Day: August 13, 2022

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1097th meeting held on 4 August 2022, on Updated Briefing on the Situation in the Horn of Africa.

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling its previous decisions, in particular, Communique [PSC/PR/COMM.1045 (2021)] of the Council’s 1045th meeting held on 8 November 2021 on the situation in Ethiopia;

Taking note of the opening statement by H.E. Ambassador Jainaba Jagne, Permanent Representative of the Republic of The Gambia to the AU as the PSC Chairperson for the month of August 2022 and the statement by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; the Comprehensive updated briefing by H.E. President Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa, as well as the statement by the Acting Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the AU, H.E. Ambassador Nardos Ayalew Belay;

Committed to silencing the guns in Africa by the year 2030, to create the required conditions for the realization of Agenda 2063, pursuant to paragraph 10 of the Assembly Decision [Ext/Assembly/AU/Dec.1(XIV)], adopted by the 14th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union on Silencing the Guns in Africa, on 6 December 2020;

Reaffirming its commitment to respect the sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in line with the African Union Constitutive Act; and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council,

Takes note of the comprehensive updated briefing by the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa, H.E. President Olusegun Obasanjo; commends him for his sacrifices and commitment, as well as for the progress registered thus far, and reaffirms the commitment of the PSC to continue to support his efforts until lasting peace, security and stability is restored in Ethiopia;

Commends the AU High Representative for the direct engagements between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF); and requests the AU Commission to mobilize all required resources to further enhance the peace-making efforts of the High Representative;

Reiterates that there can be no viable military solution to the current situation in the Tigray Region and, in this regard, encourages the Federal Government of Ethiopia and TPLF to place the supreme interests of Ethiopia and its people above all else and embrace inclusive political dialogue as the only viable approach towards finding a consensual solution to the current situation;

Welcomes and commends the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the TPLF for the confidence building measures they have so far undertaken, including the commitment to guarantee humanitarian access to the affected populations, the unilateral declaration of a humanitarian ceasefire, the national dialogue and reconciliation process, the withdrawal of troops from Afar, as well as other related measures being taken by the two sides;

Further commends the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the TPLF for their explicit consent to commit to a negotiated political solution through an all-inclusive genuine dialogue and welcomes the formation by the Federal Government of Ethiopia of its negotiating team as a step in the right direction towards the restoration of lasting peace and security in Ethiopia; and urges the TPLF to take similar steps;

While underlining the centrality of African solutions to African problems anchored on an AU-led mediation process, expresses profound appreciation to all partners for their continued support and encourages them to scale up their support for the AU-led mediation process, under the leadership of the High Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission, H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, as the only viable and effective approach towards finding a negotiated lasting solution to the situation in Ethiopia. In addition, urges all Member States to intensify their support to the efforts of the High Representative in the quest for peace and stability in Ethiopia in particular and the Horn of Africa as a whole; and

Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Source: African Union

The Logistics Cluster is a community of partners with the purpose of supporting global, regional, and local actors to alleviate logistics constraints impeding the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in need around the world.

Before crises, we strengthen humanitarian response capacity, especially in high-risk countries and regions.

In crises, where local capacities have been exceeded, we provide leadership, coordination, information management, and access to operational services.

After crises, we evaluate the response, identify areas for improvement, share good practices and solutions, and invest in learning and preparedness for future emergencies.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) was appointed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee as the lead agency of the Logistics Cluster due to its expertise in the field of humanitarian logistics and its operational reach.

In 2021, the Logistics Cluster supported more than 400 organisations, including national and international NGOs, UN agencies, foundations, civil society organisations and government agencies across 33 country-level operations in: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Lao, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, the Pacific Region, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.

In 2021, a total of 217 organisations attended 104 trainings, nine at global level and 95 at field level.

Through the Field Based Preparedness Project (FBPP), a total of 34 logistics preparedness-focused workshops and trainings were held, reaching 250 people.

Source: World Food Programme

A total of 168 aid workers have been attacked so far this year, leading to 44 fatalities, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told a press briefing that according to data from the NGO Humanitarian Outcomes, a partner of OCHA, more than 140 aid workers were killed in the line of duty last year, the highest number of fatalities since 2013.

Last year, there were also 203 aid workers injured and 117 kidnapped, Laerke said.

According to the OCHA spokesperson, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Syria continue to be the most violent countries for aid workers.

“Most of the over 140 fatalities in 2021 were killed by small weapons in shooting incidents, with the second-largest cause of death being air strikes and shelling, most of them in Syria,” he said.

Mentioning that next Friday will be World Humanitarian Day, Laerke also announced the launching of this year’s campaign and public call to show support for the work, determination, bravery and sacrifice that humanitarians all over the world demonstrate every day.

From today, he said, the public is invited to follow the hashtag on social media, to share, like, comment and support the postings by OCHA and others, and to use every occasion to show solidarity with people in need and appreciation for those who deliver aid.

World Humanitarian Day takes place every year on Aug. 19, which was designated by the UN General Assembly in 2008 to commemorate the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad which killed 22 aid workers.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced new names for variants of the monkeypox virus that are currently in circulation. This is to avoid causing any cultural or social offense, the WHO explained in a statement.

A group of global experts convened by the WHO decided on the new names.

Experts will now refer to the former Congo Basin clade (group of variants) in Central Africa as Clade I, and the former West African clade as Clade II. The latter consists of two sub-clades, Clade IIa and Clade IIb, of which Clade IIb was the main group of variants circulating during the 2022 outbreak.

WHO said the new names for the clades should be used immediately.

Newly-identified viruses, related diseases, and virus variants should be given names that avoid causing offense to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional, or ethnic groups, and which minimize any negative impact on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare, WHO added.

The monkeypox virus was named when it was first discovered in 1958. Major variants were identified by the geographic regions where they were known to circulate.

WHO officially declared late last month that the current multi-country monkeypox outbreak had turned into a public health emergency of international concern.

According to WHO’s situation report on the monkeypox outbreak published on Wednesday, there have now been 27,814 laboratory-confirmed cases, and 11 deaths from the disease in 89 countries and regions worldwide, with Europe and the Americas being hit the hardest.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP — Three-day-old lion cubs were on display Saturday in a cardboard box at a Gaza City zoo, a rare joyous sight for children and adults alike, just days after Israeli aircraft pounded the territory and Gaza militants fired hundreds of rockets at Israel.

Veterinarian Mahmoud al-Sultan said each cub weighed about 700 grams. He said he felt lucky the birth was successful despite the deafening sound of constant explosions during three days of fighting. The cubs' mother had suffered miscarriages in the past, said al-Sultan.

Loud noise "causes stress to the wild animals, especially the lions, whose roars get higher, and they keep moving in a circular way inside the cage,” he said.

The cubs were born Friday, several hours apart, and five days after an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire halted the fighting between Israel and Islamic Jihad militants. Forty-nine Palestinians, including 17 children, were killed and several hundred were injured in the fighting.

Shocks from war aren't the only threat to animals. Gaza is impoverished, with double-digit unemployment, largely as a result of a border blockade Egypt and Israel imposed after Hamas militants took control of the territory 15 years ago.

In the past, a number of animals in small private Gaza zoos starved to death or were killed in the long-running conflict, which included four Israel-Hamas wars and countless smaller skirmishes.

International animal welfare groups carried out several evacuations to move frail lions and tigers to sanctuaries in Jordan and Africa. The costly effort to rescue animals, while some 2.3 million Gazans remain largely trapped in a small territory, has also drawn criticism.

On Saturday, visitors flocked to the small Nama zoo on the outskirts of Gaza City, with children allowed to pet the newborns. Nama is operated by a private charity, putting it in a slightly better position than the small number of private zoos that often struggle to provide for the animals.

Schools organize daily trips to the zoo and the entry fee is less than $1, helping to cover costs.

The zoo also houses a variety of birds, along with monkeys, deer, foxes, wolves and hyenas.

Source: Voice of America

A team of detectives within the serious violent crimes unit focussing on transport related violence has arrested a 28-year-old suspect in the early hours of Saturday morning in connection with murder and attempted cases opened following attacks on Intercape busses in Cape Town in March and April 2022. In April 2022, an Intercape bus driven by 35-year-old Bangikhaya Machana was shot at resulting in him sustaining serious injury. He died three days after the incident in hospital. Another attack occurred in March where shots were fired at another Intercape bus.

The suspect was arrested in Klapmuts in the Cape Winelands during a tracing operation.

He faces murder and attempted murders charges that relate to the two incidents and will appear in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s court on Monday, 15 August 2022.

The Transport Violence Team is also currently hard at work probing other cases linked to the attacks on Intercape busses. The arrest of the suspect will go a long way in efforts to curb the attacks on the long distance bus service.

Western Cape police with other agencies in law enforcement have since intensified deployments along identified routes and hotspots. Meanwhile engagements with affected parties continue.

Western Cape SAPS management has applauded the work of the team in efforts to apprehend those responsible for the violence.

Source: South African Police Service

Apparently Nondaba Makhaza left her brother's residence in Jerusalem park Thabong this morning on the 13 August 2022 at about 10:00 while driving her silver Kia with registration number 777 AGGY FS, as she was on her way to Welkom CBD.

She has never came back home and she is residing at Naudeville in Welkom. She was last seen wearing a lime top and a navy pair of jeans.

A Missing File is been registered now. Anyone with information leading to trace her and her car, Welkom Police Station can be contacted at cellphone number 079 886 5574 or Police Emergency number 08600 10111.

Source: South African Police Service