Category: APO-OPA

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United States is deeply troubled by the continued use of mass trials and sentencing in Egypt, and particularly by today’s death sentence against 683 defendants. Today’s verdict, like…

NEW YORK, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General is alarmed by the news that another preliminary mass death sentence ha…

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the Ethiopian government’s arrests of nine journalists in one of the worst crackdowns against free expression in the country.
“With …

OSLO, Norway, April 28, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — “It is shocking and unacceptable that an Egyptian court has once again pronounced a summary judgment – this time passing 683 death sentences. We are now witnessing a situation where Egyptian courts are seriously undermining the country’s reputation internationally,” commented Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende.

On Monday 28 April, 683 people were condemned to death by a court in Minya, including the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Badie. Nearly 600 were condemned in absentia. The death sentences are not yet final, as they have been referred to the Grand Mufti for consideration. The court will pronounce the final sentence once the Grand Mufti has made his recommendation. The sentence can then be appealed. There are several similarities between this judgment and the judgment in March, under which 529 people were condemned to death. Since then 492 of those sentences have been commuted to long prison sentences, while 37 have been upheld.

“It is unacceptable that death sentences and long prison sentences are pronounced without individual legal safeguards being ensured. The right to a fair trial is a fundamental international principle,” Mr Brende said.

In a court ruling in Cairo today, all activities of the April 6 Youth Movement were prohibited with immediate effect. This movement was one of the main driving forces behind the 2011 revolution, and actively promoted workers’ rights also before 2011. Several of its leaders are already imprisoned. The reasons given for today’s ruling were allegations of espionage and defamation of the Egyptian state.

“This is one of a series of repressive measures against critical voices in Egypt. I am deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation for civil society and the increasing restrictions on freedom of expression in the country,” said Mr Brende.

BERN, Switzerland, April 28, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Today, Switzerland and the European Union have signed an agreement on Switzerland’s participation in the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali). The agreement will enable Switzerland to support EUTM Mali with civilian expertise.

The signing today of the agreement between Switzerland and the EU on Swiss participation in EUTM Mali paves the way for Switzerland to second a civilian expert to EUTM Mali. The secondment of this Swiss expert – a media analyst – is planned for this year and will complement Switzerland’s involvement in peacebuilding in Mali and support the EU’s efforts to stabilise the Sahel region.

EUTM Mali aims to strengthen the Malian army’s capacities in the fields of management, logistics, personnel, human rights and international humanitarian law, and in this way contribute to the stabilisation of Mali and the whole region.

As part of its commitment to multilateral civilian peacebuilding, Switzerland participates in peace missions conducted by both the UN and the EU. Furthermore, Switzerland has been active in Mali for more than 30 years within the framework of its bilateral development cooperation.

Switzerland has a long tradition of seconding civilian experts in the context of its peace, human rights and humanitarian policy. Experts are made available on a needs basis for fixed-term civilian peace projects, for example as election observers, police advisers or specialists in constitutional matters, mediation, the rule of law, human rights and humanitarian law.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 28, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Journalists are invited to attend an open session of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), on ‘Unconstitutional Changes of Government and Popular Uprisings in Africa, Challenges and Lessons Learnt’, on Tuesday, 29 April 2014, 10:00 am, in the Mandela Hall at the AU New Conference Center (AUCC), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Session will be open to all AU Member States, Partners and representatives of the diplomatic missions in Ethiopia, academicians, civil society, think-tanks and other relevant stakeholders.

The objective of the open session is to provide an avenue for a deep reflection on the elements that constitute an unconstitutional change of government on one hand, and how to respond on the other, to popular uprisings that result in a change of government that is not consistent with constitutional provisions. It is expected that the session will provide an opportunity for a thorough reflection on all dimensions of unconstitutional changes of government and popular uprisings with a view to strengthening the existing instruments and normative frameworks. The outcome of the meeting will largely form the basis for a broader debate in the Assembly of the Union on the prevention of unconstitutional changes of government, popular uprisings and their effective resolution on the continent.

WINDHOEK, Namibia, April 28, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In September 2014, Heads of State and Government of the African Union will meet at an extra ordinary session in Burkina Faso, to find ways to accelerate job creation on the continent, in particular for youth and women. Their meeting will take place ten years after 2004 Ouagadougou summit, which came up with the Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment and Poverty Alleviation. That historic summit highlighted the need to place employment at the center of all national plans for social and economic development of Africa. The Heads of State and Government agreed to take action to reverse the trends of pervasive poverty, unemployment and under employment and to bring material improvement to the lives of the African people.

Ten years after the Ouagadougou summit, the responsible ministers from African Union member states are meeting today in Windhoek under the aegis of the African Union Labour and Social Affairs Commission (LSAC) to prepare for the forthcoming extra ordinary summit, which will be held under the theme “Employment, Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Development” and will be titled Ougaplus10.They are undertaking a comprehensive assessment of ten years of implementation of the 2004 declaration and action plan,so as to take stock of achievements and challenges faced, as well as propose concrete actions to be taken in the next decade to create decent employment, and accelerate poverty eradication, in order to ensure inclusive development.

“In doing so, we must admit that progress has been slow. Despite encouraging and sustained economic growth rates in some of our countries and efforts by AU member states over the past decade, growth did not, unfortunately, translate into the desired job creation. Unemployment, and in particular youth unemployment, remains high and at unacceptable levels in many African countries, including Namibia”, said Namibian President Mr Hifikipunye Pohamba when he officially opened the LSAC today.

Some of the challenges facing Africa in these efforts include low productivity performance, weakness of the labour market institutions, unemployment and under employment, structural constraints, HIV and AIDS at the workplace, skills capacity, policy coordination, monitoring and evaluation, lack of social protection and unequal opportunities for the marginalized and vulnerable groups.

The ministers’ recommendations for the September summit will be prepared based on the six key policy areas to be debated in Ouagadougou. The policy issues are youth and women employment; social protection and inclusive growth, informal economy, social economy and rural employment; productivity, competitiveness and social dialogue; labour market governance; labour migration and regional economic integration; and partnership and funding for implementation of employment policies.

“Our task as labour ministers, working with social and cooperating partners, is to put in place a comprehensive and implementable plan of action on employment, poverty eradication and inclusive development to deliver decent jobs; to the youth and women in particular”, observed the Vice Chairperson of the Bureau of the LSAC Honourable Nicholas Goche. Ministers are also expected to come up with a follow up mechanism to assess, evaluate and quantify progress made in the implementation of the declaration and plan of action.

“The fact that we are here (in Windhoek) and heading towards the extra ordinary summit suggests that we are determined to re-examine ourselves, our methodology and our strategy to eradicate poverty, in order to ensure a better standard of living for our people”, said AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Dr Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko.

Based on the re-examination and the increased commitment to employment creation, poverty eradication and inclusive development, the LSAC meeting has identified the importance of better focus on the implementation of policies anchored in wider stakeholder buy in.

“A joint multi-lateral initiative with a strong buy in from all partners will allow for greater accountability, sharing of responsibilities and a stronger dynamic for implementation by each member state, of the declaration and plan of action to be adopted in Ouagadougou in September- a declaration and plan of action that must be clearly embedded within the post 2015 development agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 206”, said Mr. Aeneas Chuma, the International Labour Organisation’s Assistant Director General and Regional Director for Africa.

AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Dr Kaloko proposed measurable outcomes that could be considered as indicators of success, going forward. These include the reduction by 2% per year, of youth and women unemployment rate; ensuring at least 10% per year of social protection coverage for the informal economy and rural workers;and increased budget allocation to employment programmes and policies. He called upon the ILO to lead the engagement of the international partners in implementing the Ouga+10 policy instruments and the four-year implementing programmes over the decade”.WZM

JUBA, South Sudan, April 28, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemns the unspeakable acts of violence in Bentiu, South Sudan, during and after a major battle on 15 April. Tens of thousands of people have had to flee to UNMISS camps for safety, where they now face life-threatening living conditions.

Information given to the international medical humanitarian organisation describe gruesome targeted killings, including at Bentiu State Hospital, and indicate a disturbing trend of escalating violence and brutality in the country. MSF calls on all armed actors cease targeted killings, to ensure the behaviour and accountability of fighters under their command and to assume their responsibility toward the population in areas under their control.

An MSF international team visited Bentiu last week to make an independent assessment and gather first-hand testimonies from eyewitnesses.

“What I saw in Bentiu – bodies of civilians strewn through the streets in grisly states of damage and decay, being eaten by dogs and birds – was an affront to humanity,” says Raphael Gorgeu, Head of Mission in the country. “The violence in South Sudan has taken a particularly ugly turn, stripping people of their most basic human dignity. It is a terrible thing to witness.”

Based on accounts from eyewitnesses, MSF has received credible information of up to 33 people killed in Bentiu State Hospital, including one Ministry of Health employee.

“MSF international staff heard tales of horrific brutality taking place on the hospital grounds from those who were present at the time,” says Christopher Lockyear, Operations Manager for South Sudan.

“While patients were not specifically targeted, people who fled to the hospital in search of safety were selectively targeted based on their identities and loyalties. Once again in South Sudan, we see hospitals – places that should be protected safe havens -are increasingly places of attack and cruelty.”

Two witnesses recounted how a group of 21 Darfuris were taken from the hospital and killed behind the hospital compound, while a further group of 5 Nuer civilians, including one female, were shot and killed inside the hospital compound. Other victims include additional Darfuris and one Dinka. Following the heavy fighting, MSF sent in an additional surgical team and further medical supplies by air to reinforce the existing MSF team. More than 230 war-wounded are being treated for gunshot wounds to date. One medical staff member present during the incident at the hospital gave this account:

Fighting started around 6:30 in the morning. Civilians and defectors had fled to the hospital compound when fighting started. Opposition forces entered the compound around 9:30 searching for defectors. The soldiers were accusing us of being on the side of the Government, saying anyone that stayed in Bentiu under government control were traitors. We told them we were medical staff. I was hiding under one of the buildings with other hospital staff. We saw a group of people killed. In the group was a Ministry of Health staff, a Darfuri man, 1 Nuer woman and 2 Nuer men. The Darfuri resisted being taken away and the entire group was killed. 22 Darfuri were taken behind the compound and 21 of them were killed. One was a child, so he wasn’t killed. Later I saw the bodies of three Darfuris that had been killed in front of the hospital and another three Darfuris that were killed inside the hospital grounds. I was here when they brought the wounded Darfuris from the mosque. They were beaten and robbed by other patients in uniform, who didn’t want them in the hospital. After the soldiers left, I went to the UNMISS compound – I don’t feel safe at the hospital anymore. Many people have relations in both armies. I’m afraid to leave the UN base.

Thousands of others fled for their lives to the nearby UNMISS base, which swelled from a maximum of 6,000 people to more than 22,000 within a matter of days, a vast number of people that aid organisations were not equipped to care for. Fleeing from one danger straight into another, there is now just 1 toilet for every 130 people, with open defecation a major health threat, and less than 6 litres of water per person per day, with 15 litres considered the minimum in an emergency.

MSF has consistently condemned violence since the beginning of the crisis in South Sudan, and has spoken out about violations, regardless of which armed actor was involved.

“While organisations like MSF remain committed to caring for those caught up in the conflict as best we can, we are very alarmed that the situation is spiralling out of control. The capacity of aid organisations is not limitless,” says Gorgeu. “It remains the moral and legal responsibility of all armed actors to limit civilian casualties, facilitate humanitarian assistance and respect medical facilities. It’s time for the Opposition and Government to step up.”

If not urgently addressed, the crowded living conditions and lack of water and sanitation could lead to many people dying of preventable diseases. The displaced face a desperate choice between grave health conditions inside the UNMISS base and life-threatening security conditions outside. Some of the displaced told MSF staff they have decided to take their chances by returning to live in Bentiu town.

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, April 28, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On Saturday 26 April the master of a dhow spoke of his relief after 6 armed pirates, who had taken his vessel and crew hostage 14 days earlier, fled the scene after sightings of an EU Naval Force maritime patrol and reconnaissance (MPRA) aircraft.

The master confirmed his ordeal to members of the Boarding Team from the EU Naval Force flagship, FGS Brandenburg, after the German warship had closed the sea area to investigate the dhow.

The master stated that the pirates had forced him and his crew to sail to the Gulf of Aden, where they had planned to use the dhow as a ‘mother ship’ to attack merchant ships at sea.

Before they left the dhow, the master said that the pirates had stolen electronic equipment and other personal items from the crew.

Speaking about the incident, the EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Jürgen zur Mühlen, stated “This event confirms that the piracy threat is still very real. The deterrence and swift action by EU Naval Force has once again denied freedom of action to pirates.”

Warships from EU Naval Force continue their counter-piracy patrols in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 28, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Sixteen civilians, including three national staff members with Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), were killed during an armed robbery on MSF hospital grounds in the northern town of Boguila, in the Central African Republic (CAR) on Saturday afternoon.

MSF strongly condemns the unprovoked killing of unarmed civilians at a location clearly identified as an MSF health facility. “We are extremely shocked and saddened by the brutal violence used against our medical staff and the community,” said Stefano Argenziano, MSF Head of Mission in CAR. “Our first priority is to treat the wounded, notify family members and to secure the safety of our staff, patients and the hospital.”

“This appalling incident has forced us to withdraw key staff and suspend activities in Boguila. While we remain committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the community, we also have to take into account the safety of our staff,” said Argenziano. “In reaction to this unconscionable act, we are also examining whether it is feasible to continue operations in other areas.”

The incident occurred when armed ex-Seleka members surrounded Boguila’s hospital grounds where a meeting was being held with forty community leaders invited by MSF to discuss medical access and care.

While some of the gunmen robbed the MSF office at gunpoint and fired shots into the air, other armed men approached the meeting place where MSF staff and community members had gathered together on benches. Unprovoked, the armed men started firing heavily into the crowd, leaving both dead and critically wounded.

MSF is the only international humanitarian organization working in the Boguila area to assist a population increasingly exposed to deadly and indiscriminate attacks by armed groups operating in the area. Saturday’s deadly events constitute an unacceptable attack not just on civilians but also on the ability to provide medical and humanitarian assistance.

MSF calls on all parties to the conflict to respect the neutrality of health care staff, facilities and activities.

Since the coup d’état in March 2013, Boguila has been unstable with increasing tensions and violence, which provoked a massive population displacement in the area in August 2013. In December 2013, Muslims fleeing violence from the nearby village of Nana Bakassa, sought refuge with host families in Boguila before moving further north. More recently, on April 11, nearly 7,000 people fled into the bush, and up to 40 sought shelter on MSF grounds, after an armed group attacked a convoy, accompanied by MISCA, that was transiting through Boguila.

Since 2006, MSF has managed the 115-bed hospital in Boguila, and dispensed primary and secondary health care for an estimated population of 45,000 inhabitants in the region. The MSF teams also support 7 health posts around Boguila in the provision of primary healthcare, mainly treating malaria and referring the severe cases to the hospital. Each month, between 9,000 and 13,000 general consultations are provided and between 5,000 to 10,000 people are treated for malaria.