UN News Centre - Africa

An agreement on a ceasefire in Tripoli has been reached under the auspices of Ghassan Salame, the top United Nations official in Libya, the Organization’s Support Mission in the country, UNSMIL, has announced.

A senior United Nations relief official has called for greater international attention to the plight of millions in Africa’s Mali, where worsening intercommunal violence and armed group attacks are complicating an already complex humanitarian emergency.

Highlighting the importance of the upcoming legislative elections in Guinea-Bissau, the top United Nations official in the country reiterated the importance of “far-reaching” reforms to prevent a relapse into political and institutional instability.

Life expectancy across Africa has improved significantly, says a new United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) report released on Thursday, but national health systems must be improved to ensure that services get to the people who need them most.

Emergency food aid is being delivered to people affected by the Ebola virus in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Thursday.

A massive military escalation by the Government of Syria to retake Idlib risks a “worst case scenario”,  United Nations negotiator Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday.

As the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) gears up for the upcoming academic year – with some 250 schools in Ebola-affected health zones – the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is scaling up education; health and water; sanitation; and hygiene programmes to assist children and their teachers.

Confidence and consensus around key issues are still required ahead of this year’s presidential and legislative elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Security Council heard on Monday.

Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the attack on 23 August by presumed anti-Balaka elements on the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in which one peacekeeper from Burundi was killed.

The members of the Security Council on Friday welcomed the publication of the final results of the presidential polls in Mali, which saw the re-election of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, and insisted on the urgent need to accelerate the implementation of the peace agreement.

Rebel violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is escalating inside the vast country’s Ebola-hit North Kivu province, putting millions at risk, the United Nations refugee agency warned on Friday.

The recent killing of villagers in Nigeria’s Borno State has been condemned by the UN Secretary-General.

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Executive Director of the United Nations entity dealing with issues related to gender, UN Women, has encouraged Somalia to continue making progress in the areas of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

For the African continent to achieve sustainable development, more jobs must be created for its young people, including in the digitalized agriculture sectors, the United Nations agriculture chief told an international conference on Monday.

An ongoing deadly Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has particularly affected children, the UN’s children agency, UNICEF, said on Friday.

Refugees should never be pressured to decide if they should return to their home countries, a senior UN official has said.

Following a two-day mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday repeated his call for warring parties in conflict-riven North Kivu to stop fighting, and allow health teams access to areas affected by the recent Ebola outbreak in the region.

Libyan militias have forced nearly 2,000 people from an ethnic minority likely targeted for their alleged links to the former Gadaffi Government, to flee long-established shelters in the capital Tripoli, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.

Following the conclusion of the second round of presidential elections in Mali, political leaders in the West African country are being encouraged by the UN Secretary-General to promote a peaceful atmosphere and avoid incendiary rhetoric.

In a report released on Monday, the United Nations urged Somalia to take steps to ensure future elections are not marred by the human rights violations and abuses committed during the 2016-2017 electoral process.