AFRICA WORLD BRIEFS

Léonardo Santos Simão was in Abuja, Nigeria, on Sunday to participate in the extraordinary summit on the crisis, organized by regional bloc ECOWAS.

“He will continue his consultations with all partners with a view to restoring constitutional order and consolidating democratic gains in Niger,” said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, speaking in New York.

At the Abuja meeting, ECOWAS demanded the immediate release of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, who was seized by some of his guards at his official residence on 26 July.

The bloc’s 15 members said they would “take all measures necessary”, including use of force, if he is not reinstated in a week. They have also suspended commercial and financial transactions with Niger and closed air and land borders with the country. Mr. Simão, who also heads the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), condemned in the strongest possible terms the seizure of power by force and the undermining of democratic governance, peace and stability in Niger.

“The unconstitutional change of government in Niger has come to further complicate an already worsening security landscape in the Liptako Gourma area, and the region in general,” he said.

UNHCR urges solidarity with Burkina Faso’s victims of extremist violence

Humanitarians have warned about mass internal displacement in Burkina Faso caused by non-state armed groups since 2015, “but it’s in 2022 that we’ve really seen large increase in the number of displaced in the country, and that is due to the increased activities by extremist, violent, violent extremist groups as well as increasing humanitarian needs”, the UNHCR official explained.

Latest UN estimates indicate that 4.7 million people across the country are now in need of humanitarian assistance in the west African nation, which is more than 20 percent of the country’s entire population.

Violence and conflict have also destroyed critical infrastructure and impacted state services and institutions, including in conflict-affected areas.

The humanitarian situation is especially severe for people living in towns that have been blockaded by violent extremist groups, including large numbers of internally displaced people.is indispensable to ensure the sustainability of development efforts,” she said.

Children have not been spared serious human rights violations, including forced recruitment by armed groups, child labour “as well as other types of violence, abuse, exploitation and gender-based violence”, Ms. Tan told journalists at a scheduled briefing.

The number of school closures has increased from approximately 3,000 in November 2021 to 6,334 schools as of 31

Violence at refugee camp in Lebanon leaves 11 dead, forces thousands to flee: UNRWA

Ein El Hilweh , the largest of 12 Palestine Refugee camps in Lebanon, is located south of the city of Saida. Its inhabitants originally came in 1948, mostly from coastal Palestinian towns. The site also hosts a large number of Palestine Refugees displaced from other parts of Lebanon, particularly from Tripoli, who found shelter there during the Lebanese civil war and in the aftermath of the Nahr el-Bared conflict in 2007.

Security and governance in the camp are the responsibility of Popular Committees and Palestinian Factions. The camp is surrounded by a wall and access for people and building materials is controlled by the Lebanese Armed Forces through checkpoints. UNRWA called on all parties to immediately return to calm and take all measures necessary to protect civilians, including children. Armed actors are urged to respect all the agency’s premises and facilities in accordance with international law.

During visit to Greece, UN official calls for enhanced refugee protection

“The Pylos tragedy and the other devastating tragedies in the Mediterranean underscore the primacy of saving lives and protecting the rights of people forced to flee. This was my message to the authorities,” she said.

She emphasized the criticality of safeguarding access to territory and asylum, ensuring a predictable and well-coordinated search-and-rescue system, and the need for responsibility-sharing and solidarity measures among States. Ms. Triggs also raised concern about reports of summary forced returns, stressing the urgency of effective investigations and measures for prevention and remediation.

Noting that Greece and other countries at the external borders of the European Union (EU) face significant pressures in responding to irregular movements, she reiterated “the need to move towards a border and asylum management system that works for all States, while ensuring that those who seek asylum can access it and refugees are protected.”

Beyond the EU, she advocated for addressing the root causes and drivers of displacement through a routes-based approach and providing robust assistance to countries of origin and transit.

Ms. Triggs cited the establishment of the National Emergency Response Mechanism for Unaccompanied Minors as a best practice for the protection of children, and the relocation of unaccompanied children from Greece to various countries across Europe, as an example of responsibility-sharing in action.