Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Centre for Gender Development (CCDG), in partnership with the Ministry of Women, Family and Children, has initiated a national training workshop on the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual harassment from Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 June 2025 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

As part of the implementation of the regional strategy adopted in 2021 to eradicate violence against women and girls in the community, the three-day meeting brought together judicial, health and social actors with the aim of strengthening their skills and coordinating a holistic approach to the care of victims of violence. The aim was to strengthen participants’ skills in the prevention, detection and management of GBV and sexual harassment.

Speaking at the opening, Moussa Diarassouba, Chief of Staff representing the Minister for Women, stressed the urgency of taking action. “These overwhelming figures are voices crying out for justice, redress and protection. Inaction is no longer an option,” he warned. He called on judicial actors to guarantee access to justice and fight against impunity, including health professionals to become more involved in the medical and psychological care of victims, and social workers to support survivors in their social and economic reintegration.

The ECOWAS Resident Representative in Côte d’Ivoire, Ambassador Fanta Cissé, praised the efforts of the Ivorian government, which have enabled Côte d’Ivoire to take the lead in the fight against GBV. She did not fail to call on everyone to mobilise more strongly against the multiple forms of violence, which have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘The challenges are immense and require the combined efforts of all to achieve zero tolerance for gender-based violence and sexual harassment,’ she said.

For her part, the Director of the CCDG, Ms Sandra Oulaté-Fattoh, said that professionals and other actors have a key role to play in the early recognition, appropriate treatment and support of survivors of such violence. “To fulfil this role effectively, you need adequate training to enable you to recognise the signs and symptoms of gender-based violence and sexual harassment, even in cases where victims do not explicitly disclose their situation. This includes awareness of the different forms of violence, including physical, sexual, psychological and economic, as well as the cultural and social contexts that influence these situations,” she emphasised.

As a reminder, in the ECOWAS region, more than 10% of women experience physical, sexual or emotional violence, often within the family. This situation has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen cases of GBV skyrocket, with an increase of up to 50% in some countries in the region. Côte d’Ivoire alone recorded 9,607 cases of gender-based violence in 2024, affecting 7,950 women and 3,290 children, according to official figures.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Source: APO

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Mpox continues to strain the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s health system. Between 1 January and 31 May 2025, the country reported more than 12 000 suspected cases and 22 deaths, accounting for over 50% of all mpox cases in Africa this year.

In response, World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) are supporting the country’s efforts to strengthen clinical care, improve detection and build the skills and engagement of frontline responders.  

GOARN, a network coordinated by WHO that supports countries respond to health emergencies by deploying personnel and resources, mobilized seven specialists to support Democratic Republic of the Congo’s mpox response. Working both on the ground and remotely from Nairobi, the team provided expertise in treatment, data analysis, epidemiology, and disease surveillance.

Among them was Dr Andre Basilua Muzembo, a case management specialist from the University of Hyogo in Japan. Over nearly two months, he worked with health professionals at national level and WHO teams covering logistics, infection prevention, vaccination, and mpox response to ensure effective coordination.

At Clinique Kinoise, Kinshasa’s main referral centre for severe mpox cases, he provided support to help address critical challenges. The facility, with 42 beds and an average of 20 patients, operated with just around five out of 95 staff trained on mpox management. Chronic shortages of gloves, medicines, and essential equipment, combined with limited access to laboratory testing and difficult working conditions, contributed to a mortality rate of around 10%.

During more than 30 visits to five mpox treatment centres across Kinshasa, mainly in Clinique Kinoise, he mentored staff in compassionate care, worked with colleagues to improve hygiene practices and helped coordinate delivery of medicines and medical supplies. He also worked closely with Kokolo, Vijana, Masina Cinquantenaire and Kinkole treatment centres to streamline referrals and maintain continuity of care.

The response team placed special attention to high-risk groups, including children, pregnant women, and people living with HIV. Some pregnant patients arrived with foetal deaths, partly due to difficulties in accessing essential diagnostic tools such as ultrasound. In collaboration with the National AIDS Control Programme (PNMLS) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), at least five HIV-Mpox co-infected patients were referred for specialized treatment.

When two mpox cases were detected in a Kinshasa orphanage, an emergency vaccination reached 30 people at risk. Alerts on cases of infected prisoners at Kokolo Hospital, followed by more than 30 cases reported at Ndolo prison, underscored the need for sustained outreach in vulnerable settings.

As part of efforts to strengthen the health system beyond the immediate response, 59 front-line workers, including 27 doctors and 32 nurses from the Clinique Kinoise received training in clinical management of mpox.

Heavy flooding then complicated the outbreak response, requiring a more coordinated and multisectoral efforts. Response teams faced overlapping emergencies—managing mpox and cholera while supporting displaced communities. At four evacuation sites, including Stade Tata Raphaël and Bandalungwa, WHO and partners delivered essential supplies such as medicines, cholera kits, and hygiene items.

“Despite extremely difficult working conditions, I witnessed how important it was to work to save lives with determination, compassion and team spirit. Resilience is not just about coping with adversity, it’s about living through it with those affected, listening to those on the edge of despair and doing what we can with even the most modest of means,” says Dr Muzembo.  

These deployments are possible thanks to the support of UK public health rapid support team, Public health agency of Canada, Research institute of nursing care for people and community, University of Hyogo, and European centre for disease prevention and control.

“This mission underscores the critical importance of partnership and collaboration in health emergencies,” said Dr Jerry-Jonas Mbasha, GOARN focal point at WHO Regional Office for Africa and WHO operational partnerships officer. “GOARN is a vital pillar in the Global Health Emergency Corps, ensuring a coordinated health emergency workforce that is both rooted in countries and connected regionally and globally.”

“GOARN brings in targeted expertise to address critical gaps on the ground. With hands-on support and capacity strengthening, we are empowering countries to manage emergencies themselves. While the challenges in DRC remain, our continued mission is to work together, contain the outbreak, and build long-term resilience in the health system,” says Dr Mbasha.

As the DRC continues to respond to mpox, joint efforts by national and international partners highlight the importance of collaboration. “This mission has not only helped us respond to the outbreak but also strengthened the local health system in ways that will last well beyond the end of the current crisis,” says Dr Boureima Hama Sambo, WHO Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Democratic Republic of Congo.

Source: APO

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Major cuts to aid budgets have already left people fleeing wars in Sudan and beyond without the assistance and protection they need, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.

Globally, $1.4 billion of the agency’s programmes are being shuttered or put on hold, UNHCR said in a new report.

“We can’t stop water, you can’t stop sanitation, but we’re having to take decisions when it comes, for example, to shelter,” said UNHCR Director of External Relations Dominique Hyde.

“We’re have people arriving on a daily basis from Sudan, from the Darfur regions…arriving in Chad, not able to be given any shelter.”

In an urgent appeal for flexible funding from donors, Ms. Hyde noted that up to 11.6 million refugees and others risk losing access this year to direct humanitarian assistance from UNHCR. The figure represents about one third of those reached by the organization last year.

On the Sudan-Chad border, the UN agency is now unable to provide “even basic shelter” to more than six in 10 refugees fleeing the conflict. Thousands more vulnerable people have been left stranded in remote border locations in South Sudan too. “If we just had a bit more support, we could get them to settlements,” she insisted.

Because of the funding cuts, basic activities have already been hit hard. These include refugee registration, child protection, legal counselling and prevention of and responses to gender-based violence.

All aid sectors hit

In South Sudan, 75 per cent of safe spaces for women and girls supported by UNHCR have closed. That means leaving up to 80,000 refugee women and girls without access to medical care, psychosocial support, legal aid, material support or income-generating activities. This includes survivors of sexual violence, UNHCR noted.

“Behind these numbers are real lives hanging in the balance,” Ms. Hyde said.

“Families are seeing the support they relied on vanish, forced to choose between feeding their children, buying medicines or paying rent, while hope for a better future slips out of sight. Every sector and operation has been hit and critical support is being suspended to keep lifesaving aid going.”

Libya influx

Many of those impacted by the war in Sudan have taken the decision to move from Chad and Egypt to Libya, into the hands of people smugglers who dangerously overload boats with desperate people seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

“What we’re observing now is that in terms of arrivals in Europe of…Sudanese refugees, [it] has increased since the beginning of the year by about 170 per cent compared to the first six months of 2024,” said UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado.

Support slashed from Niger to Ukraine

In camps hosting Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, education for some 230,000 children could now be suspended. Meanwhile in Lebanon “UNHCR’s entire health programme is at risk of being shuttered by the end of the year,” Ms. Hyde continued.

In Niger and other emergency settings, cuts in financial aid for shelter have left families in overcrowded structures or at risk of homelessness. In Ukraine, financial aid has also been slashed, “leaving uprooted families unable to afford rent, food or medical treatment”, she noted.

Assistance to returning Afghans has also become another victim of global aid cuts. Around 1.9 million Afghan nationals have returned home or been forced back since the start of the year, “but financial aid for returnees is barely enough to afford food, let alone rent, undermining efforts to ensure stable reintegration”, UNHCR said.

Legal aid halted

Overall, several UNHCR operations hit by severe funding gaps have now had to curtail investments in strengthening asylum systems and promoting regularisation efforts.

In Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico, any prolonged lack of legal status means prolonged insecurity for people on the move, the UN agency said. This results in deepening poverty “as refugees are excluded from formal employment and greater exposure to exploitation and abuse”, Ms. Hyde explained.

Approximately one in three of the agency’s 550 offices around the world has been impacted by the cuts, Ms. Hyde told journalists in Geneva:

“We’re not in a position to do so much contingency planning; what we’re able to do is make decisions on priorities and, at this point, the priorities as I mentioned are dramatic.”

For 2025, UNHCR needs $10.6 billion. Only 23 per cent of this amount has been provided.

“Against this backdrop, our teams are focusing efforts on saving lives and protecting those forced to flee,” Ms. Hyde said. “Should additional funding become available, UNHCR has the systems, partnerships and expertise to rapidly resume and scale up assistance.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO

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President John Dramani Mahama held a highly productive meeting on Friday with Mr. Alex Soros, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Open Society Foundations (OSF).

The discussion centred on Ghana’s notable progress in economic recovery, democratic governance, and regional stability.

President Mahama took the opportunity to brief Mr. Soros on the key policy measures driving Ghana’s economic revival and the notable progress being made.

He elaborated on the government’s ‘Reset Agenda’ aimed at fostering a positive national mindset, ongoing efforts to strengthen accountability institutions, and recent developments within the ECOWAS sub-region.

Ghana: A Beacon of Democracy.

President Mahama reiterated Ghana’s unwavering commitment to upholding the values of democracy, respect for human rights, and the fundamental freedoms of its citizenry.

He noted Ghana’s stellar reputation for democratic governance, marked by peaceful transitions under its 33-year-old Fourth Republican Constitution.

“We’ve had nine elections, all of which have been successful. And we’ve experienced several peaceful changes of government from one party to another, all of which have occurred smoothly.”

On the economic front, President Mahama stated that Ghana’s economy is recovering rapidly, a direct result of bold fiscal and monetary policies underpinned by robust governance principles. He noted the appreciation of the Ghana Cedi by approximately 42% and a sharp decline in the debt-to-GDP ratio, with the government targeting single-digit inflation in the coming months.

The President acknowledged that investor confidence had waned in the past due to governance challenges and weakened institutions. However, he reassured Mr. Soros that his administration is committed to non-interference in corruption-related cases and has instituted strict disciplinary measures for all appointees.

“There was a lot of corruption and a lack of accountability. So, we came in with a comprehensive programme to strengthen anti-corruption institutions,” President Mahama explained, referencing the “Operation Recover All the Loot (ORAL),” a major initiative to recover state assets.

“You will continue to hear of prosecutions and other measures against individuals who have mismanaged public resources, as we steadfastly pursue accountability.”

Addressing the delicate relations with the three Sahelian countries – Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger – President Mahama assured Mr. Soros of positive progress in ongoing efforts to reunite the sub-region. He referred to visits to the three countries to establish channels for continuous communication and dialogue.

“We held an ECOWAS meeting barely three weeks ago, and happily, the whole mood has changed. There is now a clear appetite for rapprochement between ECOWAS and the three countries,” he said.

“Discussions are ongoing between the ECOWAS Secretariat and these nations. In the meantime, we all agreed to prioritise the free movement of people and goods across our borders and encourage transit trade.”

On his part, Mr. Alex Soros congratulated President Mahama on his re-election victory and commended his leadership. He explained that his visit to Ghana was part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS.

He noted that the Open Society Foundations in Africa have historically championed ECOWAS integration, celebrating significant achievements such as visa-free travel.

Mr. Soros, an investor and philanthropist, expressed his foundation’s interest in exploring partnerships and providing support for further regional integration efforts. Besides chairing the OSF Board, he also sits on the investment committee for the Soros Fund Management.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

Source: APO

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Overcrowded cells, no ablution facilities, a lack of water—these are only some of the challenges that prisoners and officials face in Liet-Nhom Central Prison.

“We literally do not have a roof over our heads,” says Bedaj Bandak, a prison official, to a visiting team from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

“We also don’t have running water, so inmates have no choice but to go to the rivers and the lack of toilets and bathrooms makes matters worse,” he adds.

These alarming conditions not only prevent the incarcerated from having a dignified existence but also pose a strong security risk—with this much movement it’s impossible for the limited number of prison guards to effectively keep their wards in check.

This lack of 24-hour surveillance poses additional risks to juvenile detainees and women serving their sentences.

Furthermore, prison cells are overpopulated with more than 20 people sharing a single cell. This, coupled with the lack of toilets and water, has created severe hygiene and sanitation issues, leading most prisoners to spend their time outdoors, separated by nothing but air.

“We live in constant fear of everything, including getting sick as there is no healthcare available at the prison,” shares one of the female inmates. 

In case they do get sick, which is unavoidable, they do get taken to the local healthcare facilities but only if there are enough cars and personnel available.

For its part, UNMISS continues to advocate with state authorities to provide long-overdue support, especially as the rainy season starts bringing with it further health risks such as malaria.

Precious Chinamasa, a Corrections Officer with the UN Peacekeeping mission on her frequent visits here bears witness to the continuous decline of human rights standards at the facility.

“Similar conditions prevail in many prisons across South Sudan,” she reveals, visibly moved.

“It’s heartbreaking to witness these struggles and we’ll continue advocating with authorities to strengthen their support to the prison system. To truly reform and reintegrate into society upon their release, prisoners must be treated humanely and with dignity. There must be a collective push to strengthen infrastructure and prisons management.”

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

Source: APO – Report:

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The Ministry of Education branch in Gala-Nefhi sub-zone has presented awards to 24 outstanding teachers from elementary, junior, and high schools, including 12 female teachers.

Mr. Daniel Solomon, Head of the branch office, stated that the awardees were selected by a committee comprising supervisors, teachers, and students.

Mr. Yohannes Solomon, Head of Secondary School Supervision in the Central Region, emphasized that honoring outstanding teachers not only serves as recognition but also significantly contributes to the development of the teaching and learning process. He congratulated the recipients and urged fellow teachers to emulate their dedication and play an active role in enhancing education quality.

The awardees, expressing appreciation for the recognition, stated that the award motivates them to work with greater commitment to nurture competent students through their profession.

There are 68 educational institutions in the Gala-Nefhi sub-zone, ranging from kindergartens to high schools.

– on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO – Report:

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South Africa strongly condemns Israel’s latest attacks on the Syrian capital Damascus, on 16 July 2025, on the Syrian Ministry of Defence and air strikes near the Presidential Palace, which are a flagrant violation of the country’s territorial integrity and international law.

Israel’s announcement on 17 July 2025, that it will continue to occupy Syrian territory south of the capital Damascus is a serious threat to Syria’s sovereignty. Israel’s redeployment of forces in the Golan Heights, its occupation of Quneitra near the Golan Heights, and its airstrikes on Suwayda, Daraa, and in the centre of Damascus are a military escalation that threatens security and stability in the country and the region.

The United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, has called on Israel to cease any violations of Syria’s sovereignty and respect the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement. South Africa concurs with the UN Secretary-General, who also condemned Israel’s “escalatory airstrikes” and called for an immediate de-escalation of violence and measures to facilitate humanitarian access.

– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Source: APO – Report:

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As part of ongoing efforts to control blindness, cataract surgery was performed on over 250 citizens in the Golij sub-zone from 7 to 11 July. The surgeries were carried out by a medical team from Berhan Aini Hospital in Asmara.

Dr. Merhawi Kiflom, Medical Director of the Golij Community Hospital, stated that the objective of the program was to provide citizens with access to eye care services, including surgical treatment, within their local areas.

Mr. Alem Zekarias, Head of the National Blindness Control Program, noted that while cataract surgeries were previously conducted in collaboration with foreign experts, the current program was implemented entirely through local capacity.

Dr. Eyob Beyene, one of the participating physicians, explained that cataracts often occur with age and are treatable and curable through timely surgical intervention.

– on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.