UN News Centre - Africa

The United Nations and the Security Council today condemned the attacks against camps of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali in Douenza and Timbuktu on Monday, which resulted in the deaths of one UN peacekeeper, a Malian soldier and a member of the Malian gendarmerie, along with six Malian contractors.

The United Nations has scaled up its efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria, through a visit by its top migration official and the allocation of $10.5 million from a new fund.

The conflict in South Sudan has to end in order to give the peace process there &#8220a better chance of success,&#8221 the top United Nations peacekeeping official said today, kicking off a three-day trip to the African country.

Waves of violent conflict in the Greater Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have forced more than one million people, including hundreds of thousands of children from their homes, the United Nations Children&#39s Fund (UNICEF) has reported.

The top United Nations peacekeeping official is in the Central African Republic where he today discussed the security situation and the political process, while paying homage to three UN &#39blue helmets&#39 killed in the line of duty in recent days.

Welcoming a drop in the number of reported attacks against people with albinism, a United Nations human rights expert has concluded that this group of people in rural Tanzania continue to live in fear amid widespread attitudes that lead to violence against them.

The head of the United Nations peacekeeping operations has warned that the increased intensity of attacks on civilians and peacekeepers is bringing Central African Republic (CAR) to the tipping point.

Set to arrive in Libya next week, the new United Nations Special Representative said that he was coming to Tripoli to work with the Libyans, in an attempt to help find a solution out of the political crisis that led to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and pushed the country into a crisis that sees thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe and other countries in Africa.

The United Nations deputy chief wrapped up her visit to two African countries &#8211 Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo &#8211 where today she stressed the importance of women&#39s participation in peace, security and development processes.

The United Nations advocate for ending sexual violence in conflict has welcomed the surrender of fugitive rebel leader Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka to the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known as MONUSCO.

The United Nations Security Council today welcomed the Joint Declaration issued after a meeting between two Libyan political figures and urged all Libyans to support its calls for a negotiated political solution, national reconciliation, and an immediate ceasefire.

Wrapping up a four-day mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations humanitarian chief today urged the world &#8220not to forget the DRC,&#8221 and called for scaled-up relief funding to help millions of people suffering from violence, diseases, and malnutrition.

The United Nations health agency is scaling up cholera response in South Sudan, where 17,785 cases, including 320 deaths, have been reported since the outbreak in June 2106.

Highlighting challenges facing South Sudan, a senior United Nations official today underlined that overcoming obstacles borne of a volatile combination of insecurity and political uncertainty is critical for the war-torn country to be put on the track to peace and stability.

Urgent action is needed now towards the meaningful participation of women in peace processes, as well ensuring their voices are heard in all aspects of society, the United Nations deputy chief told reporters in Abuja today as part of a first-ever UN-African Union trip focused on women, peace and security.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is becoming more flexible and mobile, the head of that mission today said, by focusing on rapid deployment of troops and air surveillance.

Briefing the Security Council on their strengthened collaboration, top officials from the African Union (AU) and the United Nations today highlighted their joint work on peace and security in the Gambia, Somalia and South Sudan, as well as other African countries, and urged adequate, timely and predictable funding.

Singer Angélique Kidjo and eight of Benin&#39s other music artists are urging parents to not marry off their young daughters in a new music video created by the United Nations Children&#39s Fund (UNICEF).

The United Nations human rights arm today voiced deep concern for the safety of individuals taken prisoner by members of the Libyan army after recent fighting in Benghazi, noting that they may be at imminent risk of torture and even summary execution.

Renewed fighting in the Central African Republic (CAR) is increasingly targeting children, while there are concerns that the humanitarian needs in the country could escalate to levels not seen since the crisis four years ago, United Nations humanitarian officials today said.