Central African Republic

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Tarek Ladeb (Tunisia):

Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict, today expressed great concern about serious allegations of sexual violence in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, including a high number of alleged rapes in the capital. She called for zero tolerance of sexual violence among all warring parties.

The Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) appealed, during a videoconference meeting of the Security Council today, for the deployment of more peacekeepers in response to an upsurge in violence in the wake of presidential and legislative elections on 27 December.

Violence in the Central African Republic is disrupting critical supply routes, according to the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Bangui.  Following recent attacks on aid convoys and peacekeepers, more than 1,600 trucks carrying food and medicine are blocked at the border with Cameroon, as food prices spike.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

From Madagascar, the United Nations is issuing a flash appeal for $76 million to support more than 1 million people in the south who face a potentially life-threatening lack of food, nutrition, water and sanitation, and health assistance due to the region’s worst drought in 10 years coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator’s team in Brazil is supporting the state of Amazonas in tackling latest surge of COVID-19.  The United Nations Children’s Fund delivered 250 hygiene kits and food baskets, while the International Organization for Migration is working to mitigate transmission in indigenous and riverside communities.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Tarek Ladeb (Tunisia):

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Tarek Ladeb (Tunisia):

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees  (UNHCR), Jordan launched one of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccination drives for refugees on 14 January.  An Iraqi woman in the city of Irbid was the first registered refugee to be vaccinated as part of Jordan’s national campaign.