Somalia urged to take ‘concrete action’ against officials who violate citizens’ rights

Somalia urged to take ‘concrete action’ against officials who violate citizens’ rights

Concluding an official visit to the Horn of Africa nation Isha Dyfan highlighted the impact on civilians, especially women and children, who continue to bear the brunt of deadly attacks carried out by Al-Shabaab terrorists. “I strongly condemn the continued deadly attacks perpetrated by Al-Shabaab and urge the Government to take all steps to ensure…

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Palestinian refugees face hitting ‘rock bottom’, warns UNRWA in $1.6 billion appeal

‘Outrageous’ arson attack forces UNRWA to temporarily shutter East Jerusalem compound

Posting on social media, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said “Israeli residents set fire twice to the perimeter” on Thursday evening.  UNRWA personnel and staff from other UN agencies were inside the compound at the time.  “Our director with the help of other staff had to put out the fire themselves as it took the Israeli fire extinguishers and police a while…

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Gaza: 80,000 displaced from Rafah as Israeli bombardment intensifies, say UN aid teams

Gaza: 80,000 displaced from Rafah as Israeli bombardment intensifies, say UN aid teams

Most of those uprooted by Israeli military evacuation orders in eastern Rafah have already been displaced from other areas of Gaza; they are now leaving with everything they can carry “in vehicles, trucks, (on) motorbikes and donkey carts”, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). An estimated more than 47,500 people left their…

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Another climate record: Extreme heat, hurricanes, droughts ravage Latin America and Caribbean

Another climate record: Extreme heat, hurricanes, droughts ravage Latin America and Caribbean

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) attributed the temperatures to a “double whammy” of El Niño and long-term climate change, leading to droughts and wildfires, combined with extreme rainfall and hurricanes.  “Unfortunately, 2023 was a year of record climatic hazards in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said the agency’s head, Celeste Saulo. “El Niño conditions during…

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Stories from the UN Archive: Stevie Wonder sounds a note against apartheid

Stories from the UN Archive: Stevie Wonder sounds a note against apartheid

UN Photo/Allan Tannenbaum A segregated beach at Stranofontein near Cape Town, South Africa, in 1985. (file) The music legend held a press conference following an epic performance at a meeting of the UN Special Committee against Apartheid to honour him on his 35th birthday. “All people are created equal, not created to take care of another race of…

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Unprecedented flooding displaces hundreds of thousands across east Africa

Unprecedented flooding displaces hundreds of thousands across east Africa

In an alert, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) noted that torrential rains have unleashed catastrophic flooding and mudslides while also severely damaging roads, bridges and dams.  More than 637,000 people have been affected by weeks of deluges including 234,000 displaced in just the last five days. There is no official figure for the number of…

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Sudan crisis has ‘effectively put on hold’ political dispute over Abyei

Ongoing war in Sudan stalls progress in disputed Abyei region

Despite these challenges, the UN remains prepared to support both parties, in close collaboration with the African Union, once they resume political negotiation said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, briefing ambassadors at the Security Council. Intercommunal tensions The situation in Sudan has also exacerbated intercommunal tensions in Abyei, highlighted by recent clashes over cattle rustling that resulted in…

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