Africa

Over the past month, more than 347,000 Congolese people have been forced to return to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from Angola.  Most are staying with families or at temporary sites in Kamako, in the Kasai.  The United Nations and aid partners are providing health services, water, sanitation, shelter and food.

The Security Council decided today to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 30 April 2019, calling upon the parties to the dispute over that territory to engage constructively in resumed talks planned for the end of 2018.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it is concerned about the resurgence of insecurity in the Lac region in the west of Chad.  The situation has forced some aid agencies to suspend operations leaving tens of thousands of people without food and health services.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Africa Dialogue Series 2018 “A Stronger AU-UN Partnership for Peace, Security and Development in Africa”, in New York today:

The United Nations Population Fund’s annual State of World Population report “The Power of Choice: Reproductive Rights and the Demographic Transition” shows that the global trend towards smaller families and the power to choose the number, timing and spacing of children can bolster economic and social development.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message, delivered by Said Djinnit, Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, to the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region, at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort, Uganda, today:

For the first time in several years, the United Nations has been able to deliver humanitarian assistance to Togolay village in South Darfur’s eastern Jebel Marra area, following the 20 September announcement of a three-month unilateral ceasefire by the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW) faction.

Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the high‑level meeting on the Central African Republic, in New York today:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the high-level meeting on Mali and the Sahel, in New York today:

The United Nations-African Union Joint Task Force on Peace and Security held its fifteenth consultative meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 22 September.