UN RIGHTS CHIEF CONCERNED OVER CIVILIAN DEATHS IN NIGERIAN CLASHES

The top United Nations human rights official today expressed deep concern over sectarian clashes in northern Nigeria, especially over reports of civilians killed during the fighting between a local Muslim sect and Government troops.

According to media reports, more than 800 people have been killed since the Boko Haram sect began an uprising last week.

In a <"http://www2.ohchr.org/english/press/newsFrameset-2.htm">statement issued in Geneva, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also pointed to wide-scale arrests and detentions, as well as people forced to take shelter in barracks for safety, as sources of concern.

"The High Commissioner recognizes that the Government faced a major crisis, with fighting taking place in the heart of the state capitals," it said. "She hopes, however, that the Government makes every effort to achieve security with full adherence to legality and respect for human rights."

Ms. Pillay also underscored the need to ensure that all possible measures are taken to prevent unlawful killings, arbitrary arrest and detention, calling on the Nigerian Government to investigate all incidents and bring offenders to justice.

"The High Commissioner extends her deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and to the wounded," said the statement, issued by the spokesperson of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (<"http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx">OHCHR).

Last week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned "the unnecessary loss of human life and the destruction of property as a result of militant attacks." UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists that Mr. Ban hopes that those behind the attacks "would be identified and brought to justice in accordance with the law."

Mr. Ban called on the Government, law enforcement, security agencies, and religious and community leaders to coordinate efforts to address "the underlying causes of the frequent religious clashes in Nigeria so that a resolution could be found through dialogue, tolerance and understanding."

Deadly fighting between Muslims and Christians in the Nigerian city of Jos last November killed several hundred people and displaced thousands of others, sparking a similar statement of concern from the Secretary-General.

OVER 67,000 SOMALIS DISPLACED BY ESCALATING FIGHTING, REPORTS UN AGENCY

OVER 67,000 SOMALIS DISPLACED BY ESCALATING FIGHTING, REPORTS UN AGENCY
New York, May 26 2009 10:00AM
The number of Somalis fleeing the latest escalation of fighting in and around Mogadishu has surpassed 67,000, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) reported today, adding that worsening security has also hampered aid delivery to the capital.

Intense fighting between the Government and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups erupted in several north-west areas of Mogadishu on 8 May.

According to UNHCR, most of the uprooted are heading to makeshift camps along the Afgooye corridor, south-west of Mogadishu. These sites are already hosting an estimated 400,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).

"Those displaced who are unable to make the 30-kilometre journey have sought refuge in south-western parts of Mogadishu that have not yet been overrun by fighting," UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a1bbefb2.html">told reporters in Geneva.

The agency added that the deteriorating security situation has sharply reduced deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the displaced in and around the capital.

"Local agencies that have been providing a lifeline to the IDPs are facing growing security problems as they try to help the needy," Mr. Redmond said.

Starting today, UNHCR is distributing aid – including cooking sets, plastic sheeting and blankets – for some 50,000 people in the Afgooye corridor through its local partners in Somalia.

Somalia is one of the world's largest refugee-producing countries, and the number of Somalis fleeing to neighbouring countries continues to rise, the agency added.

In addition to providing protection and assistance to some half a million Somali refugees in nearby countries, including Kenya, Yemen, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti, Eritrea and Tanzania, UNHCR is also coordinating aid for the 1.3 million displaced in Somalia.
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BAN URGES MADAGASCAR PARTIES TO ACT RESPONSIBLY FOLLOWING PRESIDENT’S RESIGNATION

BAN URGES MADAGASCAR PARTIES TO ACT RESPONSIBLY FOLLOWING PRESIDENT'S RESIGNATION
New York, Mar 17 2009 3:00PM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged all parties in Madagascar to ensure stability and a smooth democratic transition following the resignation of President Marc Ravalomanana.

"This peaceful path can only be the result of transitional arrangements arrived at by consensus and enjoying wide support," his spokesperson said in a statement.

The statement added that Mr. Ban is "gravely concerned" about the evolving developments in Madagascar, where tensions have been growing in recent months amid a dispute between the President and Andry Rajoelina, the mayor of the capital, Anatananarivo.

Violence surrounding the dispute led to nearly 100 deaths and many more injuries since January.

"He urges all parties concerned to act responsibly to ensure stability and a smooth transition through democratic means," the statement said.

"The Secretary-General calls on all concerned, particularly the police and the army, to ensure the security of the population and work together toward a non-violent resolution of the crisis," it added.

The UN has been trying to help resolve the crisis through the efforts of Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios, who has been dispatched to the Indian Ocean island nation twice, as well as UN Senior Adviser Tiébilé Dramé.

Today's statement noted that the UN, along with all other partners, remains engaged to help achieve a peaceful, consensual solution in Madagascar.
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Sri Lanka: as crisis escalates, ICRC continues to assist civilians

Fighting continues between Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), prompting growing fears for the lives of those trapped in the conflict area. The ICRC has been bringing a little hope, evacuating the sick and wounded and escorting boats carrying food and limited medicines.

Tens of thousands of people confined to a rapidly-shrinking area have headed for the coast to escape the fighting, in search of safety, food and medical care. But numbers in the coastal belt held by the LTTE have increased drastically over recent weeks, and clean water is scarce. The area is affected by shelling every day, and the cramped conditions and the lack of water and proper sanitation are putting people at risk of epidemics.

"The humanitarian situation is deteriorating by the day," said Paul Castella, head of the ICRC’s Colombo delegation. "Many of these people are forced to shelter in trenches. They are in considerable physical danger. After having been forced to move from place to place en masse for weeks or even months, they depend entirely on food from outside the conflict area."

The sick and wounded continue to arrive at Putumattalan, where local people have helped set up a makeshift medical facility in a community centre and a school. Medical staff from the ministry of health do their best to cope with a constant influx of people injured by the fighting. But medical supplies are insufficient.

With the agreement of the government and the LTTE, the ICRC has continued to evacuate patients from Putumattalan (which is in the LTTE-held area) to Trincomalee (in the government-held area). The ICRC-chartered Green Ocean ferry has evacuated over 4,000 sick and wounded people, together with their carers, since evacuations started on 10 February. The evacuees included over 1,400 people in need of surgery, so an ICRC medical team consisting of a surgeon, an anaesthetist and a nurse are helping Trincomalee Hospital to handle the influx.

Since mid-February, the ICRC has on 12 occasions facilitated the movement of food shipments from Trincomalee to Putumattalan, delivering a total of over 700 tonnes of flour, dhal, sugar and oil provided by the government and the World Food Programme. On three occasions it was possible to deliver some medicines provided by the ministry of health, but the quantities were too limited by comparison with the needs.

"With patients continuing to arrive at the improvized medical facility in Putumattalan, it is essential that evacuations take place regularly and without interference. It is encouraging to see food and medicines going into the conflict area, but they must be delivered regularly if they are to have an impact," said Morven Murchison, who coordinates the ICRC's health activities in Sri Lanka.

The civil and military authorities have helped with the medical evacuations and the food shipments, as have local people. Offloading food onto the beach in Putumattalan may involve up to 275 people transporting the food in fishing boats and carrying it ashore. These are dangerous and complex operations. The fighting is one hazard, but bad weather and heavy seas often make things worse.

With the help of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, the ICRC was able to give 130 sick and wounded evacuees personal hygiene kits, emergency household kits, kitchen utensils and baby-care parcels. These people received medical treatment at hospitals in Trincomalee and Vavuniya.

ICRC staff member killed

ICRC employee Vadivel Vijayakumar was killed by shelling on 4 March just north of Valayanmadam, on the coastal belt of the territory held by the LTTE. His nine-year-old son was injured in the same incident. This is the second time in less than three months that an ICRC staff member has been killed in Sri Lanka. Mr Vijayakumar leaves a wife and three children.

Acting as a neutral intermediary between the government and the LTTE

The conflict has disrupted traffic through Omanthai, formerly the only crossing point between government and LTTE areas, However, in January the ICRC facilitated the passage of 360 civilians, including 70 patients seeking treatment in Vavuniya hospital and nearly 125 vehicles, including ambulances. ICRC staff also transported the bodies of 100 fighters over the same period, 99 of them in January. The last ICRC-escorted land convoy took place on 29 January. Since 10 February, the ICRC has been facilitating the movement of the sick, the wounded and humanitarian aid between the LTTE- and government-held areas by sea.

Emergency aid for villagers following attack

An attack on a village in Ampara district in February left 14 dead and 10 injured. The ICRC provided a total of 143 families with personal hygiene kits and baby care parcels, while 20 families displaced by the attack received basic household requisites. Five families whose houses had been burned down in the attack also received a tarpaulin, kitchen utensils and a kerosene cooker.

Protecting civilians and detainees

The ICRC continues to monitor allegations concerning violations of international humanitarian law affecting civilians throughout the country. In January and February, over 3,900 people contacted the organization with allegations concerning missing persons, arbitrary arrests, recruitment of minors, unlawful killings and ill-treatment of civilians by arms bearers. In order not to endanger the people reporting such violations, ICRC staff discussed their reports bilaterally with the parties involved.

With the cooperation of government officials and the LTTE, the ICRC has been visiting people arrested in connection with the armed conflict to monitor their treatment and conditions of detention. ICRC delegates held private talks with over 1,400 security detainees in over 70 places of detention throughout the country and provided them with clothes, toiletries and recreational items. The ICRC paid for 10 detainees to return home by public transport after release, and for the families of 635 detainees to visit their detained relatives.

Working with volunteers from the SLRCS, the ICRC has been providing water and sanitation facilities for displaced persons in transit centres in Vavuniya and Jaffna. Over 150 toilets have been built, along with tanks to store water.

Restoring family links through Red Cross messages

Red Cross messages help detainees, their relatives and separated families to keep in touch. In January and February the ICRC and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society collected over 1,000 messages and distributed almost 400.

Enhancing respect for international humanitarian law

As part of its efforts to increase respect for international humanitarian law, the ICRC conducted information sessions for over 2,500 people including civilians, the Tamil People’s Liberation Tigers (TMVP), the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) and government security forces.

Supporting the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society

The ICRC continues helps the Sri Lanka Red Cross to maintain family links and develop awareness of Red Cross and Red Crescent principles. Fifteen volunteers from the SLRCS received training to set up emergency tents and shelters.

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OVER 40,000 DISPLACED SOMALIS RETURN TO CAPITAL DESPITE CLASHES, SAYS UN AGENCY

OVER 40,000 DISPLACED SOMALIS RETURN TO CAPITAL DESPITE CLASHES, SAYS UN AGENCY
New York, Feb 27 2009 10:00AM

Although the Somali capital is witnessing some of the worst clashes in months, more than 40,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to Mogadishu in the last six weeks, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) reported today.

The violence has led to civilian casualties and the agency is currently assessing the scale of displacement caused by this latest round of fighting, spokesperson William Spindler told reporters in Geneva.

"UNHCR is not encouraging returns to Mogadishu at this juncture, as the security situation is volatile and the conditions are certainly not conducive," he said, noting that there is limited access to basic services and very few international aid agencies on the ground due to the violence.

"Nevertheless, we are preparing to help returnees or those who wish to return in the near future, in the hope that the security situation will improve," Mr. Spindler said.

There are some 1.3 million Somalis uprooted within their own country, while last year alone, 100,000 people fled to neighbouring Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Yemen, and the total number of Somali refugees in asylum countries numbers nearly 450,000.

The majority of the IDPs who have recently returned to Mogadihsu have come from the southern and central regions, which have faced a combination of renewed conflict and severe drought.

Many are returning as complete families, while some are heads of households who have left their relatives behind in camps who have gone to the capital to check on their properties. The returnees are going back to neighbourhoods in northern Mogadishu that are virtually empty after two years of conflict.

Somalia, which has been beset by factional fighting and has not had a functioning central government since 1991, witnessed several encouraging developments over the past month, including the election of the country's new President and the creation of an enlarged Parliament.
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NORTH DARFUR CAMP HOSTING OVER 15,000 PEOPLE UPROOTED BY RECENT CLASHES – UN

NORTH DARFUR CAMP HOSTING OVER 15,000 PEOPLE UPROOTED BY RECENT CLASHES – UN
New York, Feb 25 2009 4:00PM

Over 15,000 people have sought safety in the Zam Zam camp in North Darfur after fleeing the latest outburst of violence in the South Darfur region of Sudan, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today.

OCHA is concerned that with more people arriving each day, the large influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is putting a strain on the provision of water to camp residents.

The fighting which broke out last month around Muhajeria and Shearia in South Darfur between Government troops and other armed groups against the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) exposed tens of thousands of civilians to violence.

Earlier this month, the two sides signed an agreement of "goodwill and confidence-building," which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed as a "constructive step" in the ongoing efforts to negotiate a peaceful conclusion to their conflict.

Meanwhile, the joint African Union-UN peacekeeping mission to Darfur, known as UNAMID, reported that an additional 150 Senegalese peacekeepers arrived today in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur and the mission's headquarters, bringing the total to 834 in the Senegalese infantry battalion.

The main duties of the battalion, which is based in El Geneina, West Darfur, include conducting escorts for humanitarian convoys, and conducting patrols to enhance security for civilians in the area and encourage confidence within the local population.

One year after taking on the task of suppressing the violence, UNAMID has some 12,753 blue helmets – of the 19,555 authorized by the Security Council – across Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in 2003, pitting rebels against Government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen.
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