Tag Archives: urged

Libya: Security Council urged to back popular ‘yearning’ for national elections

Posted on by
Reply

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 ensure a solution to the crisis and support a political process that will result in elections and unified institutions not a succession of transitional governments,” she said.

Voting and disruptions

Nearly 15 years after the fall of former President Muammar Gaddafi, Libya remains split between two rival administrations:  the internationally recognised Government of National Unity, located in the western capital of Tripoli, and the rival Government of National Stability based in Benghazi in the east.

This past Saturday, 26 municipalities successfully held elections despite significant challenges.  Ms. Tetteh commended the electoral management body HNEC and urged all candidates to accept the results.

She regretted that not all municipalities that were expected to take part were able to do so, with the government in the east giving instructions to suspend electoral processes in 16 municipalities. Additionally, voting materials were withdrawn from centres across the region and the south.

Efforts to disrupt the vote also occurred in some municipalities in the west, where HNEC offices in three cities were set on fire or attacked, although the vote went ahead in two of them. 

‘A clear signal’

“By the end of polling day, voter turnout was 71 per cent. This is a clear signal that the Libyan people are yearning to elect their representatives. In some areas, this was the first time any elections have happened since 2014,” she said.

However, the suspension of elections in the east and south “is an equally clear sign that not all are committed to supporting Libya’s democratic development and there is an urgent need for a reset in the political process,” she added.

In February, UNSMIL established an Advisory Committee to provide recommendations for resolving outstanding issues that have prevented national elections from taking place.

A report was presented in May, and the Mission has been holding nationwide consultations on the outcomes. It has also conducted an online survey for people to share their opinions on the recommendations, with more than 22,500 responses. 

“The message we clearly received was the desire to stop the cycles of repeated transitional periods; preserve and strengthen the unity of the country and its institutions; as well as to renew their legitimacy through presidential and legislative elections; and end what was frequently referenced as foreign interference,” Ms. Tetteh told the Council.

Roadmap to elections

Based on the Advisory Committee’s recommendations, the feedback from the population, and lessons learned from the failure to hold the 2021 elections, “we are convinced that the political process should focus on guaranteeing general elections and the unification of institutions through a sequenced approach,” she said.

Ms. Tetteh proposed a roadmap built around three core pillars: implementation of “a technically sound and politically viable electoral framework” towards holding the elections; unifying institutions through a new unified government, and a structured dialogue to address critical issues in order to create a conducive environment for the polls.

She estimated it would take 12 to 18 months to complete the roadmap, which will end in general elections and several “sequential steps”, including enhancing HNEC capacity as well as amending the legal and constitutional frameworks for holding full elections – legislative and presidential. 

“Following these two prior steps – which could be concluded over the next two months at most if there were the political will to do so – there should be agreement on a new unified government, capable of creating a conducive environment for credible elections while managing key governance functions effectively,” she said.

Security concerns

Ms. Tetteh reported on developments on other fronts, including the volatile security situation, with increasing militarisation of all sides.

She noted that the situation in Tripoli remains of great concern, following clashes in May.  While a fragile truce is holding, violations have occurred, though no escalations.

UNSMIL also documented 20 deaths in custody since March 2024, including political activist Abdel Munim Al-Maremi who died last month in Tripoli shortly after a release order had reportedly been issued. 

“These cases are the latest examples of a widespread and persistent pattern of grave violations perpetrated across the country with impunity, including against migrants and refugees, in some cases fueled by disinformation and hate speech,” she said.

Ms. Tetteh was also alarmed by the forced return of migrants to conflict zones, including Sudan. She noted that Sudanese refugees in Kufra exceeds the number of residents, urging donors to step up support. 

Source link

World News in Brief: Casualties in Ukraine, Burkina Faso aid helicopter blast, Uganda urged to release opposition leaders

Posted on by
Reply

The monthly total also marked a three-year high, topping June’s figure, with HRMMU verifying civilian deaths and injuries in 18 of Ukraine’s 24 regions.  

“For the second month in a row, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine hits a new three-year high,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU.

“Only the first three months after the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine saw more killed and injured than in this past month,” she added.  

Rising toll 

Numbers for the first seven months of 2025 were 48 per cent higher than in the same period last year.

Long-range weapons, including missiles and suicide drones, accounted for nearly 40 per cent of casualties. On 31 July, Kyiv saw its deadliest attack since the start of the full-scale invasion, with 31 people killed, including five children, when a missile struck a residential building.

Short-range drones alone caused 24 per cent of casualties, reflecting a sharp rise since mid-2024, as documented in a bulletin published by HRMMU in June 2025.  

The steepest monthly increase came from aerial bombs, which killed 67 and injured 209 in July, compared with 114 casualties in June. Strikes hit a penal colony in Zaporizhzhia and an apartment building in Donetsk, killing at least 21 people in total.

“Whether you are in a hospital or a prison, at home or at work, close to or far away from the frontline, if you are in Ukraine today, you are at risk of getting killed or injured by the war,” Ms. Bell said. 

Burkina Faso: Blast hits near UN aid helicopter in Solle

A UN chartered helicopter delivering food aid to the town of Solle in northwest Burkina Faso was caught in an explosion shortly after landing on Tuesday, injuring two people.

The aircraft, chartered by the World Food Programme (WFP), had just unloaded humanitarian supplies when the blast occurred nearby. One crew member and a Government partner were hurt and are now receiving medical treatment.

The helicopter sustained only minor damage and was moved to safety, WFP said. Flights to Solle have been temporarily halted while authorities investigate the incident.

Critical operation

In conflict-affected areas of Burkina Faso, WFP’s humanitarian air operations are critical for delivering life-saving assistance to hard-to-reach communities most in need.  

WFP aims to assist 315,000 of the most vulnerable people during the lean season from June to August, when families have exhausted their food stocks.

In a statement, WFP reaffirmed the agency’s “unwavering commitment to support populations in need and to reach the most remote communities with humanitarian assistance.”

Rights office urges Uganda to release opposition leaders on bail

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Wednesday expressed serious concern at repeated denials of bail in Uganda for opposition leader Kizza Besigye and his associate Obeid Lutale.

Both individuals have been denied bail three times since they were abducted in neighbouring Kenya and returned to Uganda last November. 

In dismissing their latest request, the High Court found them ineligible for mandatory bail merely because they had been detained in civil prison for less than the 180 days required to qualify for release, a duration that did not account for their prior deprivation of liberty following their abduction and forced return.

“We urge the authorities to reconsider the decision and grant them bail, and to ensure that any legal proceedings against them are fully in line with international human rights law,” said OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell.

Human rights concerns  

The UN human rights office in Uganda closed its operations there in 2023 after the Government decided to end cooperation with OHCHR.  

At the time, High Commission Volker Türk expressed concern about the run-up to the 2026 elections, amid an increasingly hostile environment impacting human rights defenders, civil society actors and journalists.

Other UN human rights mechanisms also condemned laws criminalizing same sex relations and the call for the use of the death penalty for convicted offenders. 

Source link

World News in Brief: Sudan refugees, aid for Syrian returnees, MERS alert in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela urged to end secret detentions

Posted on by
Reply

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Wednesday that most of the new arrivals are women and children.

Many have come from Zamzam camp and the city of El Fasher, locations targeted by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who’ve been fighting forces of the military government for more than two years.

In Chad, the high numbers of those arriving are putting significant strain on overwhelmed resources.

Exhausted and victimised

Aid teams say that many refugees arrive exhausted after walking for days because they are unable to afford transport.

They report being victims of targeted attacks, looting and sexual violence.

Numerous children have been injured, families separated, and others remain missing, the refugee agency said.

Immediate needs in Chad include shelter, food, medical care and psychological support but the $409 million refugee response appeal is only 20 per cent funded.

Syria’s returnees desperately need help to start over

Syrians trying to rebuild their lives in their war-torn country urgently need the support of the rest of the world to help them start again, UN aid agencies said on Wednesday.

Hopes rose this week in Damascus following Donald Trump’s move to end punitive sanctions – but after more than 13 years of civil war that ended with the fall of the Assad regime last December, many communities today face a range of basic problems.

These include unreliable access to electricity, clean water and healthcare.

Records destroyed

The destruction of public records is also preventing returnees from accessing essential services or claiming housing and land rights, according to the UN migration agency, IOM.

Its Director-General, Amy Pope, insisted Syrians were resilient and innovative but that they needed help, now. “Enabling (them) to return to a country that is on the path to stability and progress is critical for the country’s future,” she insisted.

A new IOM report from more than 1,100 communities across Syria found that work is scarce, partly because farming and markets are still struggling to recover.

Shelter reconstruction is also needed urgently, while unresolved property issues continue to prevent people from rejoining their communities.

Since January 2024, the UN agency has recorded more than 1.3 million returnees previously displaced within Syria, in addition to nearly 730,000 arrivals from abroad.

WHO issues warning over deadly MERS outbreak in Saudi Arabia

A recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia has raised concerns after two people died from the disease between March and April.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released updated guidelines to help contain the outbreak, which has seen nine confirmed cases – seven of them in the capital, Riyadh. Several of those infected were healthcare workers who caught the virus from a patient.

MERS is caused by a zoonotic coronavirus, from the same family of viruses as COVID-19. While WHO estimates the fatality rate to be around 36 per cent, the true figure may be lower, as mild cases often go undiagnosed.

Despite the recent cases, the risk of wider spread remains moderate at both the regional and global levels, according to WHO.

MERS is primarily carried by dromedary camels and can be passed to humans through direct or indirect contact with infected animals.

Human-to-human transmission usually happens in healthcare settings, through respiratory droplets or close contact.

No vaccine, no cure

Much like COVID-19, MERS can range from no symptoms at all to severe respiratory illness, including acute respiratory distress — and in some cases, death. There’s currently no vaccine or specific treatment.

To stop the virus from spreading, WHO urges hospitals and clinics to step up infection prevention and control measures, especially where suspected cases are being treated.

Since MERS was first identified in 2012, it has caused 858 deaths across 27 countries in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

Call for Venezuela to end secret detention of political opponents

Top independent human rights experts have urged the Venezuelan authorities to stop the reported practice of holding political opponents incommunicado.

In an alert on Wednesday, they insisted that these “targeted detentions” were illegal and amounted to enforced disappearance, a major human rights violation if proved and potentially an international crime.

They maintained that using secret detention was a deliberate strategy by the State “to silence opposition figures…and to instill fear among the population”.

Lack of legal protection

The mission pointed to a widespread lack of “effective judicial protection” for civil society in Venezuela and accused State security forces of colluding with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The services allegedly responsible for detentions include the national intelligence service, the national guard and military counterintelligence.

The mission’s independent rights experts also maintained that criminal courts and the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice were also “complicit” by ensuring that the alleged crimes went unpunished.

The Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela was created by the Human Rights Council in 2019; its members are not UN staff and they work in an independent capacity.

World News in Brief: South Sudan urged to avoid slide to war, Türk calls on EU not to weaken landmark law, Ukraine and Mali updates

Posted on by
Reply

The Quartet is calling on the country’s leaders to end hostilities and return to dialogue to fully implement the 2018 peace agreement known as the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence in 2011 but soon descended into a brutal civil war. A 2018 peace agreement has held together but now threatens to fully unwind between the president and his vice presidential rival.

Regional pressure

In recent weeks, the Quartet has observed air and ground attacks that have led to loss of life, the destruction of homes, and the displacement of civilians. Humanitarian facilities have also been targeted, while hate speech and ethnic tensions are on the rise.

The Quartet welcomed a recent joint visit by the African Union and IGAD to South Sudan as a sign of regional support for peace. It also called on all sides to cooperate with ceasefire monitors investigating recent violence.

South Sudan’s leaders must commit to inclusive dialogue, the release of political detainees, and renewed efforts to carry out the peace deal, the Quartet stressed.

A return to war would betray the people’s hope for peace and stability, they warned. Only a political solution can ensure free and fair elections at the end of the current transitional period.

UN rights chief urges EU not to weaken landmark corporate responsibility law

UN human rights chief Volker Türk has called on the European Union to protect a key law that holds large companies accountable for human rights and environmental harm.

The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), adopted last year, requires businesses to identify and address any negative impact their activities may have on people or the planet.

But changes now being discussed in Brussels as part of a broader reform package could weaken the law, Mr. Türk warned on Wednesday.

“The CSDDD, by far the most ambitious business and human rights regulatory initiative anywhere in the world, has rightly been welcomed by companies, policy makers, civil society, and national human rights institutions alike,” he said.

“A large number of businesses have already taken steps to ensure they comply with it.”

Detailed review

UN human rights office, OHCHR, has published a detailed review of the EU proposal, pointing to ways it could undermine this groundbreaking directive.

Mr. Türk urged lawmakers to keep the law in line with global standards, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

“While some streamlining… could be advantageous, it would be counterproductive to water down its alignment with international standards,” he said.

April deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since September

April was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since September 2024, with at least 209 people killed and 1,146 injured, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reported on Wednesday.

In its monthly update, the Mission said that 97 per cent of casualties occurred in areas controlled by Ukraine, with nearly half caused by missile and loitering munitions attacks by Russian forces.

“Kryvyi Rih, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, and Kharkiv all endured devastating attacks,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. “The sharp rise in casualties was mainly due to the intensified use of ballistic missiles in major cities.”

Among the deadliest incidents:

  • On 4 April, a missile strike on Kryvyi Rih killed 20 civilians and injured 63.
  • On Palm Sunday (13 April), two missiles hit Sumy, killing at least 31 and injuring 105.
  • A 24 April attack on Kyiv killed 11 and injured 81.

Children were especially affected. At least 19 were killed and 78 injured in April – the highest monthly total since June 2022.

The wave of attacks continued into May, with cities including Kharkiv, Odesa and Kyiv again coming under fire.

UN experts raise alarm over Mali’s suspension of political parties

Independent UN human rights experts have strongly criticised Mali’s military authorities for suspending all political parties and activities, calling the move a clear violation of basic rights.

© MINUSMA/Harandane Dicko

A detention centre in Bamako, Mali. (file)

The decision, announced on 7 May via state television, halts political activity “until further notice.” The junta, which took power following coups in 2020 and 2021, said the suspension was necessary to maintain public order.

The three UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts described it as a direct violation of human rights and called for the order’s immediate repeal.

They also called on the National Transitional Council to strike down a bill introduced on 30 April, which repealed legislation governing how political parties operate.

“If passed into law, the 30 April bill will place Mali in contravention of its human rights obligations, notably on freedoms of association and expression,” the experts stressed.”

Protests

In response to the 30 April bill, opposition parties organised a pro-democracy rally in the capital Bamako on 3 May which drew hundreds of demonstrators. The parties reportedly demanded a timeline to end military rule and a return to constitutional order.

Another protest is planned for Friday to oppose the decree against political parties.

The experts said Malian authorities must work to counteract “the current climate of suppression of the civic space”.

“The right to peacefully assembly is essential to the health of a vibrant political community,” the experts said. “The Malian Transitional authorities must scrupulously respect it and abstain from acts of intimidation and repression that risk the physical integrity and the rights of demonstrators.”

Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council. They serve in their individual capacity, independent of the UN system and national governments. They are not UN staff and draw no salary

Source link

Security Council urged to stand firm as Bosnia and Herzegovina faces deepening crisis

Posted on by
Reply

High Representative Christian Schmidt briefed on latest developments surrounding implementation of the 1995 General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ended more than three years of bloodshed and genocide following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

The accord, also known as the Dayton Peace Agreement, established a new constitution and created two entities within the country: the mainly Bosniak and Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the ethnically Serb Republika Srpska.

Constitutional order under attack

Mr. Schmidt – who’s key role is overseeing implementation of the 1995 agreement – said conditions for the full implementation of the civilian aspects of the deal have vastly deteriorated.

“The first quarter of this year was marked by a significant rise of tensions, which without question amounts to an extraordinary crisis in the country since the signing of the Dayton Agreement,” he said.

“I may underline that I see a political crisis. I do not yet have indications for a security crisis.”

The sudden deterioration stems from reactions following the 26 February conviction of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik for failing to enforce the decisions of the High Representative. 

He was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from political office for six years but has appealed the decision.

“After the verdict, Mr. Dodik intensified his attacks on the constitutional order of the country by directing the authorities of the Republika Srpska to adopt legislation that effectively bans State-level judiciary and State-level law enforcement in the Republika Srpska and by even putting on the table a draft Entity constitution, hinting at de facto secession,” said Mr. Schmidt.

He told the Council that given the speed with which the draft laws and constitution were made public strongly suggests that they had been prepared well in advance.

Christian Schmidt, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, briefs members of UN the Security Council on the situation in the country.

Fears of disintegration

He said these acts and legislation fundamentally contradict the implementation of the Dayton Accords and “endanger the territorial and societal integrity of the country and of its peoples by performing secessionist acts.”

Furthermore, “they also create legal and executive insecurity by establishing Entity laws and institutions that contradict and compete with State law and competence.” 

He stressed that “it will require institutions created in Dayton, such as the Constitutional Court, to prevent this country from falling apart, and when it comes to safeguarding the functionality of the State, my legal competencies as High Representative as well.”

As a result, the State-level coalition has been seriously affected, momentum towards European Union (EU) accession has stalled and the functionality of the State is being undermined, while reforms have been sidelined. 

“This development is not irreversible, but it is severe,” he warned.  “It needs to be addressed without delay, it requires active engagement by the international community.”

Communities shun extremism

The High Representative noted that the Serb community “did not pay heed to Mr. Dodik’s unlawful directives.” For example, although ethnic Serbs working in State-level institutions have been pressured to abandon their posts, “these calls and threats have been left overwhelmingly unanswered.”

Meanwhile, the Bosniak community “has been able to remain calm despite the tensions and to continue on the path of patient dialogue also in order to keep the country’s European integration on the table.”

He also noticed “a continuing pro-European commitment” on the part of the Croat community, “as well as an increased willingness to engage in inter-ethnic dialogue, including in local disputes.” 

Mr. Schmidt was adamant that the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina can and do live together.

“For the most part, the communities in the country do not support extremism or secessionism,” he said. “There is ample evidence for that in daily life, but ethnocentric politics spends too much time on dividing the communities rather than uniting them.”

Peace accord remains crucial

While the country is facing complex and varied challenges, he said the current extraordinary crisis is the result of severe attacks against the Dayton Agreement “encompassing the constitutional and legal order” and has nothing to do with the peace deal itself.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing difficult times. Nobody would have expected 30 years ago that the international community is needed as much today as it is,” he said.

“But the Peace Agreement that this UN Security Council endorsed 30 years ago remains the very foundation on which the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina with its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence can be built.”

Although reopening or redefining Dayton challenges the basis for peace and prosperity in the country, “this does not mean we should not talk about necessary amendments and adoptions of this constitution,” he said.

Attacks threaten ‘very foundation’

“The way forward includes countering threats and attacks to its very foundation, but also implementing meaningful reforms, including in the context of the country’s European integration,” he continued.

“It is about strengthening institutional stability and functionality of the State and continuing to reinforce election integrity in view of the country’s general elections in 2026.”  

Mr. Schmidt concluded his remarks by urging the international community to continue to support and assist the country and the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to shape their future and to reassure the population that they have not been forgotten.   

Source link