Democratic Republic of the Congo

The United Nations Network on Migration reiterated today its call to end the detention of children for immigration purposes in every region of the world.  They said detaining children in such a context – whether they are travelling alone or with their families – has been recognized as a violation of children’s rights.

The World Food Programme launched its biggest emergency response for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh this year, following this week’s heavy rains and flooding.  In 24 hours, WFP reached 16,000 people with food aid — more than the total number of people it has reached since the start of the monsoon season.

On 9 August 2019, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo invited Member States to a briefing by the Coordinator of the Group of Experts on the Group’s final report.

The United Nations recorded fewer human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the first half of 2019, a High Commissioner for Human Rights report found, describing the 3,039 violations as an improvement.  However, the number of violations committed until June remains higher than two years ago.

At least 14 people were killed and many more injured yesterday, including children, when a bus hit an improvised explosive device near Douentza in the Mopti region, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali reported.  The Mission supported the medical evacuations of 16 victims.

The Yemen office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed that 52 detainees were among those killed when air strikes hit a former community college compound on the northern outskirts of Dhamar City, United Nations teams in the country reported on Sunday.  As many as 170 detainees were being held there.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres left Japan for the Democratic Republic of the Congo early on Friday, 30 August.

In Central America, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is launching five campaigns designed to underscore the risks of irregular migration and encourage informed decision-making among young migrants.  The campaigns will take place in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

The Security Council reiterated today its grave concern over the most recent outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, highlighting the urgent need to respond since the disease could spread rapidly, possibly with serious humanitarian consequences and impacting regional stability.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Joanna Wronecka (Poland):