Africa deserves three permanent UN Security Council seats, say African Union chair candidates

Africa deserves three permanent UN Security Council seats, say African Union chair candidates

Despite the continent’s young population of 1.4 billion that is set to double by 2050, regional trade has faced challenges that were addressed in the Friday debate.

Read more
Beyond zero tolerance: Expert views on sexual abuse accountability and supporting survivors

Beyond zero tolerance: Expert views on sexual abuse accountability and supporting survivors

These systemic failures in response mechanisms, from cultural taboos to operational shortcomings, create significant barriers to survivors seeking justice. This was evidenced repeatedly in the CAR investigation – for example when Jeanne* shared her experiences, noting that “If I haven’t gone to see MINUSCA, it is because I don’t know who to turn to, but also because I am afraid.”

Read more
Investigation details how UAE flights land at airstrip UN says supplies arms to Sudan rebels

Investigation details how UAE flights land at airstrip UN says supplies arms to Sudan rebels

Three weapons experts, two of whom have worked as UN investigators, said the crates appeared unlikely to be carrying humanitarian aid, which is often packaged in cardboard boxes wrapped in plastic and stacked high on pallets due to its light weight. The crates in the video appear to be metal and are stacked low on the pallets.

Read more
Semi-autonomous Jubbaland military claims victory over Somalia National Army, which pulled out of region

Semi-autonomous Jubbaland military claims victory over Somalia National Army, which pulled out of region

The national government in Mogadishu, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, had tried to stop the November vote from taking place, saying it was being held without federal involvement.

Read more
Depletion of flora and fauna in Congo Forest worries greens as Chinese gold mining threatens protected UN heritage site

Depletion of flora and fauna in Congo Forest worries greens as Chinese gold mining threatens protected UN heritage site

Spanning more than 13,000 square kilometres (5,000 square miles), the Okapi Wildlife Reserve became a protected site in 1996, due to its unique biodiversity and large number of threatened species, including its namesake, the okapi, a forest giraffe, of which it holds some 15 per cent of the world’s remaining 30,000. It’s part of the Congo Basin rainforest – the world’s second-biggest – and a vital carbon sink that helps mitigate climate change. It also has vast mineral wealth such as gold and diamonds.

Read more
Supremacy feud: Fighting flares between Somalia’s Jubbaland and federal government

Supremacy feud: Fighting flares between Somalia’s Jubbaland and federal government

Fighting has erupted between Somalia’s semi-autonomous Jubbaland region and the federal government, officials said on Wednesday, in an escalation of tensions after Jubbaland held an election against the Mogadishu government’s advice. “This morning, federal forces from Mogadishu in Ras Kamboni, using drones, attacked Jubbaland forces,” Adan Ahmed Haji, assistant security...

Read more
UN peacekeepers, governor and two Congolese army officers accused of possible crimes against humanity in Goma

UN peacekeepers, governor and two Congolese army officers accused of possible crimes against humanity in Goma

Eastern Congo has struggled with armed violence for decades as more than 120 groups fight for power, land and valuable mineral resources, while others try to defend their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings. More than 7 million people have been displaced.

Read more
Punitive, unpredictable school levies in Africa sometimes force students to ask fees from dying parents

Punitive, unpredictable school levies in Africa sometimes force students to ask fees from dying parents

More than anything, it’s the unpredictable tuition hikes – for sometimes questionable reasons – that haunt parents across the country of more than 45 million people. Some critics, including Uganda’s parliament speaker, have called for regulation to protect parents from exploitation.

Read more
US wants new regime in Syria to uphold minority rights as refugees return, caretaker PM named

US wants new regime in Syria to uphold minority rights as refugees return, caretaker PM named

Rebuilding Syria will be a colossal task following a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. Cities have been bombed to ruins, swathes of countryside depopulated, the economy gutted by international sanctions and millions of refugees still live in camps after one of the biggest displacements of modern times.

Read more
Syria’s rebels start forming government, restore order after Assad ouster as UN Security Council meets

Syria’s rebels start forming government, restore order after Assad ouster as UN Security Council meets

With the mood in Damascus still celebratory, Assad’s prime minister, Mohammed Jalali, on Monday agreed to hand power to the rebel-led Salvation Government, an administration based in rebel-held territory in northwest Syria.

Read more