Friday, March 29News That Matters

Tag: United Nations

Egypt, Sudan Optimistic Dam Talks With Ethiopia Will Yield Fruits

Egypt, Sudan Optimistic Dam Talks With Ethiopia Will Yield Fruits

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By Our Reporter There  new hope for a mutual understanding between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the dam being constructed on the Nile River. This comes after the prime ministers of Sudan and Egypt expressed optimism after talks in the Sudanese capital that stalled negotiations with Ethiopia on its construction of a controversial giant dam on the Blue Nile would bear fruits. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is being built some 15km (9 miles) from Ethiopia's border with Sudan, has become a significant source of discord between the three countries. Downstream Egypt and Sudan view the multibillion-dollar dam as a threat to vital water supplies, while Ethiopia considers its flagship infrastructure project crucial for its electrification and development. Talks ...
Over 100 Dead  In South Sudan Clashes Between Civilians, Army

Over 100 Dead In South Sudan Clashes Between Civilians, Army

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By Our Reporter The army has reported the death of 81 people following intense fighting between armed civilians and the disarmament force in Warrap State, South Sudan, although some sources have since put the figures at 120. Two days of clashes reportedly led to the killing of mostly soldiers in Tonj area. According to the SSPDF spokesperson, 55 officers and 26 civilians died in the fighting over the weekend. Maj.-Gen. Lul Ruai revealed that 31 servicemen were also wounded. On Monday, local officials said dozens of people were killed in Luanyjang County when armed civilians clashed with government forces. The army initially said it responded to Luanyjang fighting by sending reinforcement to police officers who were under attack from armed youth who attempted to release a...
Burundi Refugees Call For Deal To Allow Them Home After Nkurunziza’s Death

Burundi Refugees Call For Deal To Allow Them Home After Nkurunziza’s Death

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By Our Reporter Several Burundian refugees who fled their country as a result of political persecution during fallen president Pierre Nkurunziza’s regime have called upon the current government to allow them return home. A letter written by a group of Burundian refugees living in a camp in Rwanda asks their president to cooperate with Rwanda and the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, to repatriate them. However, there is not yet an agreement between the two countries and the UNHCR on how to carry it out. More than 60,000 Burundian refugees have been living in Mahama camp, in eastern Rwanda, since the 2015 political crisis over the late former President Nkurunziza's bid for a third term. More than 300 Mahama residents signed the letter to their president accusing some exiled...
African Union Mission In Somalia Gets New Commander

African Union Mission In Somalia Gets New Commander

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By Keefa Nuwahereza The African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has Wednesday August 5th, 2020 ushered in a new force commander, who welcomed in Mogadishu by senior officers and men of the force. Lieutenant General Diomede Ndegeya, who arrived in Somalia on Sunday, will lead a force mainly from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. The countries have been enforcing order in Somalia for over a decade now, with support from the United Nations and African Union. The Commander, who is no stranger to the country, will have to confront the unending Al shaab attacks and the frequent claims of the presence of non-AMISOM troops in Somalia. Gen. Diomede Ndegeya (in suit) poses for a photo with other AMISOM senior officers With a career spanning 38 years, General Ndegeya, 57, previously s...
UN Announces COVID-19 Relief Fund For Poor Families In Africa, Urges Gov’ts To Distribute Money To Each Household

UN Announces COVID-19 Relief Fund For Poor Families In Africa, Urges Gov’ts To Distribute Money To Each Household

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By Elite News Reporter Introducing a temporary basic income for the world's poorest people will not only give them the means to buy food and medicine, but could also help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stresses in a new report released on Thursday. The report, Temporary Basic Income: Protecting Poor and Vulnerable People in Developing Countries, advocates for a time-bound and unconditional cash transfer to serve as a minimum income guarantee for 2.7 billion people living under or near the poverty line in 132 developing countries. The Temporary Basic Income, or TBI, is estimated to cost from $199bn to $465bn a month depending on how it is structured, and can last nine to 12 months - or longer if needed - as governments get to gr...
UN Decries Deadly Violence In Sudan’s North Darfur Region

UN Decries Deadly Violence In Sudan’s North Darfur Region

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By Our Reporter The joint United Nations and African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has condemned the violence in Sudan's North Darfur province, including a deadly attack on a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs). In a statement on Tuesday, the peacekeeping mission expressed deep concern about the "violent incidents" that erupted in the town of Kutum on July 12 and the attack by unidentified armed men the following day on the Fata Borno IDP camp that left at least nine people dead and 20 wounded. "It is regrettable that these incidents have taken place while the transitional government of Sudan and the armed movements are close to concluding negotiations expected to bring peace and stability to the Darfur region and the whole of Sudan," UNAMID said. Over the past week...
Libya Accuses United Arab Emirates Mafia Of Spearheading Oil Blockade

Libya Accuses United Arab Emirates Mafia Of Spearheading Oil Blockade

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By Elite News Reporter A deadly clash has erupted in Arabia after Libya's National Oil Corp (NOC) accused mafias in the United Arab Emirates of allegedly instructing eastern forces in Libya's civil war to reimpose a blockade of oil exports after the departure of the first tanker in six months. It should be noted that the UAE, along with Russia and Egypt, supports the eastern-based self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) of renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, which on Saturday said the blockade would continue despite it having let a tanker loaded with oil from storage. Libya, which sits atop Africa's largest proven crude oil reserves, is torn between the rival powers of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and eastern-based Haftar. "NOC has be...
‘Africa AIDS Deaths Could Double Due To COVID-19’- UN

‘Africa AIDS Deaths Could Double Due To COVID-19’- UN

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By Elite Reporter A new report by the United Nations indicates that more than 500,000 could die if the provision of healthcare to HIV/AIDS sufferers is disrupted during Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A six-month disruption of antiretroviral therapy due to the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to more than 500,000 extra deaths in the Sub-Saharan region in 2020-21, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UNAIDS said in a joint statement on Monday. In 2018, the latest figures given, an estimated 470,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses in sub-Saharan Africa. The two UN bodies warned of the impact if HIV services are closed, supply chains interrupted, or healthcare services overwhelmed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Modelling conducted for the agencies said a six-month dis...
United Nations Soldiers Blown To Pieces By Roadside Bomb

United Nations Soldiers Blown To Pieces By Roadside Bomb

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By Elite Reporter At least three United Nations soldiers from Chad are believed to have died in Mali  after their convoy hit a roadside bomb, according to officials. The blast in the northern region of Aguelhok left four more soldiers seriously wounded, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, said in a statement on Sunday. "We will have to make every effort to identify and apprehend those responsible for these terrorist acts so that they can be brought to justice," said Mahamat Saleh Annadif, MINUSMA mission head. "I bow before the remains of these brave Blue Helmets who died in the service of peace in Mali," he added. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned what he described as a "cowardly" attack. Guterres called upon the authorities in...
UN Boss In Uganda Asks for USD316M COVID-19 Money  To Help Gov’t Fight Pandemic

UN Boss In Uganda Asks for USD316M COVID-19 Money To Help Gov’t Fight Pandemic

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By Keefa Nuwahereza Uganda's fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic  is set to be boosted by the United Nations with  USD316M  (Shs1,202,612,260,000), so as to help government fix the essential sectors of the economy and  to overcome the after effects of the outbreak. The move comes after the United Nations in Uganda, together with 20 partner organisations, appealed for USD316M relief funds to support the country in minimizing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its most vulnerable groups of people over the next six months. The appeal comes as COVID-19 threatens to spread in the country, and as the necessary measures taken to combat it are draining government coffer and negatively impacting the delivery of lifesaving services to those most in need. This includes...