Category: APO-OPA

GENEVA, Switzerland, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — “The senseless war in South Sudan must end now,” said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, following the pastoral visit of a high-level ecumenical delegation to local churches in Juba, South Sudan on 2 May.

“It is shocking to see how leaders in both parties involved in the conflict have led their own people to such pain and suffering,” Tveit said. “From the stories I was told, it is impossible to comprehend the scale of killings and atrocities taking place.”

Tveit stressed the need for leaders on both sides to use the negotiations resuming this week as an opportunity to agree and implement a ceasefire immediately. This will enable aid groups, including ACT Alliance, to respond effectively to the humanitarian crisis resulting from the violence.

The ecumenical delegation, led by the WCC Central Committee moderator Dr Agnes Abuom, included: the ACT Alliance general secretary John Nduna; general secretary of the World YWCA Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda; the WCC’s former general secretary and ecumenical special envoy for South Sudan and Sudan, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, who also represented the All Africa Conference of Churches; and the WCC programme executive for advocacy for Africa, Dr Nigussu Legesse.

During their visit the group expressed solidarity with the local churches, advocated for a cease-fire, urged progress in the ongoing peace talks and encouraged support to humanitarian initiatives in the country. They first met with the South Sudan vice-president, James Wani Igga, the UN representative to South Sudan, Hilde Frafjord Johnson and four political detainees from the opposition in Juba, released recently by the South Sudanese government.

Calling on South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir and rebel commander Riek Machar to engage in peace talks, the group said the leaders must find a political solution to end the conflict, as enough damage has already been done.

Tveit said that thousands of people have been killed and many have been displaced. Unless people can plant their seeds in the coming months, “they will be faced with an acute threat of famine,” he warned.

Standing in solidarity with South Sudanese churches

One goal of the pastoral visit was to encourage the churches in Sudan to keep pressing for an end to the violence. The delegation also brought the message that there are churches around the world who stand in solidarity with them. “The people and the churches in South Sudan should know they are not left alone as they cry for peace and justice,” Tveit said. “The world cannot leave South Sudan alone.”

“As we have supported South Sudanese in their struggles for independence, we must support them in this time of crisis. The international community must address the risks of famine and hunger,” Tveit added.

Tveit expressed his appreciation for humanitarian efforts by the United Nations and the ACT Alliance in South Sudan, saying that he hopes to see visible results from an upcoming meeting in May in Oslo aimed at providing an increase in humanitarian aid to the country.

Speaking about the South Sudanese churches, the delegation recognized that the churches there have “rich spiritual resources to help find a way towards peace”.

“Churches in South Sudan have a significant role in national dialogue affirming unity and a sense of nation-building by strengthening a process of reconciliation,” Tveit said. “In this process of reconciliation, youth and women must be empowered.”

“We will pray and work with the churches in South Sudan, while they continue addressing these struggles in their pilgrimage for justice and peace,” Tveit added.

Tveit also urged that justice be restored after peace is established. He said that there should be a justice mechanism both at the national and international levels which should investigate atrocities in South Sudan and pave the way for reconciliation.

The delegates also met with South Sudanese Bishop Michael Taban Toro, Rev. Mark Akec Cien, and representatives of the ACT Alliance, Finnish Church Aid, Caritas Internationalis and Norwegian Church Aid in Juba.

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Ministry of Finance

Luanda, Angola

May 5, 2014

FOREIGN MINISTER CHIKOTI: (Via interpreter) Good morning. I had an opportunity to most recently meet with Secretary of State Kerry where we discussed –

SECRETARY KERRY: You want to press the mike up —

FOREIGN MINISTER CHIKOTI: — (Via interpreter) where we discussed our bilateral relations and their growth and their positive growth. We touched on things – not only petroleum, but other credits, such as the recent $600 million credit given by the Ex-Im Bank so that we could buy more Boeing planes. And we look forward to greater economic relations and other in the near future.

We also discussed quite simply political stability on the African continent, and we had occasion to thank the United States for its initiatives in the southern Sudan and the DRC, where we’re also active, and in other conflicts throughout the region where President Dos Santos and the Government of Angola are continuing our efforts in this regard.

We also had occasion to discuss the August 1st summit of African leaders to be held in Washington with over 40 African leaders to be present and discussed some of the items that will be featured on the agenda there.

We also – the talks held took place in a very positive and friendly and cooperative environment. We discussed our future plans and our future relationship would be more frequent amongst ourselves – at least once a year and more often than that at the lower levels.

Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Muito obrigado. Thank you very much. Thank you. Well, I agree with the summary that the foreign minister gave. I want to thank Foreign Minister Chikoti for his very generous welcome, and I appreciate the extremely comprehensive and very productive discussion that we just had.

We opened up enough topics and found agreement on a number of them that we really felt that it was important to continue this discussion, that there is a great deal that we can work on together – not just on the economics but on security in the region, on development and regional issues. And I am very grateful, as is President Obama, for the significant leadership of President Dos Santos and of the Foreign Minister on the efforts of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region. That leadership is making a difference in helping to bring about stability and peace.

And the greatest restraint on transformation and opportunity for people and for growth and development in many places is the instability. So the contributions of Angola and our efforts to try to work together on a strategic dialogue will be very important and we look forward to continuing that.

Finally, let me just say that we’re very pleased that the Commerce Department will be opening a commercial service office here in the near term, and we in the State Department will continue to be very supportive of the economic relationship. Yesterday, I had a chance to visit the port to see General Electric and some of the efforts of our energy companies. That’s important. But as I said to the foreign minister, the United States does not want its relationship with Angola defined simply by an economic relationship.

So we look forward to welcoming President Dos Santos to Washington for our African leader’s summit, and I look forward to continuing this strategic dialogue with my counterpart, with the foreign minister, and I am absolutely confident that the relationship between the United States and Angola will become one of the most important on the continent and will be extremely productive based on the conversation we’ve had this morning.

Thank you. (Applause.)

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will visit North Africa and the Middle East from May 7-12, 2014. Ms. Lagarde will start her trip by visitin…

OTTAWA, Canada, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, will travel to Abuja, Nigeria, on May 5–8, 2014. While in Nigeria, the Minister will participate in the Grow Africa Investment Forum (May 7), the Africa Health Innovation Meeting (May 7), and the World Economic Forum on Africa (May 8). During these forums the Minister will speak to Canada’s leadership and experience in creating jobs, promoting sustainable economic growth, and seeking new partners and innovative financing mechanisms.

Minister Paradis will also speak out on Canada’s top development priority, that of maternal, newborn and child health, and promote Saving Every Woman Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach, an international summit that will shape the future of global action on maternal, newborn and child health issues. The Summit, to be held from May 28 to 30, 2014, in Toronto, will build on Canada’s global leadership and chart the way forward for the next phase of efforts.

On the margins of his visit, Minister Paradis will meet with the Canada-Nigeria Bi-National Commission, which works to advance bilateral cooperation on political, security, trade and development issues. He will also meet with members of the Government of Nigeria to discuss Canada’s commitment to Africa, specifically on sustainable economic development and health.

The Minister will also take the opportunity during his visit to convene his Francophonie colleagues to advance the Canada-led initiative of creating an economic arm of the organization. He will also visit and consult with Canadian businesses and organizations operating in Nigeria.

GENEVA, Switzerland, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Over 2,600 detainees have been treated for scabies in an eradication campaign run by the Malian prison authorities, with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in the prisons of Sikasso, Kati and Bamako.

“During our most recent prison visits, we realized that scabies was a real problem,” said Ishukwe N’sindi, ICRC doctor. “Some inmates were covered in a rash from head to toe and complaining of skin irritation.”

Overcrowding makes prisons a prime breeding ground for certain diseases, especially skin infections, giving reason to focus scabies eradication efforts in these facilities more than elsewhere.

“More and more inmates were complaining of skin problems,” said Ali Diakité, director of Sikasso prison, in southern Mali. “So the authorities decided that we should treat everyone, including the prison staff. Buildings, clothing and the inmates’ bedding were also disinfected. The health-care centre in Sikasso and the ICRC were a great help in this task.”

The ICRC works in close cooperation with the detaining authorities and the National Health Directorate to improve detainees’ access to health care. Measures include ensuring that inmates undergo a medical examination when they first arrive, improving inmates’ access to health-care providers and stocking prison infirmaries with the necessary medicines.

Visiting people deprived of their liberty

In 2013, the ICRC visited more than 3,500 people held in police stations and in the detention centres of Bamako, Kati, Koulikoro, Sikasso, Sévaré, Timbuktu and Gao. These visits were taking place even before conflict broke out in the north, but were formalized with the signing of an agreement with the Malian government in April 2013. The agreement grants the ICRC permission to visit all places of detention and all detainees.

“When we visit a prison, our aim is to ensure that the conditions of detention for all inmates meet internationally recognized standards,” said Christoph Luedi, head of the ICRC delegation in Mali. “Whatever the reason for their incarceration, they have the right to be treated with humanity. Their physical and mental well-being must be upheld and their basic needs met.”

During these visits, ICRC delegates meet with the prison authorities and then with the inmates, one by one and in private, to assess their treatment and conditions of detention. They see all detainees, but especially monitor those arrested in connection with the conflict.

Restoring family links

The ICRC offers inmates the possibility of contacting their loved ones by telephone or through short Red Cross messages, containing family news only.

“In this vast country, people are sometimes imprisoned far from home,” said Mamadou Cellou Bah, the ICRC delegate in charge of this programme. “Contacting their families can help them to break their isolation and bring them closer to their loved ones, from whom some have been separated for a long time.”

In 2013, volunteers from the Mali Red Cross facilitated the exchange of 130 Red Cross messages and 170 telephone calls were made between inmates and their families.

Dialogue with the detaining authorities

In line with its usual practice, the ICRC submits a confidential report to the detaining authority containing its findings and recommendations.

Regular and constructive exchanges with the National Directorate of Penitentiary Administration and Supervised Education enable the coordination of efforts to improve conditions of detention.

The ICRC also supports the authorities in improving prison infrastructure, such as building latrines, kitchens and water-storage facilities, and in distributing hygiene products to detainees.

MOGADISHU, Somalia, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Judy Cheng-Hopkins, arrived yesterday in Mogadishu to begin a five-day visit to Somalia. Ms. Cheng-Hopkins will discuss with the Federal Government as well as with Somali people in the next few days priorities for support through the Peacebuilding Fund. Today she met with the Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Federalism, Minister of Finance and the Speaker of Parliament.

Upon her arrival ASG Cheng-Hopkins said: “The Peacebuilding Fund will respond and assist the Federal Government in a timely, flexible and pragmatic way to sustain momentum of its state- and peace-building efforts under the Somalia New Deal Compact.”

On 19th of March, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, announced the allocation of $3 million from the Fund to support the stabilisation efforts in the newly recovered areas in south central Somalia. The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and Federalism is currently finalising the first project to release these funds.

“We should invest in the people of Somalia as much as in the state” said ASG Cheng-Hopkins. “The Fund is designed to help especially women, children, youth, disadvantaged groups, minorities and those who bore the brunt of the protracted conflict.”

The UN Secretary-General declared Somalia eligible to access the Peacebuilding Fund in December 2013. The Fund was set up in 2006 following a request from the General Assembly and the Security Council to support peacebuilding efforts in countries emerging from conflict or political crisis.

OSLO, Norway, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Norway is to host a pledging conference for South Sudan in Oslo on Tuesday 20 May. The conference is being organised in cooperation with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The gravity of the situation in South Sudan, and the impact on neighbouring countries, calls for immediate action. There is an acute need for USD 800 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians in South Sudan. So far, only 39 % of the USD 1,3 billion UN pledge has been forthcoming. The conference aims to increase humanitarian funding and to agree on what more can be done to improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

According to UN estimates, 4.9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and 1.2 million people have been forced to flee their homes. There are reports of killings and gross violations of human rights. Since the conflict broke out in December last year, food production has declined dramatically, and around one million people could face famine if the international aid effort is not stepped up.

The conference will be co-chaired by Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos.

Only accredited members of the press will be able to attend. Accreditation in advance is required. For more information and registration, see: http://www.southsudanhumanitarianconference.org/media.cfm

Place: Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel, Holbergsgate 30, Oslo

Time: Tuesday 20 May, from 10am to 13:30pm

BANGUI, Central African Republic, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In protest against the brutal killing of 16 civilians, including three of its humanitarian workers at Boguila Hospital on 26 April, Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is reducing its activities in Central African Republic (CAR) and related projects in neighbouring countries to emergency medical care only for one week. MSF will also evaluate the working environment for its staff and the potential ongoing impact for the future of its medical activities.

“We urge the transitional government in CAR and all armed groups involved in the conflict to immediately and publicly condemn this horrific attack,” said Arjan Hehenkamp, General Director of MSF.

“We demand that all armed groups take responsibility for the population living in areas under their control, to publicly commit to reining in their troops, and to respect civilians and humanitarian workers,” Hehenkamp continued. “We also ask that the transitional government, supported by international military forces, live up to their mandate and provide the population the protection they so urgently need.”

MSF expressed shock that neither CAR’s transitional government or representatives of armed groups have strongly condemned the massacre in Boguila, as well as other similar acts of violence that have occurred throughout the country. It is crucial that parties to the conflict take responsibility and position themselves publicly on these attacks.

“An attack on MSF is an attack on one of the leading medical groups today in the country and, in certain areas, on the only organisation providing any kind of medical care,” says Hehenkamp. “We remain committed to provide the people of the CAR the medical assistance that they need, but the various parties must also live up to their responsibilities.”

Over the past 18 months, MSF staff members have repeatedly been victims of violent acts, the majority of them in Ouham prefecture where Boguila is located. Staff from the Ministry of Health, as well as other international humanitarian organisations, have also been targeted in violent attacks in CAR.

Enduring over a year of conflict, CAR’s population continues to suffer extreme levels of violence, forced displacement and an unprecedented health crisis, all to an indifferent reaction from the international community and peacekeeping forces deployed in the country today.

NEW YORK, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The members of the Security Council condemn in the strongest terms yesterday’s terrorist attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, for which Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility and has caused numerous d…

OTTAWA, Canada, May 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement concerning this weekend’s attacks in Kenya:

“Canada condemns in the strongest terms this weekend’s attacks in Mombasa and Nairobi, Kenya, which claimed the lives of at least seven people and wounded more than 60 others.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I extend my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims, as well as best wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured.

“Attacks like these, targeting innocent citizens, must not go unpunished. Whoever perpetrated and supported this violence must be held accountable.

“Canada continues to support the Kenyan government in the fight against terror.”