Delays in holding elections and in implementation of the comprehensive and inclusive agreement signed on 31 December 2016 was prolonging the political uncertainty plaguing the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Security Council heard today, as briefers described the country’s deteriorating security and humanitarian situation as a source of major concern.
The Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly’s meeting this morning commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. He expressed concern that migrants have become convenient scapegoats and that, far too often, hate speech, stereotyping and stigmatization are becoming normalized.
The Government of Iraq reports that 180,000 civilians have fled western Mosul since mid-February, when military operations to retake the city’s western districts began. Humanitarian agencies are bracing for the possibility of an additional 300,000 to 320,000 civilians fleeing in the coming weeks.
A new report by the Joint Human Rights Office of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo says defence and security forces used excessive, disproportionate and lethal force to prevent and contain last December’s demonstrations, in which at least 40 people were killed.
The Secretary-General welcomes donor pledges made today at the conclusion of the Oslo Humanitarian Conference on Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin, where 14 donors pledged $458 million for 2017. The Conference also resulted in an agreement to address longer-term development needs and seek lasting solutions to the crisis.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Volodymyr Yelchenko (Ukraine):
David Shearer, Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), sounded the alarm over the lack of information about 20,000 internally displaced people on the west bank of the Nile in the country’s north. The Mission believes they fled Wau Shilluk to Kodok, as fighting between Government and opposition forces has expanded and shows no signs of abating.
Ali Al-Za’atari, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, urged all parties to grant immediate access to the besieged towns of Zabadani, Foah, Kefraya and Madaya, where 60,000 civilians are trapped by daily violence and deprivation. They have not received aid since 28 November.
Aid organizations are appealing for $1.6 billion to provide life-saving assistance and protection to 5.8 million people across South Sudan in 2017. Humanitarian Coordinator for the strife-torn country, Eugene Owusu, said that the situation has deteriorated dramatically and this year there will be unprecedented needs.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights is extremely worried by reports suggesting the targeting of civilians over the past two weeks amid intense fighting between warring parties in Al Mokha in Taizz Governorate in Yemen. The United Nations Refugee Agency has mobilized assessment teams and begun delivering emergency aid.
