South Sudan

Almost 3,000 migrants were rescued yesterday, after trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Europe, according to the International Organization for Migration, which said several ships were involved in more than a dozen rescue operations.  The total number of casualties is not yet known.

Sudan, South Sudan Cautioned that Ending Support for Border Verification Mechanism Will Be Cost of Failure to Uphold Obligations

The Security Council today decided to extend until 15 November 2017 the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) — including its tasks in support of the disputed territory’s Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism — while warning that that support would be withdrawn unless Sudan and South Sudan complied fully with their obligations.

Intense violence in the city of Bangassou in south-eastern Central African Republic since Friday sparked by an assault by unidentified gunmen in Tokoyo district, home mainly to the Muslim population, has forced more than 3,000 people to flee their homes.  Two flights carrying emergency relief supplies are scheduled for Tuesday.

United Nations peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix is expected shortly in Bangui, Central African Republic, where he will participate in a memorial ceremony for the five peacekeepers killed during the attack in Bangassou this week, joining the President of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister and Cabinet members.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are responding to an upsurge in cholera transmission in several parts of Yemen that has now claimed 51 lives. WHO has rapidly distributed medicines and medical supplies and 10 new treatment centres are being established in the most affected areas.

The United Nations welcomes the release of an additional 82 of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram insurgent group in April 2014.  The Organization appeals to all Nigerians to fully embrace the liberated girls and provide all necessary support to ensure their reintegration into society.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Elbio Rosselli (Uruguay):

Nearly 75,000 refugees and migrants, including an estimated 24,600 children, are stranded in Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary and the Western Balkans, and at risk of psychosocial distress from living in a protracted state of limbo, UNICEF warned today. The situation is particularly acute for single mothers and children.

Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria, told reporters today that the United Nations is very concerned at reports of escalation, including alleged air strikes, at a delicate moment in the Astana discussions, where proposals to de-escalate the conflict are under very serious consideration.

A group of 36 Yazidi women, men and children have been rescued from slavery after being held for nearly three years by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh).  The women and girls are under care at dedicated United Nations Population Fund service points supported by the Government of the Netherlands.