Central African Republic

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced today that Chile had just acceded to the international conventions on statelessness.  The Office commended the country’s commitment to promote the fundamental right to nationality.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today condemned the killing of three Ecuadorian newspaper staff workers:  Javier Ortega, Paul Rivas and Efrain Segarra.  The three workers, employed by the newspaper El Comercio, were kidnapped on 26 March, near the border between Ecuador and Colombia.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs launched its 2018 needs and priorities plan for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, seeking $111 million to assist 6 million of the most vulnerable people.  Undernutrition, a serious concern, continues to stunt more than one quarter of children in the country.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra (Peru):

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that, in the last 48 hours, the largest United Nations medical shipment to have entered Gaza since the beginning of 2018 has provided hospitals there with lifesaving drugs and other supplies to meet urgent medical needs.  It will help respond to the needs of 100,000 children and mothers.

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

Forces from the Central African Republic and the United Nations Mission in the country launched a joint disarmament and arrest operation targeting criminal groups in the PK5 neighborhood in Bangui, resulting in arrests and the seizure of arms, ammunition and drugs.  The joint efforts will continue until the criminal groups are dismantled.

On 16 March 2018, members of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic were briefed by the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic in connection with the Panel’s work programme.

Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Mueller is in Myanmar’s Rakhine State to take stock of the ongoing humanitarian crisis there and advocate for unfettered access to, and protection of, civilians.

The temporary base in Tagbara, north-east of Bambari, of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic was attacked by anti-balaka fighters today.  One peacekeeper was killed and 11 others were injured after several hours of exchange of fire. The Mission condemned the attack and deployed reinforcements to Tagbara.