The Secretary-General, in Fukushima, expressed sadness at the loss of lives, but was encouraged by the determination and resilience of the Japanese people and Government. “You are united. You are overcoming this tragedy,” he told the people of Fukushima.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
A peacekeeper serving the African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur was killed and a second one was seriously wounded when their vehicle was attacked by unknown gunmen this morning in Duma village, in South Darfur. The mission says that the attack is a deplorable act and that it is working with the Sudanese police to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned that unless there is a massive increase in the humanitarian response, famine in Somalia could rapidly spread to more areas in the south. Relief organizations are reaching only about 20 per cent of the 2.8 million people in urgent need of food aid in that region.
At Kenya’s Dadaab camps, the UN refugee agency says that arrivals of Somalis for July topped 40,000, the highest monthly rate in the camp’s 20-year history. A mass screening for malnutrition conducted in the Dadaab complex showed alarmingly high rates of acute malnutrition and an increasing under-5 mortality rate.
The Secretary-General is saddened by the death of four peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei, who were killed by a landmine detonation during a patrol in Mabok. He also expressed concern for the well-being of the seven other peacekeepers injured in the explosion.
In a statement yesterday, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the use of force against the civilian population in Syria and called on the Government to halt this violent offensive at once. The Security Council will be briefed in consultations on the situation at 5 p.m. by the Department of Political Affairs.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that 12.4 million people are now in need of immediate assistance in the Horn of Africa and that $1.4 billion is still required to help them. Without additional contributions, the famine could spread throughout Somalia and into neighbouring countries within the next month or two.
The World Food Programme welcomes a surge in donations as it scales up its operations and assistance to those affected by drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. In recent days, the Programme has received more than $250 million in pledges from Governments, companies and individuals.
The Secretary-General strongly condemned the attack against a UNIFIL convoy on the coastal road near the town of Saida. The UN Force says that six peacekeepers were wounded in the explosion. Investigation is under way to determine the facts and circumstances of the incident.
The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process said today that, without a credible political path forward, accompanied by more far-reaching steps on the ground, the viability of the Palestinian Authority and its state-building agenda — and of the two-State solution itself — cannot be taken for granted.