The national dialogue just launched in South Sudan by President Salva Kiir would only be credible if opposition groups genuinely participated, the senior United Nations official in that country said today, as he briefed the Security Council on the significant military, humanitarian and political challenges facing that nation.
The Security Council today renewed until 31 May 2018 a raft of sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze imposed by resolution 2206 (2015) on those designated to be blocking peace, security and stability in 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.
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.
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the disputed territory’s Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism — while warning that that support would be withdrawn unless Sudan and South Sudan complied fully with their obligations.
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.
