Category: APO-OPA

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM launched a cash-for-work street cleaning project with local youths in the 3rd district (arondissement) of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR) this week.

The 3rd district is one of the last areas in Bangui where Muslims and Christians continue to live in relative harmony, despite intense pressure from armed groups. The goal of the pilot project is to build and strengthen social cohesion and support the local economy.

The cleaning crews have already made a noticeable improvement in the PK5 market area; large piles of street garbage have been removed and drains have been cleared in preparation for the rainy season. Initial feedback from the community has been very positive.

The youths are divided into five cleaning crews of ten people each, with a mix of Christians and Muslims, men and women. The 50 local youths represent all 29 neighborhoods of the district. The first group of 50 will work for a two-week period.

One cleaning crewmember, Mohammed, said, “I am excited to be part of this effort. If the program continues in all the neighborhoods I think it will bring peace to CAR. I am Central African and Muslim. My father was born here. Our home was destroyed in the violence and my brother was killed. In this program I now work with Christians. We are also neighbors. If there is peace I want to return home. People will return when the situation improves. We lived together before. Why not now? Forgiveness is key.”

Three IOM national staff manage the program on site. IOM social mobilizer for the program Patricia Yassiyo said: “Our role is to bring people together. The income earned helps crew members to feed and support themselves and their families. This increases their sense of self-worth and benefits the local economy and community. The program also contributes to a clean and healthy environment in the 3rd district.”

The participants echo the messages on their T-shirts: “We want peace in the Central African Republic.” Another young man emphasized the importance of the employment opportunity. “This program is also good because it gives us some means to survive and eat,” he said.

Three months after the formal declaration of the crisis, there are some 701,500 internally displaced people in the CAR – 276,500 in 62 displacement sites in Bangui and 425,000 outside the capital. Muslims and ethnic minorities have fled most neighborhoods in Bangui.

IOM has already evacuated 6,153 migrants and third country nationals from CAR; 4,621 of those to Chad. It is continuing to register third country nationals in Bangui. Over 2,700 people requesting evacuation have been registered at the Central Mosque and Military Airport Transit Site. The largest groups are from Chad, Senegal, Cameroon and Mali.

IOM is appealing for USD 17.5 million to evacuate stranded migrants and assist communities in need in CAR. It has already allocated USD 3.1 million from its own (MEFM) emergency fund.

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The widespread absence of security, caused by the conflict, and rising crime are exacerbating an already disastrous situation for thousands of people. The ICRC and the Central African Red Cross Society are continuing to respond to the most urgent needs.

In certain parts of the Central African Republic – for example, in the west, around Kaga Bandoro, and in Bangui – people are still living in fear for their lives and property. The widespread absence of security, caused by the conflict, and rising crime are exacerbating an already disastrous situation for thousands of people. “Despite relative calm in Bangui, the atrocities are continuing,” said Georgios Georgantas, head of the ICRC delegation in the Central African Republic. “We are calling on the parties to the conflict to obey the basic rules of international humanitarian law so that civilians, and people who have stopped fighting, for example because they have been injured or captured, will be spared.” ICRC staff are in contact with the parties to the conflict to stop abuses against civilians.

In Yaloke and Gaga, in the west of the country, the ICRC and the Central African Red Cross Society are working hard to restore people’s access to clean drinking water, which has been seriously eroded by the recent intercommunal violence. “Wells are the only available source of water,” said Mr Georgantas. “Over 60 water points have now been cleaned in Yaloke and Gaga. They’re up and running again.”

ICRC staff working in the west of the country have continued to take injured people to Bangui. In addition, they have distributed buckets, blankets and other essential supplies to the neediest.

In Bangui, tens of thousands of people are still displaced, crammed into makeshift camps which are sometimes dangerous owing to the continued presence of armed men. The arrival of the rainy season means that there will be a significant deterioration of already difficult living conditions in the camps. To make sure that information about hygiene and disease prevention reaches as many people as possible, broadcasts organized by Radio Ndéké Luka and the Central African Red Cross have been taking place on topics such as hand washing and the proper use of latrines. Drinking water is being distributed every day, and two trucks are being used for rubbish collection.

“We are also worried about how the situation is developing in Kaga Bandoro and in the east of the country, where new hotbeds of violence could flare up if clashes between anti-balaka and ex-Séléka were to spread,” said Mr Georgantas. “Throughout the country, the scattering of displaced people in areas that are difficult to reach, and a growing lack of security, particularly along major roads, are still significantly hampering emergency aid operations.”

Since the beginning of the year, the ICRC has,

in the Central African Republic:

● delivered 430,000 litres of drinking water every day for displaced people at Bangui airport and at Boyrabe;

● performed more than 560 operations at Bangui’s Community Hospital on patients suffering from gunshot wounds, knife or machete wounds, injuries caused by grenade explosions, and other injuries linked to intercommunal violence. ICRC staff also renovated parts of the hospital and regularly brought in food, sleeping mats, blankets, plates and cutlery, and soap for patients and the people accompanying them;

● distributed more than 430,000 daily individual food rations to displaced people;

● carried out medical evacuations of nearly 300 sick or injured patients every month;

● visited more than 300 detainees in Bangui with the aim of ensuring that conditions of detention and the treatment of detainees show respect for human dignity;

● reunited 12 children with their families;

● given almost 5,800 people in the Kaga Bandoro area, in the central part of the country, the opportunity to be seen by medical staff in mobile clinics. Nearly 750 expectant mothers have been examined and given advice, and 32 children have been delivered with the assistance of staff in the clinics;

in Chad:

● together with the Red Cross of Chad, given people fleeing the Central African Republic – in particular those who are least able to look after themselves, such as unaccompanied children – the opportunity to contact family members. More than 3,600 free phone calls have been made since 23 January. In addition, basic supplies such as hygiene items and kitchen utensils have been distributed to people arriving from the Central African Republic;

in Cameroon:

● continued to support the tracing work of the Cameroon Red Cross Society aiming to find the relatives that people arriving from the Central African Republic lost track of in the camp at Giwa;

in the Republic of the Congo:

● accommodated people arriving from the Central African Republic and started tracing relatives from whom they were separated in Brazzaville or in the provinces, in places such as Bétou, in Likouala, where a Congolese Red Cross volunteer is based in camps where people from the Central African Republic are staying.

NEW YORK, March 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Members Hear from Heads of Peacekeeping, Humanitarian, Refugee Agency as African, Country Representatives Offer Regional, National Perspectives

Despite significant and progressive gains made by African Union and French troops in the Central African Republic, the situation in the strife-torn country remained extremely grave, senior officials told the Security Council today, urging immediate action to prevent further bloodshed.

Briefing on the latest security and humanitarian developments were Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations; Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; and Téte António, Permanent Observer for the African Union. The time to act was now, they agreed, echoing the call in the Secretary-General’s report (document S/2014/142) to authorize deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation.

Mr. Ladsous said there was a window of opportunity to build the foundations for peace in the Central African Republic. The Secretary-General’s proposal to establish a multidimensional mission would aim at re-hatting the troops currently deployed in the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) as soon as possible. The focus would be on bolstering security and protecting human rights, as well as supporting the transitional Government, and peace and mediation efforts.

The mission should be part of the broader international engagement to address the daunting needs of the population, he explained, adding, however, that “there will be no quick fix” to ending the violence and massive human rights violations, and restoring security. The crisis required a unified and integrated approach with civilian protection as its core. Delaying any sustainable response would be more costly and could destabilize the region.

Mr. António agreed, outlining the principles around which MISCA’s transformation into a peacekeeping operation must be informed, stressing that without national ownership, no amount of international support could bring lasting solutions. There was a need to strongly promote the region’s role — and that of the African Union — in the post-MISCA phase in order to anchor in a strong regional and continental context.

Further, a peacekeeping operation must be part of a broader international engagement in support of the country, he said, noting that implementation of the MISCA mandate was critical. The African Union Commission and the United Nations Secretariat should jointly define the terms of reference of the transition team, generate forces and agree on the modalities for re-hatting MISCA’s contingents. The African Union should be consulted from the outset on the draft resolution to mandate deployment.

On the humanitarian front, Ms. Amos said more than 650,000 people were still internally displaced, with at least 232,000 in Bangui alone. Some 70,000 people were living at the airport in “appalling” conditions, which would deteriorate with the onset of the rainy season. More than 288,000 people had fled to neighbouring countries and thousands more were trying to leave. “Unless the current trajectory is urgently reversed, the demographic and social changes taking place will have severe and lasting consequences for the country, the region and the continent,” she warned.

Humanitarian assistance alone could not resolve the crisis, she said, stressing the need to restore security. While French and MISCA forces had saved lives, they did not have the resources to provide security throughout the large country. More troops were needed now. She recommended a coordinated operational focus on four geographic areas: Bossangoa, Bria, N’Dele and Bambari, where communities still lived together and a combination of international, national and local efforts could make an immediate difference.

The humanitarian response was severely underfunded, she added, stressing that only 16 per cent of the $551 million appeal had been met.

Mr. Guterres similarly expressed his alarm at ground conditions. “Rarely has a field visit in my eight-year tenure as High Commissioner caused me such anguish as my recent trip to the Central African Republic,” he said. “I was deeply shocked by the barbarity, brutality and inhumanity that have characterized the violence happening in the country and its consequences on the suffering of the people.”

He urged robust international support to address the dire needs of refugees, internally displaced persons and the host communities within and outside the country that had generously taken them in. Inside the Central African Republic, re-establishing security, law and order was the most important protection and humanitarian objective, he said, underlining the real danger of religious tensions threatening to completely destroy society.

Offering the national perspective, Toussaint Kongo Doudou, Central African Republic’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, African Integration, Francophonie and Central Africans Abroad, said his Government would provide the necessary political support for the recommendations. Any peacekeeping operation must be multidimensional and multifunctional, and take a holistic approach. MISCA must serve as the basis for a new mission, he said, voicing hope for the quick adoption of a “robust” resolution authorizing deployment within six months.

“We need to act now”, he said, to prevent the Central African Republic from becoming a breeding ground for terrorism. That, he added, was “not far off”. Elements of the Janjaweed had already been involved in abuses, and threats had been made by Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which must be taken seriously. “Terrorism, whether we like it or not, is way ahead of those of us working for peace,” he said. “Please, we need your help”, he implored, warning that with any delay, “we may lose the country”.

The meeting began at 10:10 a.m. and ended at 11:15 a.m.

BANGUI, Central African Republic, March 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The escalation of violence in Central African Republic (CAR), mainly in the north of the country, is undermining vital humanitarian assistance for people who are already suffering due to limited access to aid, the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned today.

The presence of fugitive armed groups and increased chaos across the country, including the capital Bangui, have led to an escalation of insecurity, which has left communities vulnerable to extreme violence. International humanitarian organisations have also been subjected to robbery and looting. MSF teams in the towns of Boguila, Kabo, Ndele and inside the camp at the M’Poko international airport in Bangui have suffered numerous armed intrusions and robberies. Last weekend alone, MSF teams faced four such serious incidents. In Kabo, MSF was forced to reduce its medical activities as a result.

MSF has repeatedly called on UN Security Council member states and donor countries to secure the protection of civilians in CAR and to urgently scale up much-needed humanitarian assistance.

“We are witnessing the consequence of the lack of protection of people in CAR, with civilians being hunted down and killed, and hundreds of thousands of displaced people and refugees without adequate assistance,” says Sylvain Groulx, MSF Head of Mission in CAR. “Targeting humanitarian organisations and their staff is unacceptable and impedes the support they give to the population. The reduction of the MSF medical activities in Kabo has disastrous consequences for over 50,000 people while their needs remain enormous.”

MSF has managed the hospital in Kabo since 2006 and supports three health posts on the outskirts including Moyenne Sido, to where many people escaping violence have fled. Others seek refuge just across the border in Chad. In 2013, MSF carried out more than 100,000 consultations at the Kabo hospital and its health posts. Malaria remains the leading cause of death in CAR, and in Kabo up to 44% of consultations were as a result of malaria. The medical assistance provided by MSF teams here is crucial.

Even before the recent crisis, the people of CAR already suffered the consequences of a severe lack of healthcare, with many health facilities barely operational. The escalation of violence in recent weeks has compounded the problem as nearly 20% of the population has fled their homes, and the international aid effort is still grossly insufficient.

Despite regular violent attacks taking place close to, and even inside hospitals, MSF teams were able to provide a reasonable level of medical care. But today, the impunity of armed groups and the uncontrollable cycle of violence is endangering the population and threatening the delivery of humanitarian aid.

“We call on armed groups to stop targeting civilians and to respect our medical mission so that we can continue to deliver life-saving medical care,” adds Sylvain Groulx. “Humanitarian organisations must be able to work freely and without hindrance.”

MSF has been working in CAR since 1997, and now runs seven regular projects (Batangafo, Carnot, Kabo Ndélé Paoua, Bria and Zémio) and eight emergency projects (Bangui, Berbérati, Bouar, Boguila, Bossangoa, Bouca, Bangassou and mobile clinics in the northwest). MSF has more than 240 international staff and 2,000 local staff working in the country. Additional MSF teams are assisting refugees from CAR in Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Congo-Brazzaville.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — INVITATION TO THE MEDIA

The African Union Commission, will, on Friday, 07 March 2014 at 15:00, hold commemorations of International Women’s Day at the AU headquarters in Addis …

LONDON, United-Kingdom, March 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, calls for unhindered access for UN and humanitarian agencies following escalation of violence in Darfur.

Commenting on recent reports of increasing violence in Darfur, the Minster for Africa Mark Simmonds said:

“I am deeply concerned to hear reports of an escalation of violence across Darfur, which has led to the displacement of over 40,000 people from their homes, particularly in South Darfur. I condemn the deplorable tactics used against civilians, including the destruction and burning of villages.

“The Government of Sudan has primary responsibility for protecting civilians. It must hold perpetrators to account and abide by international humanitarian law. I urge the authorities in Darfur to allow the joint African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) immediate access to the affected areas.

“Ten years after the outbreak of violence in Darfur, the people of Darfur continue to bear the brunt of the continuing conflict. During my recent visit to Sudan I called for full access for humanitarian agencies in Sudan’s conflict-affected areas. I repeat that call and urge the Government of Sudan and all armed groups to immediately end the violence.”

MOGADISHU, Somalia, March 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — For the first time, Somali farmers are turning themselves into suppliers of high-quality food assistance for their fellow Somali people.

A new initiative backed by the European Union (EU), the government of Austria and two United Nations food security agencies has helped Somali farmers achieve this major agricultural breakthrough in a region of the country that was gripped by famine less than three years ago.

With the support of the EU and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), small-scale farmers have boosted the yields and quality of their maize grains, allowing them to sell 200 metric tons of high-quality maize to the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), which purchased the grain with funds supplied by Austria.

Agricultural communities – especially in south-central Somalia, the country’s grain basket – have, over the last two decades, been severely affected by conflict and recurrent drought, which has resulted in the widespread failure of crops and poor yields. The EU, Austria, FAO and WFP are working with local farmers to change that.

“The EU strongly supports this pilot initiative to empower the Somali farmers and their markets,” said Michele Cervone d’Urso, the EU Ambassador to Somalia. “By enabling them to provide food aid for Somalia, we support the entire Somali economy.”

“This initiative shows that Somali farmers are not helpless. With minimal assistance including agricultural inputs, tools, technical skills in storage, grading and marketing, they can make a great difference,” said Luca Alinovi, FAO’s outgoing representative for Somalia.

WFP Country Representative Stefano Porretti described the initiative “as a significant achievement for the participating farmers” and a milestone for WFP’s operations in Somalia.

“Strengthening livelihoods and increasing resiliency is an integral part of WFP’s strategy in Somalia,” Porretti added. “WFP will continue to support small-scale farmers in Somalia by empowering them to produce and sell more food, so as to become competitive players in local markets.”

The Austrian embassy in Nairobi, which also covers Somalia, said that Austria, as one of the partners and sponsors of this project, was delighted that this valuable initiative had been such a success. It further added that it was another example that people in need, given the necessary assistance and possibilities, are able to help themselves and thus make a difference to their lives.

Improving quality

For over 12 months, experts from FAO and WFP supported by the EU have worked with dozens of farmers in several communities to train them in post-harvest handling, storage and warehouse management in order to increase the quality of their production and limit losses by keeping the grain free of contamination and pests. Farmers also learned how to grade their grain. These new skills are aimed at increasing the quality of their produce.

Now they are able to produce maize that meets international quality standards in sufficient quantities to sell it to WFP, which will use the locally grown grain in its food assistance programmes for the most vulnerable and food-insecure Somalis.

According to food production data, Somali farmers only meet 40 percent of the country’s domestic cereal demand. FAO and WFP will jointly seek to scale up this initiative to ensure that small scale farmers have better opportunities to access agricultural markets, to become competitive players in domestic and international food trade and thus to improve their lives.

Sustained humanitarian interventions as well as successive seasons of near-average to above-average rainfall in most parts of Somalia have significantly reduced the number of people experiencing severe food shortages in parts of the country from a peak of 4 million during the 2011 drought and famine.

However, the latest assessment findings from FAO’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit indicate 860 000 people are facing acute food security crisis and 203 000 children under the age of five are acutely malnourished.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — INVITATION TO THE MEDIA

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, will, on Friday, 07 March 2014 at 11:30 to 12:00 hold a press briefing…

BEIJING, China, March 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — From February 27 to March 2, 2014, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming paid a visit to Madagascar. He met with President Hery Rajaonarimampianina of Madagascar and held talks with Acting …

MOGADISHU, Somalia, March 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) today called on the authorities in Puntland and Galmudug to guarantee the safety of journalists named on a hit list that was found on an Al-Shabaab fighter.

Galmudug security forces recently arrested an Al-shabaab fighter by the name Abdihakim Hassan Hamud after he killed and wounded civilian people in northern Galkayo and found on him a list of Mudug region officials, journalists and business people he was supposed to assassinate. Galmugud handed Hamud to Puntland.

Hamud, who claimed to be from Eelbuur town in central Somalia, reportedly admitted to be an Al-shabaab member who was deployed to “kill number of people in Galkayo” according to colonel Mohamed Nur Ali, police commander in Galkayo.

Top on the Al-Shabaab’s hit list was director of Radio Galkayo, Awil Mohamud Abdi, whom they planned to assassinate him on 3 March, according to the list discovered by the security forces, which was also admitted by the Al-Shabaab assassin. Abdi’s picture was also found on Hamud. The apprehended Al-shabaab fighter had six other journalists on the hit list.

“Authorities in both southern and northern Galkayo must beef up the security and the protection of journalists in Galkayo. They can do that by guaranteeing the safety of all the journalists named in the list, protection for media houses in Galkayo and all other journalists in Mudug region,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.

When confronted at police station, Awil Mohamud Abdi was able to recognise Hamud to be following him in restaurants and public places. Abdi and the other six journalists left Galkayo to Garowe and Hargeisa for safety reasons.

On 2 August 2013, at around 23hrs local time, armed men followed Awil Mohamud Abdi from Radio Galkayo. 5 minutes later when Abdi arrived his house and put on the light in his bedroom, seven bullets slammed into the bedroom window near where he had been standing. Awil threw himself to the ground. Holes in his bedroom wall and bullets on the floor were found. Abdi was unharmed.