Colombia

OCHA says a cholera outbreak has been reported in Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria, the first case of which was recorded on 16 August.  More than 530 suspected cases had been registered as of yesterday, including 23 deaths, mainly in Muna Garage, a camp hosting about 20,000 internally displaced persons on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the state capital.

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

Aid workers in Iraq are preparing to bring water, hygiene, sanitation, food and emergency medical care to those in need ahead of the anticipated military campaign to retake the Da’esh-held town of Telafar, some 60 kilometres west of Mosul.  Some 60,000 people are believed to remain trapped in the city and its environs.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said today that they are stepping up their response to the situation in Venezuela as asylum applications soar.  So far in 2017, over 52,000 people have applied for asylum, which is already two times more than the total number for 2016.

The Secretary-General welcomed the establishment of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia.  The Mission is tasked with verifying the peace agreement commitments relating to reintegration of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) and implementation of security guarantees for the group and conflict-affected communities.

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

The Security Council today authorized the creation of a United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia to oversee the next phase of the 2016 peace agreement that ended half a century of fighting between the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP).

In Afghanistan, the World Food Programme (WFP) said it will be able to provide food assistance to more than 577,000 people in need thanks to a $20 million contribution by the United States.  The money will be spent to buy local wheat flour, salt, yellow peas and cooking oil, among other supplies.

Hailing the handover of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army’s (FARC-EP) remaining weapons to a United Nations-backed team as a “true example” of courage and commitment to peace, Security Council members today pledged to support Colombia as it transitioned out of its five-decades-long civil conflict.

The Head of the United Nations Mission in Colombia told the Security Council today that, with the final handover of weapons by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army’s (FARC-EP), the United Nations had been requested to establish a second mission aimed at verification and fostering cooperation.