According to MINUSCA, preliminary reports from observers indicate that more than 99 per cent of polling stations across the country opened as scheduled on election day. The transfer of envelopes containing the results from 19 prefectural capitals to the national capital, Bangui, is now underway, with logistical and security support...
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that the military-controlled ballot is unfolding amid intensified violence, intimidation and arbitrary arrests, leaving no space for free or meaningful participation. “These elections are clearly taking place in an environment of violence and repression,” Mr. Türk said in a news release....
Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR, told reporters in Geneva that voting is expected to begin on 28 December, in what he described as a military-controlled ballot conducted in an environment “rife with threats and violence” and actively suppressed political participation. Many major political parties...
Hannah Tetteh, who also heads the UN Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), briefed ambassadors in the wake of municipal council elections last week and outlined a proposed roadmap to general elections, which should have been held way back in 2021. “The Libyan people look to this esteemed Council for help, to...
December’s local, legislative and presidential elections “represent a crucial opportunity” to strengthen democratic governance, promote reconciliation and consolidate stability, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations told ambassadors in the Security Council. The timely holding of presidential and legislative elections is a constitutional requirement, and the Government has consistently demonstrated its...
Over 850,000 civilians have been displaced in South Kivu province, nearly half of them children, according to the agency. Many are living in precarious conditions, sheltering in schools, churches or in the open, lacking clean water and sanitation, healthcare and education. Grave violations against children have also sharply risen, including...
Valentine Rugwabiza condemned the incident early last week, calling on Central African authorities to thoroughly investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice. Bordering South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the region – larger than Switzerland – has been a hotspot of conflict due to its strategic importance, intercommunal...
Leonardo Santos Simão, highlighted upcoming presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau, and the adoption of constitutional reforms amid a strained political environment in Gambia. He also commended recent successful elections in Ghana and Senegal, noting the signing of a “Peace Pact” by all presidential candidates in Ghana and the...
A Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) volunteer was among multiple civilians killed in the incident, OCHA said in a news release. The attack also damaged several SARC ambulances and other humanitarian objects and left two bridges impassable. “As a result, all humanitarian operations at border crossings [between Syria and Lebanon]...
Under the deal agreed by 193 countries in 2015 in the French capital, sticking to the limit will help humankind avoid the worst impacts of rising temperatures. This month is also on track to be so warm that for the first time ever, a 12-month cycle may exceed the 1.5°C...
WFP described the decision taken on safety grounds as a major setback to humanitarian efforts in the country’s breadbasket, where staff had been regularly providing aid to over 800,000 people, including many who had escaped the fighting in Khartoum. The ongoing fighting makes it extremely challenging for humanitarian agencies to...
Briefing ambassadors at the UN Security Council, Nicholas Haysom outlined key conditions required by April 2024 for moving ahead, according to the agreed timeline. All in the details These include a new permanent constitutional framework; voter registration details; an election security plan; well trained, equipped, and unified security forces; and...
