even when defendants have complained in court.

The Ethiopian government routinely denies that torture and mistreatment occurs in detention. It restricts access to prisons for international observers, monitors, and consular officials, making it difficult to monitor the number and treatment of prisoners. In several cases documented by Human Rights Watch, Ethiopian security officials have arrested foreign nationals, denied knowledge of their whereabouts, and delayed access for consular officials for long periods.

In 2007 Human Rights Watch documented the forced transfer of scores of men, women, and children from Somalia and Kenya to Ethiopia. One of the men, Bashir Makhtal, a Canadian citizen of Ethiopian origin who was accused of membership of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), a banned armed movement in Ethiopia, was denied consular access for 18 months. Meanwhile in 2010 and again in 2012, refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kenya were unlawfully returned to Ethiopia and told Human Rights Watch that they were subsequently tortured in detention. In all of these cases, the individuals were accused of belonging to groups that the Ethiopian government has designated as terrorist groups.

“Given its appalling track record of mistreating members and perceived supporters of banned groups, Ethiopia should know that the world will be watching how it treats Andargachew Tsige,” Lefkow said.

MOGADISHU, Somalia, July 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, condemned the attack on the Somali Parliament and the many killings claimed by Al-Shabaab’s since the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

“I condemn this morning’s attempted attack on Somalia’s Federal Parliament. I commend the bravery of the security forces who lost their lives ensuring the terrorists were thwarted. Al-Shabaab have bombed, assassinated and terrorised Somalis in Mogadishu since the start of the holy month of Ramadan, a month dedicated to prayers and peace. I call on all Somalis to unite and work with the authorities to prevent further attacks and to bring to justice those behind this murderous campaign,” SRSG Kay said.

“The United Nations is working side by side with the Somali people to build peace and a new, functioning state. We are working actively with the Federal Government, AMISOM and international partners to build strong Somali national security forces to protect and serve all Somali people” he added.

SRSG Kay offered his sincere condolences to the family and friends of those killed, as well as to the Federal Parliament of Somalia, and wished a quick recovery for the injured.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina-Faso, July 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In its verdict, which was made public on 30 June 2014, the Ouagadougou Regional Court found Professor Charlemagne Marie Ouédraogo guilty of defamation against the Raëlian Church of Burkina Faso.

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As a punishment, the court sentenced him to pay a fixed fine of 100,000 CFA francs in addition to legal costs and the sum of 1,000,000 CFA francs in damages to the Raëlian Church.

To summarise events, just as the festivities were fervently being prepared in celebration of the official scheduled opening on 7 March 2014 of Kamkaso Hospital, the first ever hospital dedicated solely to clitoral restoration and repairing the damage caused by excision, a project implemented by AVFE/CLITORAID (http://www.clitoraid.org) and backed by the Raëlian Church of Burkina Faso, a last-minute decision issued by the Ministry of Health prevented the opening from going ahead, sparking feelings of incomprehension and bitter disappointment among the population, numerous patients, anti-excision associations, thousands of donors who made it possible for the hospital to be built and volunteer doctors from abroad.

“A defamatory letter by Professor Charlemagne Marie Ouédraogo written on 24 February 2014 following the AVFE press release announcing the hospital’s imminent opening, in which he referred to the Kamkaso Hospital project as ‘‘a big campaign of fraud organised by the sect of Rael” provides an obvious explanation of the reasons behind the Ministry of Health’s decision,” explained Ditalamane Hebie, a Raëlian guide and spokesperson for the Raëlian Church in Africa. “In fact, in his letter Professor Charlemagne Marie Ouédraogo pointed out that ‘‘the health ministry and the governor are beseeched to stop this poisonous campaign”. This resulted firstly in the Ministry of Health refusing to authorise the opening of the hospital and secondly in the Burkina National College of Physicians withdrawing the authorisations it had duly granted beforehand for volunteer doctors from the United States to perform surgeries in Burkina Faso.”

Faced with this unbelievable turn of events, the Raëlian Church and the association AVFE/CLITORAID initiated legal proceedings through the courts, including a defamation case brought against Professor of Medicine Charlemagne Marie Ouédraogo.

“The Raëlians of Burkina Faso welcomed the Ouagadougou Regional Court’s decision as this marks the first crucial step towards not only rebuilding the reputation of the Raëlian Church among doctors in Burkina Faso who received this letter but also to obtaining authorisation to perform surgeries at Kamkaso Hospital, which represents a huge ray of hope for thousands of women who want to put an end to the daily trauma they have endured as a result of the damage caused by excision,” explained Ditalamane Hebie. “Professor Charlemagne Ouédraogo and all those who supported him should be ashamed of stymieing this humanitarian mission to satisfy their own personal motives to the detriment of the well-being of these women who are suffering. We are confident that the hospital will soon be able to open its doors and fulfil its mission for all the women in the sub-region and neighbouring countries who wish to use it.”

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the Raelian Movement.

Media contact:

Abibata Sanon

avfe@clitoraid.org

+226-78886092

About Clitoraid:

Clitoraid (http://www.clitoraid.org) is an international non-profit organization offering clitoral repair surgery to FGM victims.

JUBA, South Sudan, July 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations Mission in South Sudan cordially invites members of the media in South Sudan to a farewell media address by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General…

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Red Cross joins ministers of health from eleven West African countries and other partners in calling for an all-out assault on the Ebola virus disease outbreak. It is a commitment needed at all levels, including governments, stakeholders, communities, and religious and opinion leaders if the largest Ebola outbreak in history in terms of number of cases and affected countries is to be stopped.

This commitment was made at the end of a special ministerial meeting on the Ebola virus disease in West Africa convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Accra, Ghana, this week.

Participants believe that no one should be left behind in the fight against Ebola, one of the most contagious diseases which has already claimed the lives of hundreds of people in West Africa. As of 3 July, the cumulative total of Ebola cases in the three affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone stands at more than 750, with nearly 500 deaths.

They also warned that this deadly disease could spread beyond the already affected countries if urgent action is not taken.

Participants adopted a common inter-country strategy, calling for an accelerated response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The strategy stresses the urgent need to scale up communication efforts, social mobilization, surveillance, contact tracing, case management and cross-border collaboration while calling for more research, especially from African researchers, to pay special attention to the epidemic. Community, religious and opinion leaders also need to be involved to break through the resistance that many humanitarian actors are encountering on the ground.

“This is the first time Ebola has surfaced in West Africa and many people are showing their fears by refusing to admit the existence of the disease and by preventing some aid organizations from entering their communities,” says Dr Ben Adinoyi Adeiza, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) health coordinator in Africa.

This community resistance is exacerbated by rumours and myths about Ebola which can hinder the work of individuals and organisations working to contain the disease.

“We, and other humanitarian organisations, have had several security incident since the beginning of the response,” says Aliou Boly, Ebola operations manager for IFRC in Guinea. “There has been an increasing number of incidents in the last weeks which is hampering the response of our volunteers and staff on the ground. We need to be ensured of their security and safety so they can carry on their humanitarian duties in the best possible way. Education and social mobilization to change behavior are vital to stopping this disease in its tracks and to allay fear and stigma attached to it.”

Participants also called on African governments, ECOWAS (the regional network of 16 countries), and other partners to mobilize and dedicate special funds to the response.

Since the outbreak was first announced, the Red Cross has launched emergency operations in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, through which more than 2,000 volunteers are being trained and mobilized to share key messages of prevention and protection. In neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal, a further 686 volunteers have been sharing similar messages for the past two months, to prepare communities should the virus spread further across the region. Money from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund has been released to support these preparedness efforts.

BERN, Switzerland, July 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Swiss ambassador in Ethiopia, Andrea Semadeni, and the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Mahboub Maalim, have signed a framework agreement on partnership and cooperation between Switzerland and IGAD today in Addis Ababa. The agreement, which comes into force with today’s signing, provides for increased cooperation between Switzerland and IGAD in the Horn of Africa in food security, migration, peace and security, as well as in the field of science.

The signing follows the Federal Council’s approval of the framework agreement with IGAD on 6 June 2014. The partnership enables Switzerland to engage in political dialogue with IGAD and its member states in the Horn of Africa, and to increase the effectiveness of Swiss activities in the region in such sectors as food security.

More than 50 million people live in the drylands of the Horn of Africa, where recurrent drought over the past decades has made it synonymous with chronic food shortage.

Not only natural disasters threaten the people’s food security. The habitats of the herders, who move around with their herds according to the season to make the most of the pastures and water points available, are being severely restricted. Infrastructure, large-scale farming and unclear land rights often cause violent conflict over the remaining pasture land. In this critical area of land rights, Switzerland and IGAD are planning to work closely together – particularly in the implementation of the guidelines on land reforms that were adopted by the African Union.

IGAD, whose eight members are countries in the Horn of Africa, is taking on an increasingly significant role for stability and development in the region where cross-border and coordinated cooperation is an important factor in defusing tensions and increasing security for the people.

In response to the most recent disastrous drought, IGAD member states agreed on a strategy of emergency and development measures aimed at strengthening the people’s resilience. These measures are intended to ensure that future droughts do not turn into famine situations. Switzerland also initiates and supports projects concerned with securing access to pasture land, land use planning, sustainable land and water management, as well as professional training and access to markets to improve food security in the region.

In line with the Federal Council’s 2013-2016 Horn of Africa strategy, Switzerland seeks to address the long-term causes of conflict and poverty which create such a fragile situation in the region, and thus promotes conflict transformation and regional integration. Switzerland is active in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan.