Category: Africa

Source: APO

In Tambura, a fragile calm has settled after years of violence and displacement. Yet beneath the semblance of peace lies a harsh reality, as the lingering effects of conflict continue to disrupt residents’ daily lives.

Livelihoods have been devastated. Access to farmland remains limited, healthcare facilities are scarce, and schools are out of reach for many children. Basic supplies are hard to find.

An air patrol by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) brought peacekeepers together with local authorities and community members to assess the security situation and better understand the protection concerns facing residents.

Their arrival was met with a mixture of hope and desperation.

“We are uncertain of our fate; only God knows what we are enduring. Our situation is urgent. We lack basic supplies like salt and haven’t received aid. Leaving town to farm is still hard, and our children suffer due to the absence of healthcare and education,” described local resident, Elizabeth Francis Mbusa.

For many families, agriculture remains the lifeblood of their livelihoods. However, they have been driven from their land, crops have been stolen, and livestock lost.

Despite these challenges, local authorities say the security situation is gradually improving.

“Whenever we hear that UNMISS is coming, we are ready to support, and we are very happy to see you,” said Moses Masi Sere, Tambura Acting Commissioner. “We believe the situation is returning to normal, which provides new opportunities for our citizens.”

The UNMISS patrol underscored the importance of maintaining a peacekeeping presence in the area. Regular engagement with local authorities and communities helps peacekeepers identify emerging risks, understand protection concerns and build trust with residents.

UNMISS Ethiopian Battalion Commander, Aillu Tereffe, explained how the visit provided valuable insight into the challenges and expectations of the affected communities.

“We spent time listening to the concerns, particularly those relating to protection and humanitarian issues. It is pleasing to see that people are beginning to return to normal life, but we will remain vigilant to help ensure that security is strengthened and peace is sustained.”

For residents, lasting peace means more than the absence of violence. It means security, essential services, and restored livelihoods, so people can live freely and without fear.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Source: APO

• Ebola deaths reach 2,516 in DRC  
• Response funding could run out within weeks 
• Dozens of frontline healthcare workers among dead 

“We’re only covered for the next weeks, and very soon funding will run out,” said Julien Harneis, UN Senior Ebola Coordinator. “Every delay in funding and implementation makes this epidemic more deadly, more difficult to stop and more expensive. So, we need that international support immediately.”

Since the outbreak was declared on 15 May, 5,290 people have been infected 2,516 have died, according to latest health authority data published on Friday.

Of the total confirmed number of cases, 1,152 people have recovered and nearly 840 people remain in isolation or hospitalized. The fatality rate is 47.6 per cent and contact follow-up is 82.9 per cent.

Deadly progression

Briefing journalists from the Ebola epicentre in Bunia, Ituri province, Mr. Harneis warned that the disease is “growing exponentially”, with half of all deaths occurring in just the last 20 days. 

“The epidemic is spreading to an area that is bigger than France. And the outbreak is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response,” he stressed, as “brutal” operating conditions continue to impede the progress of frontline workers. 

Three months into the outbreak, 160 healthcare workers have contracted Ebola and 43 of them have died. “And then when we do respond, apart from the threat from the virus, healthcare workers and frontline workers have been attacked by youths, ambulances have been burned and stoned and the healthcare facilities have been attacked,” Mr. Harneis explained.

“Conditions on the ground are extremely difficult, but we will continue deploying all the humanitarian and medical assistance needed until the job is done,” the veteran aid official said.

“Last week, I was trying to get into an Ebola hotspot, and it took three hours to drive 60 kilometres (37 miles),” he added.

Another key obstacle to the response is the lack of basic social services in the six eastern, provinces where the virus is spreading (Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé), a direct result of decades of violence in the resource-rich area. 

Gaps in government-run, coordinated healthcare services and a limited number of banks have created further problems. 

“In this area, the banking system barely functions,” Mr. Harneis explained. “We’re unable to bring in the amount of money that is required to pay the workers, which has led to great unhappiness amongst frontline workers.”

US aid boost

And although the United States has contributed $80 million to the DRC Government to boost bed capacity and safe burial practices, among other support, cuts to aid work – especially in the last two years – have reduced the capacity of humanitarian organizations by more than 30 per cent, he added.

Despite these challenges, multiple specialist UN agencies continue to work alongside the DRC authorities to push back Ebola. They include the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN migration agency (IOM) and partners including Médecins Sans Frontières. 

“It’s a disease, it’s an invisible threat which comes into your community and suddenly people start falling sick around you and your loved ones die,” Mr. Harneis said. “And that generates a lot of fear in any community.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO – Report:

Hajio is one of many experiencing the brunt of these cuts. She lived a relatively prosperous life – she had a home and her children went to school. But all her cattle died because of the drought, and she had to flee her home area for help. 

She hurried to the town of Burhakaba in southwest Somalia because she had heard support would be available there. Yet upon arrival, she received only some clothes and tomatoes from one of the country’s poorest communities living nearby. 

​​“She received nothing from the international community,” stressed UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder, briefing journalists in Geneva on Friday. 

Malnourished children 

Due to unprecedented cuts in humanitarian aid, over 200 health and nutrition facilities have already closed in Somalia – and according to the most severe predictions, the number could jump to 618.   

The consequences have been immediate and very serious. Compared to last year, Somalia has seen a 32 per cent increase in children admitted to stabilisation centres with severe acute malnutrition and complications. 

This is not because more children are getting sick, but because they can no longer access preventive and community-based nutrition services previously available to them. 

“Fewer facilities mean longer journeys for mums and their babies; longer journeys mean later treatment; later treatment means more severe illness and a greater risk of preventable death,” warned Mr. Elder. 

Nearly one million children under five, adolescent girls and women risk losing access to nutrition services in the country. 

Bad timing 

These funding cuts come as Somalia’s humanitarian needs are spiking dramatically. 

This year, nearly 1.9 million children are projected to be affected by malnutrition, including almost half a million with the deadly “severe acute” form.

The country has been plunged into civil war for decades at a time, leading to mass displacement and extreme food insecurity for millions. 

The ongoing US-Iran war is also complicating matters by raising the costs of fuel and fertiliser, and the worsening climate crisis is threatening to further disrupt food provisions. 

The country is currently navigating severe droughts in the north, while also preparing to undergo extreme flooding caused by the stronger-than-ever El Niño weather pattern (Read our El Niño explainer here).

“It is a brutal contradiction: the resources to protect vulnerable children are being cut at precisely the moment when the pressures pushing Somalia’s children into crisis are intensifying,” Mr. Elder underscored.

Preventable crisis 

The UN has been an active partner in Somalia, distributing cholera vaccinations to over a million people, supporting education programmes for over 100,000 young students, and rehabilitating children recruited into armed groups – often by force. 

“We have the programmes. We have the partners. What is missing is the funding,” underscored Mr. Elder. 

Between 2021 and 2025, UNICEF supported more than 2.25 million children with severe acute malnutrition, with a cure rate of 97.6 per cent in 2025. 

But the agency is unlikely to keep up these results under these new constraints. 

“Years of generous donor investment in children’s futures is being undone far faster than they were built,” warned Mr. Elder. 

“Protecting children is not a discretionary expense. Preventing suffering is not an inefficiency. And dismantling effective aid at the moment of greatest need is not a saving: it is a decision to pay more later, in money, in security, in lost development and, for some children – in lives.”

– on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO

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His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit has urged the National Elections Commission (NEC) to step up preparations for South Sudan’s December 22 general elections, stressing the need for a credible, free and fair electoral process.

President Kiir made the call on Friday after receiving a report from NEC Chairperson Prof. Abednego Akok Kachuol on the commission’s activities and assessment missions conducted across the country’s ten states and three administrative areas.

Prof. Akok said voter registration is expected to begin soon, ahead of the December 22 polls, and called on all eligible South Sudanese to register and take part in the electoral process.

The Head of the electoral agency said the voter registration will mark a critical step toward the long-awaited elections, with the exercise expected to provide citizens with the opportunity to secure their participation in determining the country’s political future.

The President challenged the electoral body to ensure that all necessary preparations are in place to conduct elections that meet the expectations of the people of South Sudan.

Officials say that with the polls approaching, attention is now turning to the NEC’s readiness, voter participation, and the ability of the electoral process to inspire public confidence.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of the Republic of South Sudan.

Source: APO

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The Western Cape Government, through the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) and its key partners, has strengthened Bergrivier Municipality’s Hazmat response capacity through the handover of specialised firefighting equipment valued at R250,000.

The handover forms part of the Municipal Fire Service Capacity Building Grant, which strengthens municipal fire and rescue services through equipment, training and operational support.

The equipment includes 40 Level A responder suits, providing maximum protection against dangerous vapours and liquids, as well as other specialised response equipment.

Hazmat incidents require specialised equipment, trained personnel and a coordinated response, making this investment important for municipal preparedness and firefighter safety.

Officials and stakeholders highlighted the importance of continued funding, co-funding and training to maintain response capacity and safety standards.

The grant also supports skills development, with firefighters trained to Firefighter Level Two and AR operations.

The engagement also included the handover of a specialised trailer, adding to the municipality’s operational capacity.

Stakeholders acknowledged municipal leadership, technical services personnel, firefighters and first responders, while emphasising that effective fire and disaster management requires training, preparedness, community involvement and strong partnerships.

The municipality will continue to pursue co-funding and grant opportunities, alongside ongoing training, equipment maintenance and community engagement on fire safety and disaster preparedness.

The handover demonstrates the value of collaboration between provincial and local government in strengthening emergency services and ensuring that firefighters have the tools and training they need to respond safely and effectively when communities need them most.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Western Cape Government: Office of the Premier.

Source: APO

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President of the Republic, His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, has directed the authorities of Warrap and Western Bahr el Ghazal states to intensify joint efforts to resolve tensions between communities along the border of the two states.

The President issued the directive following a briefing on ongoing peace and conflict-resolution initiatives involving Gogrial East County in Warrap State and Jur River County in Western Bahr el Ghazal State.

The briefing was presented by Warrap State Governor Bol Wek Agoth and Western Bahr el Ghazal State Governor Sheriff Daniel Sheriff, who outlined the security situation and measures being undertaken by the two state governments and security authorities to contain tensions in the affected areas.

The dispute is centered on an area known as Manyang, which is claimed by communities from both Gogrial East and Jur River.

Governor Bol Wek said coordinated interventions by the two states had contributed to reducing tensions while emphasizing the need for sustained cooperation to address the underlying issues and secure a durable resolution.

The two state governments are seeking support to convene an inclusive peace and reconciliation conference, bringing together community leaders, traditional authorities, elders, intellectuals, women, youth, and other relevant stakeholders from both sides.

The proposed dialogue is intended to address the immediate security concerns while creating space for the communities to resolve longstanding grievances and strengthen peaceful coexistence.

Governor Wek underscored the longstanding social, economic, and historical ties between the communities, noting that these shared connections provide a strong foundation for reconciliation and peaceful settlement of the dispute.

The two governors also called on media organizations and social media users to contribute positively to the peace process by promoting responsible communication and messages that encourage dialogue, restraint, and unity, rather than inflaming tensions between communities.

H.E. President Kiir’s directive reinforces the role of the state authorities in working collectively with communities and national institutions to prevent further escalation and advance a locally owned peace process.

The initiative comes as South Sudan prepares for the 2026 general elections, further underscoring the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and community cooperation across the country to support a peaceful and credible electoral process.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of the Republic of South Sudan.