AFRICA WORLD BRIEFS

by Congressman James E. Clyburn - P 9

The UN Secretary-General has urged leaders of the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to respect a ceasefire agreement due to come into effect on Tuesday.

In a statement released by his Spokesperson, António Guterres welcomed the international and regional efforts which took place last week, led by the President of Angola and African Union (AU) Champion for Peace and Reconciliation, João Lourenço, with the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23).

Peru: UN experts call for end to violence during demonstrations

Continuing violence against political protesters in Peru must stop, UN-appointed independent experts insisted on Monday, amid allegations of repression and arbitrary killings by State security forces.

In an appeal for “genuine dialogue” to resolve the crisis, the experts expressed deep concern about the reported repression, arbitrary killings, arrests, detention and enforced disappearances of demonstrators in Peru.

Eastern DRC is home to multiple armed groups, including the rebel M23 force, which has been fighting a major campaign against Government troops in recent months, supported by the UN mission there, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, which puts the protection-of-civilians at the centre of its mandate.

Years

Hundreds of civilians have been killed during years of violence at the hands of armed groups, including women and children. More than 600,000 have reportedly been displaced in eastern North Kivu, amidst a territorial advance in recent months by M23 and other groups. According to news reports, the European Union announced on Saturday that it would set up a “humanitarian aid bridge” to deliver aid to eastern DRC.

South Sudan sits at a critical crossroad, with swift action needed to quell chronic intercommunal clashes, ramp up assistance to ever more communities in need, and advance progress towards a durable peace, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Monday.

“We see 2023 as a ‘make or break’ year and as a test for all parties on the peace agreement,”said Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Briefing the Council on the UN Secretary-General’s latest report on South Sudan, he offered a priority action plan for the critical phase of implementing the nation’s milestone 2018 peace agreement designed to end a devastating civil war. He also shared progress and reflections during the reporting period of 1 December to 15 February, which saw escalating humanitarian needs amid violence, displacement, hunger, climate shocks, and public health.

‘Stark choice’

“The leadership of South Sudan is now facing a stark choice,” he said. “They can embark upon a path of mutual cooperation and reconciliation in the urgent implementation of their peace agreement, or they can take a low road which privileges self-interest and conflict over nation building.”

Reporting limited progress in implementing the agreement and its road map to peace...

The situation stems from Congress’s removal of then president, Pedro Castillo on 7 December, after he was accused of trying to dissolve it.

Mr. Castillo remains in pre-trial detention on charges of rebellion and conspiracy. He was replaced by Mrs. Dina Boluarte, who was sworn in as the next president.

Democratic ‘credibility crisis’

“People have the right to protest and raise their concerns about political changes that affect their lives and livelihoods,” the experts said, before warning that Peru’s democracy was “facing a credibility crisis”.

More than 850,000 Syrian, Turkish children displaced by earthquakes

One month on from the two catastrophic earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria, more than 850,000 children remain displaced after being forced from their damaged or destroyed homes amid millions in dire need of aid, UN agencies said.

“Families forced from their homes by the earthquakes have spent the past four weeks focused on survival, their lives on hold while aftershocks continue to rumble,” said UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Afshan Khan. She said it is now critical “to do all we can to help families begin to rebuild their lives, providing children with psychosocial support, getting them back into learning as soon as possible, and providing some stability amid the chaos.”

At the same time, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) reported on Monday that the situation for the 356,000 pregnant women in earthquake-affected areas remains critical, especially the estimated 38,800 who are expected to deliver in the coming weeks.

Hundreds of hospitals and clinics are either damaged or destroyed, and thousands of women and girls are living in over-crowded, makeshift camps exposed to freezing temperatures, UNFPA said, adding that urgent funding is key to keeping thousands healthy during their pregnancy, to help to deliver their babies safely, and to protect women and girls vulnerable to gender-based violence.