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A United Nations-appointed panel of experts investigating human rights violations in Burundi today released the latest findings of their probe, noting that their initial fears concerning the scope and gravity of these abuses since April 2015 have been confirmed.

The United Nations must move towards a more institutionalized approach for the joint planning, mandating, financing and supporting of African Union (AU) peace-support operations, the Secretary-General&#39s Chef de Cabinet told the Security Council today.

The United Nations envoy for Somalia today strongly condemned last night&#39s attack on a pizza restaurant and an adjacent hotel in Mogadishu that reportedly killed at least 19 people.

Actions against severe human rights abuses meted out to Eritrean citizens must not be delayed, a United Nations rights expert has warned in a new report to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council.

Expressing grave concern about the humanitarian situation in Yemen, the United Nations Security Council today adopted a Presidential Statement calling on all parties to engage constructively and in good faith to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in that country.

The General Assembly today approved the establishment of a new United Nations office to help Member States implement the Organization&#39s global counter-terrorism strategy.

One in five children in high-income countries lives in relative income poverty, and an average of one in eight faces food insecurity, according to a new report released today by the United Nations Children&#39s Fund (UNICEF).

The United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, reported to the Security Council that "some progress" has been made over the past month in the implementation of its 2013 resolution on the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria.

A United Nations-appointed panel of experts investigating human rights violations in Burundi today released the latest findings of their probe, noting that their initial fears concerning the scope and gravity of these abuses since April 2015 have been confirmed.

Innovation is a key development tool that could boost economies and provide a way out of the growing squeeze on the world&#39s food resources &#8211 one of the major challenges of the 21st century &#8211 according to a new United Nations report.

The United Nations must move towards a more institutionalized approach for the joint planning, mandating, financing and supporting of African Union (AU) peace-support operations, the Secretary-General&#39s Chef de Cabinet told the Security Council today.

The United Nations envoy for Somalia today strongly condemned last night&#39s attack on a pizza restaurant and an adjacent hotel in Mogadishu that reportedly killed at least 19 people.

Actions against severe human rights abuses meted out to Eritrean citizens must not be delayed, a United Nations rights expert has warned in a new report to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council.

A United Nations human rights expert today urged the Government of Myanmar to do more to protect children in the country, citing cases of detention and alleged incidents of child labour and marriage.

On June 15, Chairman of Milli Majlis Health Committee Ahliman Amiraslanov and MP Shamsaddin Hajiyev will visit Isparta city of Turkey.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday the crisis between Qatar and some Arab countries should be resolved “through peace and dialogue”.

Qatar's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday the country signed a deal to buy F-15 fighter jets from the United States for $12 billion.

(B2 à Strasbourg) Pour le président de la Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, qui était au Parlement européen, mercredi 14 juin, le message est clair : la Côte d'ivoire est sortie de la crise et entend jouer un rôle sur la scène internationale, tant sur les questions sécuritaires, migratoires ou climatiques. Le président ivoirien plaide aussi […]

June 14, 20147 (NEW YORK) - United Nations secretary general Wednesday has officially proposed to change the mandate of African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and to reduce by a half its troops.

The proposal was made by the Assistant Secretary-General for UN peacekeeping operations, El Ghassim Wane in a briefing before the Security Council on the recommendations of the Special Report of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and the Secretary-General on the strategic review of UNAMID.

The Mauritanian diplomat told the 15-member body that the level of armed hostilities significantly lower than in previous years, pointing that the hybrid operation should readjust its mandate and reduce the number of peacekeepers deployed in Darfur, except Jebel Marra where rebel pockets are still present.

Further, he underlined that despite the government successful efforts to reduce the rebellion, there are still over 2.7 million displaced persons, attacks by gunmen, and intercommunal (tribal) disputes over land and other resources.

Accordingly, the report recommended a two-pronged approach, he said, explaining that it would combine peacebuilding in most parts of Darfur with traditional peacekeeping tasks in Jebel Marra and the vicinity. In this manner, the hybrid mission can address the insecurity and make possible the return of internally displaced persons.

"Such a concept would entail the closure of 11 team sites, the opening of a temporary operating base in the Jebel Marra town of Golo and military withdrawal from another 7 team sites out of the current total of 36, he continued. That, in turn, would enable UNAMID to reduce its troop ceiling to 8 battalions, or 8,735 troops, from the current 16 battalions, and its police ceiling to 2,360".

The UN peacekeeping official further explained that the UNAMID mandate and priorities would be the protection of civilians in Jebel Marra, dealing with the tribal conflicts and the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

The Security Council is expected to endorse these changes next 18 June, as they have the support of permanent members including the American administration which is supportive to Sudanese government efforts to open humanitarian access to the civilians in the conflict-affected areas and to abide by a unilateral cessation of hostilities.

Also, the African Union and the United Nations officials say the armed groups refuse to make the needed efforts for a lasting peace. The recent rebel attacks in North and East Darfur states despite the declared truce further angered them and already the African Union Peace and Security Council condemned it.

However, Gibril Ibrahim the leader of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Minni Minnawi leader of a Sudan Liberation Movement faction (SLM-MM) addressed a joint letter to the UN Security Council called to extend the UNAMID (current mandate for another year without change, and "by further enhancing its mandate to support peace and security for the people of Darfur".

The two rebel leaders pointed in their letter seen by Sudan Tribune to the human rights and humanitarian violations that ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda had mentioned in its report to the Council earlier this month.

They further said the reduction of military clashes in the region does not means the end of the conflict "or that violent conflict will not escalate again". In addition they called to support the ongoing efforts "to fully addressing the root causes and consequences of the conflict is key to a durable peace in Darfur".

For his part, Sudanese Ambassador at the United Nations Omer Dahab Fadl Mohamed welcomed the unprecedented resolution and expressed Sudan readiness to cooperate fully to ensure a smooth, phased and complete UNAMID exit that would set an example for other missions.

He also called to reconsider the UN targeted sanctions and arms embargo imposed by the Security Council in line with the resolution 1591 (2005).

Concerning the IDPs, the Sudanese diplomat said his government has a plan " entailing three options: voluntary return to their places of origin; the integration of camps into nearby cities; and enabling internally displaced persons to choose where they wished to be relocated." He further called to support is implementation and provide the needed financial assistance.

Also, he urged the UN officials to be more accurate when it comes to counting the number of the IDPs in Darfur. He said the actual number was 1.8 million, compared to UNAMID's figure of 2.7 million. As for humanitarian access, he said 92 per cent of Darfur could be reached without authorization.

(ST)

June 14, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) - The African Union Peace and Security Council of (AUPSC) on Monday extended for 12 months the mandate of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

Also, it decided to reduce by nearly a half the strength of the hybrid peacekeeping mission which should also see her mandate changed to peacebuilding operation.

The release of the AUPSC resolution on the UNAMID released on the same day, the UN Security Council discussed the strategic review of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. The UN resolution on the hybrid force is expected to be endorsed on 18 June.

In its resolution seen by Sudan Tribune, the AUPSC praised Sudan's cooperation with the Joint Strategic Review Team and constructive approach to the review of UNAMID, welcoming the report of the joint working group on the Mission's exit strategy which acknowledged an improvement in the security and humanitarian situation in Darfur.

The Council as expected condemned “the recent incursion of armed groups into Darfur”, expressing concern over “alleged claims of use of neighbouring countries as launching grounds for such acts”.

It noted that the security situation in Darfur remains fragile in spite of the significant progress made, pointing to “a number of challenges that may impede the speedy restoration of sustainable peace, security, stability and reconciliation, as well as socio-economic recovery remain”.

“In spite of the improvement of the security situation in the past months, a total of 2.7 million people are displaced, of whom 2.1 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, and that 300,000 Sudanese refugees are located in neighbouring Chad,” reads the resolution.

The resolution also underscored the relevance of the new strategic orientation for UNAMID as proposed in the Special Report of the Joint Strategic Review Team.

“Namely a two-pronged approach combining peacebuilding in the areas outside the Jebel Marra area, where there has not been fighting for an extended period of time, and peacekeeping and emergency attention in the Greater Jebel Marra area, due to the insecurity prevailing in the areas, which is preventing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from voluntarily returning to their homes,” it added.

The Council endorsed the recommendations team on several issues including, the effective implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), protection of civilians, the inter-communal conflict and the establishment of Jebel Marra task force and reconfiguration of UNAMID in two phases of six months each.

“Resulting in the reduction of the strength of the military component by 44% and that of the police component by 30%, the closure of 11 team sites in the first phase and the withdrawal of the military component from another 7 team sites in the second phase, it being understood that the Mission shall retain adequate and mobile quick response capabilities to be able to respond to security challenges as they arise,” said the resolution.

The Council expressed its continued support for the AU High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) efforts “towards an all-inclusive political process linked to the national dialogue and a national constitutional reform process”.

It strongly condemned the “continued refusal by Sudan Liberation Army/Abdel Wahid (SLA/AW) to join the mediation process”, calling to impose targeted sanctions against its leadership if it persists in its current attitude.

The SLM-AW rejects to join the African Union process for peace in Darfur saying the government has first to re-establish security, protect civilians, disarm militias, stop land grabbing and return stolen lands to its owners. Following what the group can discuss the root causes of the conflict.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) is expected to renew the mandate for the UNAMID as it will expire on 30 June. The Council will discuss the matter on 14 June and will grant the mandate extension for an additional year on 27 June.

The hybrid mission has been deployed in Darfur since December 2007 with a mandate to stem violence against civilians in the western Sudan's region.

It is the world's second largest international peacekeeping force with an annual budget of $1.35 billion and almost 20,000 troops.

(ST)