With Upper House of Parliament elections having begun in four of Somalia’s federal member states and broader electoral plans back on track following a political crisis earlier in 2021, speakers told the Security Council today that the process must be inclusive and credible, and meet the 30 per cent quota agreed for women’s representation.
The World Health Organization reported that weekly deaths from COVID-19 in Africa reached a record peak in the week ending 1 August, with more than 6,400 deaths recorded — the highest seven-day toll since the onset of the pandemic in Africa. South Africa and Tunisia accounted for more than 55 per cent of the fatalities.
Three members of the Al-Shabaab armed group have been listed for sanctions during the reporting period to further help the federal Government of Somalia fight the insurgents, the Chair of the Security Council’s sanctions regime for the country said today.
The Federal Government of Somalia, in consultation with the United Nations, declared a drought on 25 April, with moderate to severe drought conditions impacting 80 per cent of the country. Seasonal rains then began in late April and early May, triggering flash flooding that impacted 400,000 people, of whom 101,300 were displaced.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Zhang Jun (China):
United Nations staff in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are closely monitoring developments in Goma, where state authorities decided on 26 May to evacuate 10 districts on the heels of the Nyiragongo Volcano eruption. Tens of thousands are leaving the area amid an already challenging humanitarian situation.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
Following weeks of mounting political tension, Somalia’s leaders have walked “back from the brink” and resumed talks in the capital, where a positive atmosphere prevails and an agreement on electoral arrangements is now anticipated imminently, the senior United Nations official in the country told the Security Council this morning.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is working to restore normalcy following the eruption of La Soufrière volcano in April, with efforts shifting from providing aid to recovering better and boosting preparedness for the hurricane season, which starts next week. Of the 23,000 displaced people, more than 4,000 are in shelters; 18,000 are in private homes.
Humanitarian officials in Somalia say a “double climate disaster”, marked by drought followed by torrential rains, has killed at least 25 people in two weeks. Warning that 2.7 million people in the country are already food insecure, they note that the Humanitarian Response Plan is currently only 19 per cent funded.
