Liberia

More than 1,000 migrants have died or disappeared since 2014 while trying to leave East Africa and the Horn of Africa, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says.  Most were travelling to the Arabian Peninsula or South Africa.  Migrants face violence, abandonment by smugglers, limited access to medical care and detention, among other dangers.

In Ethiopia, the United Nations and humanitarian partners have been forced to reduce aid distribution in Tigray as fuel supplies are blocked from entering the area.  Last week, food aid reached only 10,500 of the 800,000 people in need.  The humanitarian response is being scaled up in accessible areas in Amhara and Afar.

On 1 January, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Niels Scott of the United Kingdom as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Liberia, with the host Government’s approval.

Today, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund released $19.5 million to assist 500,000 people in need of emergency food and other crucial support.  Toby Lanzer, the Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, said it comes at a critical time as aid agencies are running out of funds.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the opening of the War and Peace in Liberia photo exhibition, in New York today:

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) elected Dee‑Maxwell Saah Kemayah Sr. (Liberia) as its Chair on 4 October.

The new Permanent Representative of Liberia to the United Nations, Dee‑Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., presented his credentials to UN Secretary‑General António Guterres today.

Drought hits the Sahel region hard, with more than 10 million people expected to need emergency food assistance, up from 7.1 million currently, if adequate assistance is not provided in time. Poor rains in 2017 are now deeply affecting parts of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal.

Following the completion of the 14‑year‑long mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) on 30 March, the Security Council stressed today that the Organization would remain an important partner for the West African nation as it continued to consolidate peace and stability in the future.

The World Food Programme today airlifted life-saving, nutrient-dense biscuits from its Humanitarian Depot in Dubai to Papua New Guinea.  The plane carried enough food to feed approximately 60,000 people.  More than 270,000 people require humanitarian aid since a devastating earthquake struck the country in February.