Libya

Four peacekeepers were injured near Tessalit yesterday, following an attack on their convoy using an improvised explosive device, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) reports.  They were evacuated to Bamako, the capital, for medical treatment.

Libya is facing a crisis that could spark instability and lead to the formation of parallel Governments if left unresolved, the United Nations political affairs chief warned the Security Council today, as she laid out the significant efforts being deployed by the United Nations to foster agreement on a constitutional basis for the holding of elections as soon as possible.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said they are closely following reports about the mobilization of forces and movement of large convoys of armed groups that have increased tensions in and around Tripoli.  The Mission calls on all parties to refrain from any action that could lead to armed clashes.

Two peacekeepers died and four others were injured in Mali this morning, when their convoy hit an improvised explosive device north of Mopti while on its way to Timbuktu.  They were all from Egypt.  The attack is another reminder of the urgent need to continue and strengthen efforts to stabilize the centre of Mali.

A three-month flash appeal to provide vital assistance for 542,000 people affected by Tropical Storm Ana, which hit Malawi late in January, has been launched in the country.  It seeks $29.4 million and focuses on the six hardest-hit districts — Chikwawa, Nsanje, Phalombe, Mulanje, Chiradzulu and Balaka.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is substantially scaling up its assistance in Myanmar, where ongoing security challenges, humanitarian access restrictions and COVID-19 cases are impacting the population.  It is targeting at least 4 million people across the country, where 1 in 4 is facing food insecurity.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, strongly condemned today the continuing violence in the country that is impacting the safety of civilians and humanitarian workers and disrupts the delivery of aid and services to vulnerable people.  These appalling acts of violence must stop, she stressed.

In Sudan, the first stage of the United Nations-facilitated consultations for a political process on the way forward has concluded.  The talks began on 8 January and brought together a range of groups, including civil society, women’s rights groups, political parties, academics, journalists and others.

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.  Only one in three science and engineering researchers in the world is a woman.  In his message, the Secretary-General says that this inequality is depriving our world of enormous untapped talent and innovation.