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COTE D'IVOIRE: UN warns of lingering threats to stability

Nearly two years on from the signing of a peace accord widely deemed the last, best chance for Cote d’Ivoire, “systemic factors of instability” continue to threaten peace efforts, according to the UN, which has extended the mandates of UN and French forces in the country. The UN Security Council on 15 January voted unanimously to keep the UN mission (UNOCI) and international forces in Cote d’Ivoire until 30 July 2008, to support the organisation of “free, open, fair and transparent elections”....

On Taiwan’s bid for UN membership President Chen wrote to Pope Benedict

In his letter to the pope, President Chen said that though the world has not responded positively to Taiwan’s bid to join the United Nations, he still believes that with the support of the Pope and allied countries, Taiwan would one day gain the goodwill of the international community. On January 1, the Pope penned a message entitled “The Human Family, A Community of Peace,” which Ambassador Tou Chou-seng delivered to Chen. In his response to the Pope, Chen said that Taiwan would play its part...

Discipline is the key

President Jammeh President Alhaji Dr Yaya Jammeh, speaking at a welcoming ceremony for a top-brass Pakistani Military Advisory Team at State House, emphasised the importance of the twin virtues of military discipline and honesty in the life and security of any country. “With discipline we cannot compromise. The military must be number one in terms of discipline, truthfulness and honesty. Patriotic, disciplined soldiers are capable of defending their country, dying for their country if...

Top ten most underreported humanitarian stories of 2007 - Conditions worsen in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

The headlines emerging from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2007 paid scant attention to the humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in the eastern province of North Kivu. More than a year after the first democratic elections in decades were supposed to bring stability to this conflict-ridden region, fighting between armed groups has continued in North Kivu. Supported by MONUC, the UN force, the government is now in open combat with the forces of rebel leader Laurent Nkunda. A number...

CHAD: Should the new international force be 'neutral' or 'impartial'?

A new European Union force and UN mission set to deploy in Chad are mandated to protect aid groups assisting hundreds of thousands of people, amid violence by armed bandits, militias, rebels, soldiers and some foreign fighters. But humanitarian officials in Chad are concerned that if the mission does not remain distinct and separate from relief efforts it risks undermining them. “Understanding the distinction between the terms ‘neutrality’ and ‘impartiality’ is particularly crucial in this type...

France holds five suspects in Algiers bombing

French police have today confirmed that they are holding five suspects in the December 11 Algiers bombings. The bombings killed at least 37 people, including 17 United Nations staff members. The men were arrested with three others, who have since been free, in a raids on Tuesday in Paris and Rouen. The men are believed to be part of the support network for Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat), which has claimed responsibility for...

UN Mourns Loss of 17 Bombed Colleagues

Staff of the United Nations System in The Gambia yesterday met at 10:00 am to observe a minute’s silence in honour of 17 colleagues now confirmed killed in the attack against the United Nations office building in Algeria last Tuesday, 11 December. The minute of silence was observed by all UN agencies and programmes throughout the world. The suicide vehicle bomb attack of the UN House and UNHCR office buildings in Algeria occurred in the morning of 11 December. The bomb detonated on the...

Iran vs US

Iran, like every other nation on this planet, is entitled to a peaceful nuclear fuel program. This, the Iranians themselves have tried, time and again, to explain to a seemingly deaf UN. But this world body can be forgiven, because being under pressure from the world’s most paranoid nation, the United States of America, it has become a virtual fun tool. Under continuous humiliation by the US, the UN has no glory left to attract respect from other countries. When they make pronoucements, US...

GLOBAL: “Save the water” warn world weather watchers

The decade from 1998 to 2007 has been the warmest on record, said Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in Bali, where a UN meeting on climate change is underway. "The global mean surface temperature for 2007 is currently estimated at 0.41 degrees Celsius more than the 1961-1990 annual average of 14 degrees Celsius," Jarraud announced. "The rise in temperature can be directly linked to global warming," said Avinash Tyagi, head of the climate and...

CHAD: Thoughts on the pending EU/UN mission from UN's top humanitarian official

Aid organisations are struggling to provide assistance to around half a million people in the east of Chad at a time when numerous rebel groups are launching offensives against the army. The EU was supposed to have started deploying troops to the east at this time to protect humanitarian operations and civilian populations and the UN was supposed to send police trainers to ensure security within the various communities. But the arrival of these international security forces has been delayed....