Despite an ongoing Ebola outbreak and continued attacks by armed groups, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is nevertheless on track to hold critical elections as planned on 23 December, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today, as delegates expressed hope that a peaceful handover of power could bring longed-for stability to some 85 million people.
The World Health Organization reports that new measures to overcome challenges in the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are having a positive impact through the use of targeted, multidisciplinary teams to accelerate community engagement in North Kivu province.
UNICEF has warned that many children traveling in Mexico with the migrant caravan are showing signs of anguish and psychosocial distress, with some expressing fear of violence or separation from their families. Other children are finding it difficult to play and engage in recreational activities.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said more than 2,000 people have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea this year — a sharp increase over 2014 death toll — in large part due to reduced search and rescue capacity in the area. The agency called for action to address this situation.
Over the past month, more than 347,000 Congolese people have been forced to return to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from Angola. Most are staying with families or at temporary sites in Kamako, in the Kasai. The United Nations and aid partners are providing health services, water, sanitation, shelter and food.
The Security Council today adopted a resolution condemning attacks by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and their role in exacerbating the country’s ongoing Ebola outbreak, while demanding full, safe, immediate and unhindered access for the humanitarian and medical personnel working to save lives and prevent the virus from spreading across the region.
Nearly one month after the deadly earthquake and tsunami that struck Sulawesi, Indonesia, UNICEF says that some 375,000 children still need life-saving supplies and services. More than 2,000 were killed, and key services for children – such as schools and health centres – have been rendered inoperable.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that recent insecurity in several areas in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has forced tens of thousands of people to flee for safety and caused many humanitarian organizations to suspend or limit their activities.
Amid a relatively calm and peaceful security situation in Darfur, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation there has embarked earnestly on its drawdown and is in the process of relocating its headquarters from El Fasher to Zalingei, Mission Head Jeremiah Mamabolo reported to the Security Council this morning.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary‑General António Guterres:
