This week has marked a year since rebels, known as the Séléka coalition, seized power in the Central African Republic. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, violence and displacement continue, with fighting continuing in the capital Bangui in the past week. The Central African Republic Red Cross reports that at least 18 people were killed.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General will travel to Kigali to participate in the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, which will be marked on 7 April. In addition to the ceremony and events marking this occasion, he will visit a project by genocide survivors, and meet with President Paul Kagame.
The Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Kyung-wha Kang, signed today an agreement with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa to strengthen humanitarian and disaster preparedness efforts in the region at IGAD’s Drought Resilience Summit in Kampala, Uganda.
During the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, the Secretary-General held several bilateral meetings, including with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte and Frans Timmermans; Queen Máxima of the Netherlands; and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron. Discussions centred on the situations in Ukraine and Syria, as well as on the Central African Republic.
The Secretary-General, at The Hague today, along with more than 50 Heads of State, said that nuclear security remains a pressing concern, not least the risk of nuclear terrorism.
The Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Ertharin Cousin, said today that the exodus of almost 300,000 people from the Central African Republic is creating a regional crisis in neighbouring countries that were already short of food. Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Congo are themselves confronted with food insecurity and malnutrition.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said today that intercommunal hatred remains at a terrifying level in the Central Africa Republic. She said at a press conference in Bangui that although large-scale killings appear to have halted for the time being, people continue to be killed on a daily basis.
The Secretary-General is departing New York this afternoon for a visit to the Russian Federation and to Ukraine as part of his diplomatic efforts to encourage all parties to resolve the current crisis peacefully. He has consistently called for a solution guided by the United Nations Charter.
Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefing the Security Council today on the Middle East, said the fragile status quo between Israelis and Palestinians is not sustainable. On Syria, he said the situation in the Golan remains volatile, with heavy clashes between Syrian armed forces and armed opposition.
The Secretary-General continues to closely follow the situation in Ukraine. He is deeply disappointed and concerned that the Crimea referendum will only exacerbate this situation. He encourages all parties to work for a solution guided by the principles of the United Nations Charter, and condemns the violence which occurred over the weekend in eastern Ukraine and which resulted in injuries and loss of life on all sides.