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Tag: UN

  • Zulum cuts short leave to receive foreign envoys, UN delegation in Maiduguri

    Zulum cuts short leave to receive foreign envoys, UN delegation in Maiduguri

    Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, on Tuesday suspended his annual leave to receive ambassadors from India, Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, Malaysia and Qatar in Maiduguri.

    The diplomatic delegation was accompanied by the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, as well as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bernard Doro.

    The visit provided development partners with an opportunity to evaluate the humanitarian conditions in Borno State, which has faced insurgency-related challenges for more than a decade.

    During the visit, the delegation inspected selected projects executed by the Zulum administration in the areas of education, healthcare and human capital development. The projects were showcased by the Acting Governor of the state, Umar Usman Kadafur.

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    Speaking after the tour, Fall praised Zulum’s infrastructure drive, noting that the state was recording meaningful progress despite persistent security concerns.

    “Beyond the headlines around security issues, there are transformative developments taking place in Borno State,” he said.

    Fall highlighted education programmes, girl-child education initiatives, vocational training centres and facilities for the treatment of malnutrition as critical measures designed to tackle the root causes of the crisis.

    He noted that sustained investment in education reflected the state government’s recognition that lasting stability depends on addressing factors fuelling conflict, particularly limited access to quality education.

    Similarly, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bernard Doro, expressed satisfaction with the pace of development in the state despite years of insurgency.

    “I am happy with what I have seen. Considering the crises the state has faced for over 10 years, the level of development is commendable,” Doro said.

    He praised the governor’s leadership, adding that the vocational training centres and comprehensive schools visited were equipped to empower beneficiaries and support poverty reduction efforts.

  • Sudan’s Prime Minister takes peace plan to UN

    Sudan’s Prime Minister takes peace plan to UN

    U.S. urges humanitarian truce now

    Sudan’s prime minister has proposed a wide-ranging peace initiative to end a nearly 1,000-day war with a rival paramilitary force, but the United States urged both sides to accept the Trump administration’s call for an immediate humanitarian truce.

    Kamil Idris, who heads Sudan’s transitional civilian government, told the Security Council his plan calls for a ceasefire monitored by the United Nations, African Union and Arab League, and the withdrawal of paramilitary forces from all areas they occupy, their placement in supervised camps and their disarmament, the Associated Press said.

    Sudan plunged into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting, with widespread mass killings and rapes, and ethnically motivated violence. This has amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the UN and international rights groups.

    It seemed highly unlikely the RSF would support the prime minister’s proposal, which would essentially give government forces a victory and take away their military power.

    Idris stressed to the UN Security Council that the government’s proposal is “homemade — not imposed on us.”

    In early November, the Rapid Support Forces agreed to a humanitarian truce. At that time, a Sudanese military official told The Associated Press the army would only agree to a truce when the RSF completely withdraws from civilian areas and gives up their weapons — key provisions in the plan Idris put forward on Monday.

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    Idris said unless the paramilitary forces were confined to camps, a truce had “no chance for success.” He challenged the 15 members of the Security Council to back his proposal.

    “This initiative can mark the moment when Sudan steps back from the edge and the international community — You! You! — stood on the right side of history,” the Sudanese prime minister said. He said the council should “be remembered not as a witness to collapse, but as a partner in recovery.”

    US deputy ambassador Jeffrey Bartos, who spoke to the council before Idris, said the Trump administration has offered a humanitarian truce as a way forward and “We urge both belligerents to accept this plan without preconditions immediately.”

    Bartos said the Trump administration strongly condemns the horrific violence across Darfur and the Kordofan region — and the atrocities committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, who must be held accountable.

    The devastating war in Sudan has killed more than 40,000 people according to UN figures, but aid groups say the true number could be many times higher. The conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with over 14 million people displaced, disease outbreaks and famine spreading in parts of the country.

  • Nigeria faults exclusion from Nicki Minaj’s UN event

    Nigeria faults exclusion from Nicki Minaj’s UN event

    Nigeria on Tuesday expressed concerns over the decision of the U.S. to exclude it from participating in the U.S. rapper Nicki Minaj event on alleged killings of Nigerians of a specific faith group.

    The Chargé d’Affaires, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, Mr Syndoph Endoni, said the decision to exclude Nigeria from the discussion, which held at the UN headquarters in New York, amounted to “shaving our head in our absence”.

    The Minaj event, which held at the UN headquarters in New York in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the U.S. to the UN, was against the background of the ongoing accusation by the U.S. alleging Christian persecution in Nigeria.

    U.S. President Donald Trump had recently designated Nigeria as “a Country of Particular Concern” over alleged Christian genocide in the country.

    The Nigerian envoy, however, refuted the ongoing accusations by the U.S. authorities alleging Christian genocide in Nigeria, which the Nigerian authorities have severally rejected.

    “It is important to ensure the country concerned in the ongoing allegations of genocide against Christians, is present, aware and has a voice in the matter.

    “This is because, you should not make important decisions or take action on something that involves a country without their presence or consent.”

    Endoni said by refusing Nigeria participation, the U.S. authorities had denying Nigeria the right and opportunity to tell its own side of the story.

    The Nigerian envoy expressed disappointment that a few countries were allowed participation at the event, querying the rationale for shutting Nigeria out.

    He said, “We asked the U.S. authorities if it was okay to continue to shave someone’s hair in his absence.

    “We further highlighted that the Nigerian government is not standing idly by to watch the atrocities perpetrated by the criminals”.

    In addition, the Nigerian envoy stressed that both countries can jointly solve the insecurity problems in Nigeria only if they work together.

    Endoni urged the U.S. to ensure inclusive engagements to avoid undue escalation over claims of persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the U.S. Senior Advisor for African Affairs, Amb. Patricia Mahoney had visited the Nigeria House in New York on Monday to intimate Syndoph about Minaj event.

    At the meeting, the U.S. representative informed Nigeria that three UN Member Countries were invited with other personalities, including a pastor from Nigeria.

    Read Also: Nicki Minaj to address UN on alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria

    However, she informed that no representative of the Nigerian government, including from the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, was invited.

    According to him, the U.S. envoy informed that the event was a private event.

    The Nigerian envoy expressed concerns over the U.S.’ actions of naming and shaming, saying it is capable of causing apprehensions in the country.

    NAN reports that the main reason Nigeria was denied participation was to honour the participants specific request not to allow Nigerian officials for fears of retribution for them and their families.

    However, the envoy said the Nigerian authorities would continue to engage their U.S. counterparts over the killings by extremists and to collaborate to protect lives and property in Nigeria.

    (NAN)

  • UN Security Council adopts Trump’s plan for Gaza

    UN Security Council adopts Trump’s plan for Gaza

    The UN Security Council on Monday adopted a resolution that endorsed a peace plan for Gaza put forward by United States President Donald Trump and a temporary international force in the enclave following two years of war.

    Resolution 2803 (2025) received 13 votes in favour and none against, with permanent members China and Russia abstaining.

    The text of the resolution welcomes the Comprehensive Plan announced by Trump on September 29.

    The first phase of the 20-point plan led to the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel days later.

    The resolution also welcomes the establishment of a Board of Peace (BoP) “as a transitional administration” in Gaza that will coordinate reconstruction efforts.

    It authorizes the BoP to establish a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza “to deploy under unified command acceptable to the BoP”.

    Countries will contribute personnel to the force “in close consultation and cooperation” with Egypt and Israel.

    U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, after the vote said,

    “Thank you for joining us in charting a new course in the Middle East for Israelis and Palestinians and all the people of the region alike”.

    “Today’s resolution represents another significant step towards a stable Gaza that will be able to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security.”

    He said the ISF “will stabilise the security environment, support the demilitarisation of Gaza, dismantle terrorist infrastructure, decommission weapons and maintain the safety of Palestinian civilians.”

    Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama acknowledged the efforts undertaken by President Trump in advancing peace worldwide.

    Bendjama, however, stressed that genuine peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved “without justice for the Palestinian people who have waited for decades for the establishment of their independent State.”

    He noted that the text has received the support of Arab and Muslim countries and that “the Palestinian Authority at the highest level has openly welcomed the initiative”.

    In explaining Russia’s decision to abstain, Amb. Vasily Nebenzya said the Council was in essence “giving its blessing to a U.S. initiative on the basis of Washington’s promises”.

    The Russian diplomat added that the Council was “giving complete control over the Gaza Strip to the Board of Peace and the ISF, the modalities of which we know nothing about so far.”

    (NAN)

  • Nicki Minaj to address UN on alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria

    Nicki Minaj to address UN on alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria

    American rapper Nicki Minaj is set to speak at a United Nations event in New York on Tuesday, addressing jihadist violence against Christians in Nigeria.

    Time senior political correspondent Eric Cortellessa disclosed this via X.

    Minaj will be joined by US Ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz, and Alex Bruesewitz, a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump.

    Ambassador Waltz praised Minaj, saying she’s “not only arguably the greatest female recording artist, but also a principled individual who refuses to remain silent in the face of injustice”.

    He added, “I’m grateful she’s leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria, and I look forward to standing with her as we discuss the steps the President and his administration are taking to end the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters”.

    Minaj expressed gratitude for the opportunity, stating she won’t “stand down in the face of injustice” and believes her influence serves a greater purpose.

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    She wrote, “Ambassador, I am so grateful to be entrusted with an opportunity of this magnitude. I do not take it for granted. It means more than you know.

    “The Barbz & I will never stand down in the face of injustice. We’ve been given our influence by God. There must be a bigger purpose”.

    The event followed Trump’s claim of an ongoing “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, leading to the country being designated a “Country of Particular Concern”.

    The Nigerian government denies allegations of religious violence, attributing insecurity to criminal activities.

  • WDoR: WHO, UN call for more action on road safety

    WDoR: WHO, UN call for more action on road safety

    As the world marks the World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims, the World Health Organization and the United Nations have called on countries to prioritise and commit to reducing road deaths by 2030. 

    This was stated in different statements by the Director, Department of Health determinants, promotion and prevention, Dr Etienne Krug, and the United Nations Secretary-General Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt. 

    According to Krug, there is a need for the government to make road safety a political priority and ensure sustained funding and advance action to achieve the goal of halving road deaths by 2030.

    He stated that everyone has a role to play in prioritizing safety and calling for urgent action: “Road safety is a crisis that has gone on for far too long, and no road death can ever be acceptable.”

    The Director, who applauded the advocacies by families and survivors of road traffic crashes across the world, said that this has led to changed hearts, minds, and decisions, declaring that victims and their loved ones deserve nothing less than the best.

    “You inspire us by transforming trauma into action. Your stories bring more people to our cause, your advocacy changes hearts, minds, and decisions, and you are leaders in our world to build safe streets for people all over the world. Thank you for all you do to make our roads safer and avoid further tragedies.”

    Krug noted that the world is already at the midpoint of the decade of action for Road Safety 2021-2030, adding that if more efforts are put into policies and political will, the goal of halving road deaths by 2030 can still be achieved.

    In his statement, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, said that the number of road deaths annually is equal to the population of Canada every year, stressing that this cannot be accepted as the world cannot continue to measure progress in premises where lives are being lost every hour.

    “In 2025, road crashes are still the number one killer for ages 5 – 29. These are children; how can we let it happen, and yet the lives lost and changed forever remain invisible? This is the cost of using the world’s roads, and it is unacceptable.”

    Todt lamented that, based on how things are going regarding road safety in countries, the goal to reduce road deaths by 50 per cent by 2030 may not be achieved, asking all hands to be on deck to make the goal to be.

    “We must respect laws, build safe infrastructure, and enforce safe road user behaviour as if the lives of our children depend on it because they do. Government must act, industries must innovate responsibly, and citizens must hold them to account. 

    “On this World Day of Remembrance, we mourn those we have lost, but mourning is not enough. The greatest tribute we can offer is to finally address this silent pandemic.

    On November 16 every year, the world comes together to remember those who lost their lives in road crashes. The global tagline for the day until 2030 is Remember, Support and Act while the 2025 theme is “Lost talents”.

    For each life lost or forever changed in a road crash, it takes away dreams, creativity, and potential, which are talents that the world will never see again.

    The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is commemorated in more than 100 countries around the globe. Activities include candlelight vigils, art exhibitions, community walks, and remembrance ceremonies.

    In Nigeria, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) collaborated with Kwapda’as Road Safety Demand (KRSD) to hold a symbolic walking and jogging exercise to mark the 2025 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and the International Road Crash Victims African Conference. 

    The event brought together stakeholders, advocates, survivors, and community members in a united call for safer roads and stronger preventive measures across the nation.

    The FRSC also held a solemn Juma’a prayer session at Labadidi Muslim community Juma’a mosque, where the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, represented by the Assistant Corps Marshal in charge of the Corps Transport Standardization Office, Hafiz Muhammed, reaffirmed its commitment to honouring victims, supporting survivors, and strengthening the national resolve to prevent avoidable tragedies on our roads.

  • UN, EU pledge support for improved human rights protection in Nigeria

    UN, EU pledge support for improved human rights protection in Nigeria

    The United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) have pledged their support for efforts aimed at strengthening human rights protection in the country.

    They commended the effort of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for its consistent promotion of human rights in the country and for ensuring that cases of rights violations are addressed.

    The UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, and the Deputy Head, European Union (EU) Delegate to Nigeria, Zissimos Vergos, spoke for both organisations in Abuja on Monday during the unveiling of NHRC’s 30th anniversary logo as part of activities marking the commission’s 30 years of existence.

    Fall said, “For us in the UN family, it is a thing of joy to join in this celebration of 30 years of courage, 30 years of service, 30 years of unwavering commitment to human dignity.”

    He noted that the NHRC was established to guarantee the rights enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and in the global treaty and the regional framework for the protection of human rights.

    Fall observed that the NHRC has grown from a little beginning to become a pillar of justice for every Nigerian who seeks protection from rights violations and every Nigerian who seeks justice for rights abuses.

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    He added, “Looking up to the next years, may the National Human Rights Commission deepen its legacy, strengthen its partnership and advance human rights to every corner of Nigeria, for every Nigerian and for everyone who finds home in this great nation.

    “May the National Human Rights Commission continue to be a beacon of justice for every Nigerian and for everyone who calls this land home,” Fall said.

    Vergos noted that as Nigeria continues on a dynamic path of development and reform, the NHRC’s work is more crucial now than ever before.

    He said the NHRC must see itself as a vital bridge between the citizens and the government, providing a mechanism for redress and providing succour for victims of rights violations.

    Vergos equally noted that the responsibility of the commission transcends the protection of individuals’ rights, but extends to the promotion of peace for the stability and development of the country.

    He said the EU is proud to associate with the NHRC and assured of his organisation’s continued support for the activities of the commission.

    NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), noted that the commission has come a long way and has greatly evolved to become a reference point in rights protection.

    Ojukwu said it was the aspiration of the management of the commission to elevate it to a level where it would become a leading human rights commission in Africa.

    He sought media support for the commission’s assignment and spoke against the abuse of journalists’ rights.

    Ojukwu said, “As we commemorate the 2025 International Day to End Impunity Against Journalists, we must also confront the troubling realities facing our media community.

    “The commission strongly condemns any attempts aimed at shrinking the civic space, the increasing wave of violence, intimidation, and arbitrary arrests targeting journalists across the country.

    “Attacks on journalists are attacks on our democracy and on the public right to know. The NHRC remains steadfast in its mission to protect the rights of media professionals and to ensure accountability for perpetrators of such violations.

    “Going forward, the commission will intensify its efforts to monitor and document violations against journalists, while deepening collaboration with media organisations, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), civil society organizations, and international partners.

    “Together, we aim to enhance safety awareness and establish rapid response mechanisms for the protection of journalists,” Ojukwu said.

  • Why violent-extremism persists in West Africa, Sahel – UN

    Why violent-extremism persists in West Africa, Sahel – UN

    The United Nations (UN) Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, said the absence of dialogue and interaction among communities has been the fertile ground for radicalisation of youth, who are then used to engage in violent extremism.

    Chambas said this at the ongoing Maiden West Africa Islamic Conference on Security and Governance, in Abuja, with the theme: “The Role of Islamic Organisations in Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in West Africa and the Sahel.”

    He defined radicalisation as the act of brainwashing someone with the view to render the person intolerant of other experiences and views.

    According to Chambas, the world is experiencing unprecedented violence and conflicts, driven by interstate conflicts, civil wars, systematic abuses of power, unconstitutional changes of government, interfaith and intra-religious tensions, ethno-tribal communal disputes, and sheer acts of terrorism and banditry, with many countries and peoples being subjected to untold suffering and insecurity.

    He said: “The unwillingness to appreciate the existence of the other among communities across the world has bred gross intolerance, extremism, violent agitations, conflicts and oppression. These have been the key drivers of insecurity and lack of positive peace across the globe today.”

    Chambas, who is also the African Union (AU) High Representative for “Silencing the Guns”, a flagship initiative of the AU Agenda 2063 designed to end wars and violent conflicts across the continent, quoted the 2024 Global Terrorism Index, saying the Sahel accounted for 19 percent of all terrorist attacks worldwide and 51 percent of global terrorism-related deaths in 2024.

    “Our West Africa subregion has been under fire due to lack of effective interaction and dialogue among the diverse ethnic and religious communities,” Chambas said. 

    “The lack of engagement among members of the same ethnic or religious persuasions has bred unnecessary tensions, which in some cases has resulted in violent extremism leading to loss of lives and properties. 

    “It is therefore fitting that communities and community stakeholders, such as religious leaders, traditional leaders, among others, are put at the centre of the resilience push so as to fashion out a bottom-up approach to fighting this menace.

    “We therefore need deliberate, practical peace education and awareness that engenders good relationships within and without communities to lay the foundation for sustainable development.”

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    The UN official emphasized that religious leaders, imams, scholars, and traditional authorities are uniquely positioned to provide this moral compass, guiding communities towards peace and countering extremist ideologies.

    “Good communal practises and sharing of experiences in the management of territories and vulnerabilities of communities among and within the communities is a crucial tool to becoming resilient against these incessant attacks.

    “Through the Silencing the Guns Initiative, the African Union underscores that peace cannot be achieved by force, but by peaceful means. It requires moral authority, spiritual guidance, and inclusive engagement,” he said.

    ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Dr. Abdel-Fatau Musah, urged that Islamic organisations and Islamic leaders in West Africa and the Sahel to focus on educating the youths against extremism by inculcating the culture of peace through their schools and learning institutions across the region, “to imbue in them the love for each other, for their neighbour, through peace education, and to make sure that we keep enhancing social cohesion across our region.”

  • Thousands flee as Sudan conflict spreads east from Darfur, says UN

    Thousands flee as Sudan conflict spreads east from Darfur, says UN

    •ICC prosecutors probing reports of mass killings in al-Fashir

    Over 36,000 Sudanese civilians have fled towns and villages in the Kordofan region east of Darfur, according to the UN, as the paramilitary warned that its forces were massing along a new front line.

    This is as the International Criminal Court prosecutors said yesterday they are collecting evidence of alleged mass killings and rapes after paramilitary Rapid Support Forces seized al-Fashir – the last stronghold of the military in Sudan’s Darfur region.

    In recent weeks, the central Kordofan region has become a new battleground in the two-year war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

    Central Kordofan is strategic because it is located between Sudan’s Darfur provinces and the area around the capital Khartoum.

    The widening of the war comes just over a week after the RSF took control of El-Fasher — the army’s last stronghold in Darfur.

    The RSF has set up a rival administration there, contesting the pro-army government operating out of the Red Sea city of Port Sudan.

    Read Also: US Trump’s claim on Christian persecution in Nigeria exaggerated – Archbishop Borokini

    In a statement late Sunday, the UN’s migration agency said an estimated 36,825 people have fled five localities in North Kordofan between October 26 and 31.

    Residents yesterday reported a heavy surge in both RSF and army forces across towns and villages in North Kordofan.

    The army and the RSF, at war since April 2023, are vying for El-Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a key logistics and command hub that links Darfur to Khartoum, and hosts an airport.

    The RSF claimed control of Bara, a city north of El-Obeid last week.

    “Today, all our forces have converged on the Bara front here,” an RSF member said in a video shared by the RSF on its official Telegram page late on Sunday, “advising civilians to steer clear of military sites”.

  • ‘Broad collaboration key to meeting UN Sustainable Goals’

    ‘Broad collaboration key to meeting UN Sustainable Goals’

    United Nations Association of Nigeria (UNA-Nigeria) has said broad and intentional collaboration at all levels of society is an essential ingredient, if United Nations Sustainable Development Goals were to be achieved by 2030.

    These, among others, were submissions as UNA-Nigeria  marked 80 years of United Nations (UN@80) and UNA-Nigeria Day in Lagos.

    The two-day event with the theme: “Fostering Social Collaboration for Sustainable Future”, and sub-theme:  “Shaping Our Future Together”, was held at Nigeria Institute of the International Affairs (NIIA).

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    President of UNA-Nigeria, Prof. Oluremi Olutimo, regretted that Africans tended to shun collaboration, a habit which he said had hindered development over the years.

    “There is this ugly belief that when you collaborate your idea will be stolen. Even if such ideas are stolen, it is for the benefit of the society because for someone to steal from you it means you are better than him.

    “We must resist the temptation to go to the grave with ideas that should have helped the society,” he said. Promoting public private partnership with the slogan “Leave no one behind”, he added, was a project which everyone must key into.

    Delivering his address, Prof. Efem Ubi, director of Studies at NIIA, said collaboration had become a sine qua non for survival, as no nation could go it alone.