Edited News , Press Conferences | UNHCR , UNOG , UNITED NATIONS
Western Niger attack leaves 1,100 people ‘on the run’, warns refugee agency
A vicious attack by an armed gang on vulnerable refugees and host communities in western Niger has left more than 1,000 people “on the run”, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday, the latest violence in the troubled Liptako Gourma region.
“More than 1,000 people – a mix of refugees from Mali, displaced Niger nationals and local host communities – are now on the run following the brutal attack by irregular armed elements on a site in western Niger on Sunday afternoon which killed three people and wounded others,” said spokesperson Andrej Mahecic.
“Over 50 men on motorbikes had swarmed into Intikane, this is in Tahoua region in Western Niger - some 72 kilometres from the Malian border – they targeted and killed two Malian refugee leaders and a local host community leader. The site is the host to some 20,000 refugees and an additional 15,000 displaced Nigerian nationals.”
Before leaving the scene, the attackers torched food supplies and other aid items, in an apparent move to prevent victims from returning.
“It is clear that this is an area where they seek the possibility of being able to use the border area between the three countries to operate with impunity,” Mr Mahecic explained, in reference to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
“They also destroyed mobile phone towers and the main water station and pipes,” he added, noting that the development was just the latest example of instability linked to bands of violent extremists.
“Across the five countries in that region - Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad – we are talking about more than three million people in a situation of displacement,” the UNHCR official said.
Many are internally displaced, and there are more than 820,000 refugees, he added, noting that despite access difficulties, the agency helps to look after them and “the many people, more than 600,000 people who have tried to return to their homes”.
According to UNHCR, around 1,100 people have arrived outside the town of Telemces, some 27 kilometres away from the site of the attack. They urgently need water, food and other assistance, the agency said in a statement, noting that national authorities and partners are on hand to register them.
After highlighting the difficulty of identifying the attackers but noting that similar violent incidents have been on the rise in recent months, Mr Mahecic insisted that the UN agency was stepping up its response to help the most vulnerable.
Nonetheless, the fear of further attacks is driving people to look for safety to further inland in Niger, he warned.
“Judging by the fact that they have destroyed much of the infrastructure, the mobile phone towers, the water facilities in particular, we believe it shows the intent to force the people from this particular area to move elsewhere,” Mr Mahecic said.
In an appeal for justice for victims, the UNHCR official also called for a response from the international community that takes into account the huge humanitarian needs of the region, and not just security considerations.
“We condemn the killings and call on all sides to respect civilian lives, bring those responsible to justice and make sure such heinous crimes do not repeat in the future,” he said. “We are working with partners and local authorities to provide immediate assistance, especially by trucking in water with other relief supplies as people could die of thirst in the desert heat. We are talking about desert conditions.”
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Press Conferences | UNCTAD
Press conference on the launch of the Sevilla Forum on Debt, on the margins of the sixteenth United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16).
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Edited News | WMO , UNITED NATIONS
UN chief urges boost to life-saving weather warning systems, stresses role of climate change science
No country is safe from the devastating impacts of extreme weather — and saving lives means making early-warning systems accessible to all, UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.
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Edited News | WFP
Gazans’ response to food distributions ‘overwhelming’ as humanitarians scale up under fragile ceasefire
In Gaza, the ceasefire is enabling UN humanitarians to reach more desperate people with life-saving food, but greater access is needed to contain the spread of famine.
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Press Conferences | UNFPA , WFP , WHO , OCHA , WMO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director, United Nations Information Service Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Populations Fund, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization.
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Statements , Press Conferences | UNCTAD
Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UN trade and development (UNCTAD) briefs the media following the opening of the 16th Conference of the United Nations on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16) in Geneva.
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Edited News | WFP , OCHA
UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.
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Press Conferences | UNCTAD , WMO , WFP , UN WOMEN , WHO , OCHA
Rolando Gómez, Chief of Section, Public Information, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the World Food Programme, UN Women, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Meteorological Organization.
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Press Conferences | WMO
WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin
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Edited News | UNDP , UNICEF , OCHA , ICRC
Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid continues to reach desperate Palestinians.
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Press Conferences | WMO , UNICEF , UNDP , ICRC , WHO , OCHA
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Meteorological Organization, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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Press Conferences | UNCTAD
UNCTAD / 16TH CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
As the global economy undergoes tectonic shifts in trade, finance and technology, global economic and development leaders will gather in Geneva this month to chart a path through mounting uncertainty and fragmentation. Ahead of the 16th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16), Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan outlines how countries can navigate record debt, disrupted supply chains, volatile investment flows and accelerating digital transformation. UNCTAD / UNTV CH
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Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s decision to name Maria Machado as this year’s laureate, in recognition of her work promoting the Venezuelan people’s democratic hopes.