Somalia

The World Food Programme has begun distributing food rations to people affected by the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Equateur Province.  The World Health Organization is helping the nine surrounding countries scale up national emergency preparedness and response capacities.

The United Nations mission in the Central African Republic says investigations are ongoing in Bria (in Haute Kotto prefecture), where United Nations police arrested an anti‑Balaka leader suspected of involvement in an attack on a Formed Police Unit patrol that resulted in the death of a peacekeeper last December.

The World Health Organization and partners are supporting the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in preparing to vaccinate high‑risk populations against Ebola.  Health workers operating in affected areas are being vaccinated today and community outreach has started to prepare for the ring vaccination.

Michael Keating, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, joined that country’s President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmaajo” on Tuesday in calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities between “Somaliland” and Puntland forces following recent fighting in the Tukaraq area of the Sool region.

The Security Council today decided to reauthorize member States of the African Union to maintain their deployment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until 31 July 2018, recalling also its decision to authorize the regional bloc to reduce the Mission’s troop and police personnel levels by the end of October.

The recent approval of Somalia’s security transition plan by the Council of Ministers, and its endorsement by the African Union Peace and Security Council, marked a milestone in the country’s path towards assuming full responsibility for its own stability, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative told the Security Council today.

Due to continuing hostilities and military operations in Syria’s Afrin District, some 126,000 men, women and children remain displaced, from Afrin to Tall Refaat, Nabul, Zahraa, Fafin and other areas.  Also, an estimated 150,000 people continue to be in Afrin District, where access to people in need remains extremely limited.

In Syria, our humanitarian colleagues are concerned for the safety and protection of tens of thousands of people as fighting continues to be reported in several areas of northern rural Homs Governorate.  The United Nations calls on all parties, and those with influence over them, to ensure protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to allow for safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access to all in need.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development launched an action plan to expand employment opportunities for refugees to help them integrate into their host communities from the very start and contribute to the local economy.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra (Peru):