UN peacekeeping mission drawdown in eastern Congo on course as it ends South Kivu operations
Bintou Keita, MONUSCO Head and Special Representative of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, repeated what she said at the recent departures of Chinese and Pakistani contingents, saying the South Kivu exit was not “synonymous with the departure of the UN from the DRC”.
US warns countries supplying weapons to Sudan it is ‘on the precipice of a large-scale massacre’
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters after an emergency closed meeting of the UN Security Council that El Fasher, the only capital in Darfur not held by paramilitary forces, is “on the precipice of a large-scale massacre.”
UN demands South Sudan removes new taxes that led to a pause in food airdrops for 135,000 people
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in New York that the taxes and charges are also impacting the nearly 20,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, “which is reviewing all of its activities, including patrols, the construction of police stations, schools and health care centres, as well as educational support.”
Burkina Faso slapstwo-week suspension on BBC, VOA radio broadcasts over extrajudicial killings coverage
In the report based on its own investigation, the watchdog said that the West African country’s military summarily executed about 223 villagers, including at least 56 children, in February as part of a campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with jihadist militants.
Ariel Henry resigns as prime minister of Haiti, paving way for a new government to take power
Henry presented his resignation in a letter signed in Los Angeles, dated April 24, and released on Thursday by his office on the same day a council tasked with choosing a new prime minister and Cabinet for Haiti was due to be sworn in.
58,000 malnourished Haitian children face death as gang violence cuts off capital by air, sea and land
Haiti’s gangs, many of which have grouped together under an alliance known as “Viv Ansanm” (Living Together), have said their siege on the capital was a battle to oust Henry, but since his announcement there has been little let-up in attacks.
West African Sahel has become a drug smuggling corridor, UN warns, as seizures skyrocket
Cocaine is the most seized drug in the Sahel after cannabis resin, the report said. The analysis comes as Senegal, which borders on the Sahel, announced Sunday a record-breaking cocaine seizure of 1,137 kilogrammes – the most ever intercepted on land and valued at $146 million – near an artisanal mine in the east of the country.
UN approves simplified, cheaper version of cholera vaccine expected to reduce surge in cases
WHO’s approval means donor agencies like the vaccines alliance Gavi and UNICEF can now buy it for poorer countries. Leila Pakkala, director of UNICEF’s supply division, said in a statement that the agency will be able to boost supplies by more than 25 per cent.
Leaked New York Times memo on Gaza bans use of terms such as genocide, ethnic cleansing and occupied territory
The leak gave rise to a highly unusual internal probe. The company faced harsh criticism for allegedly targeting Times workers of Middle East and North African descent, which Times brass denied. On Monday, executive editor Joe Kahn told staff that the leak investigation had been concluded unsuccessfully.
Double-face: Leaked diplomatic cables show White House opposes Palestinian statehood
While clarifying that President Joe Biden has worked vigorously to support “Palestinian aspirations for statehood” within the context “of a comprehensive peace that would resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” a diplomatic cable dated April 12 details US talking points against a UN vote for Palestinian statehood.
