Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO – Report:

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As part of the strategic cooperation between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) for peace, security, governance and sustainable development in West Africa, Her Excellency Ms Kinza Jawara-Njai, ECOWAS Permanent Observer to the United Nations, and Mr Kalilu Totangi, representing the President of the ECOWAS Group to the United Nations, met with Mr Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), on Friday, 13 February 2026, in New York.

Discussions focused primarily on the renewal of UNOWAS’ mandate, which expired on January 31, 2026, and is currently being reviewed by the UN Security Council, and the current socio-political and security situation in West Africa, including developments in regional dynamics and the importance of sustained preventive diplomacy and coordinated engagement.

During the meeting, His Excellency Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão, provided an update on the ongoing negotiations within the Security Council, highlighting the main issues under consideration and the procedural steps leading to the conclusion of the renewal process.

Her Excellency Ambassador Kinza Jawara-Njai, unwavering support for the renewal of UNOWAS’ mandate, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a strong and flexible mandate that promotes preventive diplomacy and strengthens regional partnership.

During the meeting, Mr. Kalilu Totangi, reiterated the Group’s support and emphasized the continued relevance of UNOWAS as the main United Nations political mission in West Africa.

Both sides emphasized the importance of sustained coordination, mutual complementarity, and enhanced institutional collaboration in order to respond effectively to new regional challenges and help ECOWAS member states strengthen their resilience.

– on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Source: APO – Report:

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A festival aimed at preserving the traditional culture of society commenced in Senafe sub-zone on 15 February. The festival was organized in collaboration with the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students and the Senafe sub-zone administration.

Mr. Habteab Negasi, head of the union branch in the sub-zone, indicated that the month-long festival will feature various competitions, including traditional songs, folklore, traditional sports, traditional village settings, creativity and innovation, as well as competitions between ‘Red Flowers.’

The organizers of the festival, on their part, stated that the objective of the festival, the first of its kind, is to identify the rich traditional culture of society, transfer it to the young generation, and lay the foundation for further in-depth research and documentation of the culture.

Calling for the sustainability of the program with a view to preserving and documenting the traditional culture of society, Mr. Idris Ali Shiker, administrator of the sub-zone, urged parents to play a leading role in transmitting noble societal values to the younger generation.

– on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO

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The 2026 Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) aims to deliver lifesaving assistance this year to 5.9 million people across seven neighbouring countries: the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda. 

The plan will continue to prioritize aid for roughly 470,000 new refugees who are expected to cross into these countries, as well as thousands more who remain in border areas and have received only the most basic assistance. 

World’s largest displacement crisis 

The Sudan war erupted in mid-April 2023, with the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) locked in a brutal power struggle.  

Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR’s Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, said the need for a fourth annual appeal underscores the relentless impact of the war and a humanitarian response struggling to keep up. 

“Sudan remains the world’s largest displacement and worst humanitarian crisis, unfolding in the wake of the most severe global funding crunch in decades,” he told journalists in Geneva. 

As fighting continues in several parts of the country, essential services have collapsed while humanitarian access remains restricted in many areas. 

“Thousands of people continue to flee across borders each week, often arriving in already vulnerable yet generous regions, where public services and economic opportunities were limited even before the crisis,” he said.

Host communities ‘pushed to the brink’ 

Some 4.3 million Sudanese refugees remain displaced within the region, most of whom are in Egypt and eastern Chad. 

Mr. Balde noted that “while host governments and local communities continue to demonstrate remarkable solidarity, their capacity is being pushed to the brink.”  

Egypt currently hosts 1.4 million Sudanese who have fled the war and registered refugee figures have nearly quadrupled since 2023. 

“Yet severe funding cuts have forced UNHCR to close two of its three registration centres, affecting people’s access to critical protection services,” he said.  Moreover, available funding per refugee per month has dropped from $11 to $4. 

In eastern Chad, more than 71,000 refugee families have not received housing assistance, meaning they do not have safe and adequate shelter. “Nearly 234,000 people are awaiting relocation, living in precarious conditions at the border,” he added. 

Meanwhile in Uganda, clinic closures and the suspension of critical nutrition programmes in Kiryandongo settlement put thousands of Sudanese refugees at heightened risk of diseases. 

Rising needs, shrinking resources 

Mr. Balde stressed that despite these constraints, the 2026 plan “will continue to support host countries in providing critical basic services, including food, shelter, healthcare and protection services for new arrivals and the most vulnerable refugees.” 

He warned, however, that “the widening gap between rising needs and shrinking resources threatens to undermine both emergency response efforts and medium-term solutions.” 

In the interim, UNHCR continues to call for stronger international support to address the persistent underfunding of humanitarian operations in the countries hosting people fleeing Sudan.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO

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The Committee on Education and Sports has directed the Ministry of Education and Sports to address the plight of more than 60 former staff of the Management Training and Advisory Centre (MTAC).

MTAC was repealed under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act, 2025 and its functions transferred to Nakawa Vocational Training College. Under the law, MTAC’s assets, liabilities, students and staff were to be moved to Nakawa Vocational Training College as part of the transition.

While meeting officials from the ministry  led by the Minister of State for Sports , Hon. Peter Ogwang, , the Chairperson of the committee, Hon. James Kubeketerya, said more than 60 former staff of MTAC were left out during the transition.

“MTAC had staff and when the merger occurred, either these people were not absorbed. Why not just get a definite position on that?” he said.
Legislators tasked the ministry to urgently handle the grievances of the affected workers, following complaints that some employees were not absorbed into Nakawa Vocational Training College.

The Commissioner for Technical and Vocational Education and Training at the ministry, Loy Muhwezi said that following approval of the merger, MTAC ceased to exist and that within the ministry’s structure only Nakawa Vocational Training College is recognised. She added that the process of finalising the takeover is still ongoing.

Her disclosure that some staff may have been recruited illegally shortly before the merger drew sharp criticism from Members of Parliament.

Jonam County Member of Parliament, Hon. Emmanuel Ongiertho  faulted the ministry for weak supervision of the education sector, questioning how an institution could allegedly recruit staff irregularly without the ministry’s knowledge.

Hon. Silas Aogon (Independent, Kumi Municipality) called for investigations into both the allegedly irregular recruits and any ministry officials who may have failed to act.

Muhwezi requested for additional time to present a comprehensive report on the transition from MTAC to Nakawa Vocational Training College, prompting Nathan Itungo (Kashari South) to seek clarity on how far the process has progressed.

Ogwang urged the affected staff to formally submit details of their complaints to enable government to examine their claims.

“I also want to really ask you to help me with the information regarding that person because I have just been asking the Permanent Secretary whether she has received any of these complaints from their grid and it seems the answer is negative,” Ogwang said.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Source: APO

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Fifteen years after Libyans revolted against the repressive rule of Muammar al-Gaddafi, systemic impunity fuels crimes under international law and serious human rights violations by militias and armed groups while justice and reparations for survivors and relatives of victims remain elusive, Amnesty International said today.

Instead of being brought to justice in fair proceedings, those suspected of involvement in murder, torture, enforced disappearances and other crimes under international law and human rights violations have been killed or remain at large. They include fugitives from the International Criminal Court (ICC), despite the welcome step taken by the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) in May 2025 to accept the jurisdiction of the Court with respect to alleged crimes committed in Libya from 2011 to 2027.

“For 15 years, successive Libyan authorities have failed to dismantle the networks of abuse that fuel ongoing violations and have instead provided funding and legitimacy to notorious militias and integrated their members into state institutions without proper vetting. By allowing those suspected of responsibility for crimes under international law to evade accountability the authorities have betrayed survivors and reinforced a cycle of violence and lawlessness that shows no sign of ending,” said Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt and Libya Researcher at Amnesty International.

“The Government of National Unity’s acceptance of the ICC’s jurisdiction rings hollow as long as it is not matched by concrete action. The killing of Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi earlier this month underscores the inability and unwillingness of the Libyan justice system to ensure accountability and irreversibly robs survivors and relatives of victims of their right to truth and justice. Libyan authorities must meaningfully cooperate with the ICC, surrender individuals wanted for crimes under international law, and ensure that all those suspected of criminal responsibility are brought to justice in fair trials.”

Since the referral of the situation in Libya to the ICC by the UN Security Council in February 2011, only one suspect out of 14 was handed to the Court. On 1 December 2025, the German authorities surrendered Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri (also known as “Al-Buti”), senior and long-term member of the notorious Tripoli-based militia Deterrence Apparatus for Combating Terrorism and Organized Crime (DACTO), also known as al-Radaa, to the ICC. The ICC issued a warrant for his arrest for crimes against humanity and war crimes, in connection with incidents at Mitiga Prison in Tripoli under the control of DACTO.

The GNU, as well as the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), the de facto authorities in control of eastern and southern Libya, persist in their refusal to arrest and/or surrender Libyan nationals against whom arrest warrants have been issued by the ICC on charges of committing crimes against humanity and/or war crimes. Eight Libyan nationals under ICC arrest warrants remain at large.

Amnesty International wrote to the Libyan Public Prosecutor on 2 February 2026 to inquire about the whereabouts and legal proceedings against two individuals who had been arrested in Libya, but whose current status remains unclear amid concerns that they are shielded from accountability. They are Osama AlMasri Njeem, the former head of the Department of Operations and Judicial Security (DOJS) and long-term senior member of DACTO, and Abdelbari Ayyad Ramadan al-Shaqaqi, a senior member of al-Kaniat armed group. No response had been received at the time of writing.

Killings instead of justice

Libya has seen a pattern of killings of individuals suspected of involvement in human rights violations, denying victims the truth and justice they deserve.

Most recently, on 3 February, Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi was murdered in unknown circumstances by unidentified attackers. In 2011, the ICC Prosecutor charged him with committing crimes against humanity, including murder and persecution. In 2017, a Libyan court sentenced al-Gaddafi to death in absentia in a trial that did not meet international standards. In July 2017, an armed group in the western city of Zintan, which had held him since 2011, had announced his release in an amnesty.

Another ICC suspect who was murdered in unknown circumstances is Mahmoud al-Werfalli, former Field Commander of the Special Forces Brigade (Al-Saiqa) affiliated to the LAAF. In 2017, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him for war crimes. In 2021, Mahmoud al-Werfalli was shot dead in Benghazi, the second biggest city in Libya and under the de facto authority of LAAF.

Another notorious militia commander, Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, known as “Gheniwa” was killed in unclear circumstances in Tripoli on 12 May 2025, triggering armed clashes between rival militias in Tripoli. Amnesty International documented crimes under international law and serious human rights violations against Libyans, as well as refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, committed by militias under his command including the Central Security Force/ Abu Salim militia and the Stability Support Authority (SSA). Documented crimes include arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, sexual violence and unlawful killings. Amnesty International also documented how SSA militia members carried out interceptions of refugees and migrants at sea that have been marred by reports of violence, leading to loss of life at sea. 

Failure to surrender ICC suspects

Libya’s justice system remains unwilling and unable to effectively investigate crimes committed by powerful militias and armed groups. Proceedings in Libya are also marred by severe violations of fair trial rights including the right to adequate defence, to not self-incriminate and to be protected from torture, amid continuing trials of civilians by military courts. The Public Prosecutor himself publicly described in April 2025 the bodies responsible for pursuing cases, gathering and preserving evidence as “almost ineffective” due to the involvement of influential parties affiliated with security bodies or armed groups.

Despite this, the Libyan authorities refuse to surrender those under ICC arrest warrants to the Court.  In November 2025, the Public Prosecutor ordered the detention of Osama AlMasri Njeem in connection with incidents of torture and other cruel and degrading treatment of detainees at Mitiga Prison, and a death in custody. No further information is publicly available on his place of detention or status of legal proceedings, amid serious concerns about whether he would face justice, given the continued power wielded in Tripoli by DACTO militia, of which he was a long-term senior member. Italian authorities had arrested him in January 2025 pursuant to the ICC warrant of arrest, but flew him back to Libya the same month.

On 13 July 2025, the GNU’s ministry of justice published a statement on its Facebook page, before quickly removing it, announcing its refusal to surrender Osama AlMasri Njeem to the ICC. The statement added that “Libya has neither signed nor ratified the Rome Statute. Therefore, no Libyan citizen will be surrendered outside the jurisdiction of Libyan territory, and the national judiciary is fully competent to consider such cases.”

In October 2024, the ICC announced arrest warrants against six leaders, senior members, and affiliates of al-Kaniat, an armed group that committed crimes under international law during its reign of terror over the Libyan city of Tarhouna, including mass unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearances and forced displacement. The six remain at large and/or have yet to be surrendered to the Court.

One of the six is Abdelbari Ayyad Ramadan al-Shaqaqi who has been since 2024 in custody of DACTO. In August 2025, the Office of the Public Prosecution announced that it had ordered the pretrial detention of a member of al-Kaniat, without disclosing his name but providing credentials matching those of Abdelbari Ayyad Ramadan al-Shaqaqi. The prosecution did not clarify the charges against him and only stated that he was being investigated for a suspected abduction and killing before 2020. No information has been made public on whether he was referred to trial.

Failure to investigate or prosecute militia leaders

Successive Libyan governments continued to integrate members of militias and armed groups into state institutions without vetting them to exclude those suspected of crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations. Even in rare cases when the government disestablished some militias or removed their leaders, they failed to initiate criminal investigations against them or vet their members.

Most recently, in May 2025 the GNU dissolved the DOJS, which was headed by Osama AlMasri Njeem, and integrated its members into the Ministry of the Interior without conducting individual vetting to exclude and hold accountable those reasonably suspected of involvement in crimes under international.

In the same month, the government dismissed Lotfi al-Harari, former head of the Internal Security Agency (ISA) in Tripoli. Amnesty International had documented how ISA members subjected dozens of men and women to arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment and  enforced disappearances. No criminal investigations into claims that crimes under international law were committed at ISA under his command have taken place.

Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, a military commander or a person effectively acting as a military commander may be responsible for the crimes committed by subordinates under his or her effective command and control, if the commander is aware of the crimes, or should have been aware of them, and fails to prevent or punish them.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.

Source: APO

The Government of Zimbabwe commissioned a tranche of small-scale agricultural equipment to support climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land management and rural livelihoods in the country’s dryland areas, under the Drylands Sustainable Landscapes Impact Programme (DSL-IP) funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF-7) and supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The commissioning ceremony, held at the Community Technology Development Organisation (CTDO) in Harare, was officiated by the Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Hon. Evelyn Ndhlovu, with senior officials from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, FAO, project implementing partners and members of the development sector.

Speaking at the event, Hon. Ndhlovu said the provision of mechanised equipment marks a critical milestone in the Government’s efforts to transform agriculture in Zimbabwe’s most climate-vulnerable dryland regions, while safeguarding ecosystems and natural resources.

“Today’s commissioning represents a strategic shift from environmentally destructive coping practices towards productive, climate-smart and land-positive livelihoods. Mechanisation is not merely about increasing output. It is a powerful enabler of sustainable land management, reducing labour drudgery for women and youth while improving productivity and resilience,” said Hon. Dr. Ndhlovu.

Part of a global drylands programme

The DSL-IP project is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, through the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), with FAO as the GEF-accredited entity, in partnership with CTDO, World Vision, the Forestry Commission and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

The Zimbabwe child project forms part of a global FAO-led Drylands Sustainable Landscapes Impact Programme being implemented in eleven countries in Southern Africa, West Africa and Asia, supporting countries to meet their Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

“The equipment commissioned today builds on earlier distributions in 2025 that have significantly reduced labour requirements, improved timeliness of farm operations and encouraged wider adoption of sustainable practices, even beyond project-supported Farmer Field Schools,” noted Rene Czudek, FAO Forestry Officer Rene Czudek and Lead Technical Officer for the DSL-IP.

Scaling up farmer-centred mechanisation

A total of 1 050 additional pieces of small-scale agricultural equipment were commissioned, bringing the cumulative total to 1 960 units procured under the project. The equipment includes two-wheel tractors, double-furrow ploughs, planters, trailers, multi-crop threshers, earth augers and post-harvest processing machinery, and is supporting 600 Farmer Field Schools across the Save and Runde catchments.

The labour-saving technologies are benefiting 15 000 direct beneficiaries, of whom at least 52 percent are women, by improving land preparation, planting precision and post-harvest handling, while reducing pressure on forests, rangelands and riverbanks.

According to the Permanent Secretary for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Obert Jiri, in a speech read on his behalf, smallholder mechanisation is a key driver of agricultural modernisation and rural transformation.

“Research has shown that mechanisation enhances productivity through timeliness and precision of operations. By increasing output on existing arable land, it limits the expansion of agriculture into forests and fragile ecosystems, directly contributing to Zimbabwe’s land degradation neutrality commitments,” said Obert Jiri.

Delivering national and global commitments

The DSLIP contributes directly to National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) priorities on food security, climate resilience and rural development, while aligning with the Government’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa climate-smart agriculture programme and broader national mechanisation initiatives.

Across the Save and Runde landscapes, the project is expected to restore 2 150 hectares of degraded land, bring 172 540 hectares under improved sustainable land and forest management practices, mitigate 1.26 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen resilience across 44 wards in eight districts.

As the project approaches completion, stakeholders emphasised the importance of strong governance, maintenance systems and equitable access to ensure that the equipment continues to deliver benefits beyond the life of the project.

“Every piece of equipment commissioned today must translate into improved productivity, restored landscapes and dignified livelihoods for our rural citizens,” said Andrew Mushita, CTDO Director, in his remarks.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.