United Nations Peacekeeping

Syria: UN officials deplore 'brutal' killing of civilians near Homs

Top United Nations officials on Saturday strongly condemned the killing of over 90 civilians, including 32 children, and the wounding of hundreds more in a village near Homs, and stressed that those responsible must be held accountable.

UN observers hold mediation meeting with opposition members in Syrian city of Douma

A team of UN observers today visited Douma, an opposition-controlled city in Syria, to initiate dialogue with opposition activists on the ground.

UN human rights probe panel reports continuing ‘gross’ violations in Syria

Gross human rights violations continue unabated in Syria, amid increasing militarization of the strife there, despite an earlier agreement by parties to the conflict to halt hostilities, the United Nations independent panel probing abuses in the country said in an update released today.

Somalia: UN calls for efforts to minimize civilian casualties in military operation

As military forces make their way into Somalia’s Afgooye corridor, the United Nations top humanitarian official for the east African country today reiterated his call for efforts to be made to minimize the impact of conflict on civilians.

DR Congo: UN steps up civilian protection after outbreak of violence

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has stepped up civilian protection measures following the latest outbreak of violence in the volatile North Kivu province, in the country’s east, where a former rebel leader indicted for war crimes instigated a mutiny last month, a UN official said today.

Ban and President of France discuss Syria and other issues at NATO summit

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today discussed various issues of global concern with President François Hollande of France, including the situation in Syria and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next month.

Airlift takes home thousands of South Sudanese citizens from Sudan — UN official

So far, some 4,200 of the estimated 12,000 South Sudanese who were stranded at a river port in Sudan for months awaiting transportation back to their country have been flown to Juba, in South Sudan, in an ongoing airlift, a senior United Nations official said today.

At NATO summit, Ban urges commitment to ‘enduring’ support for Afghanistan

While re-affirming the continued engagement of the United Nations in Afghanistan, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the country’s international partners to remain committed to supporting the Central Asian nation even as they pull out their troops.

UN peacekeeping chief in Syria to assess progress of military observers

The head of UN peacekeeping, Hervé Ladsous, today met with Syrian government and opposition group representatives in the city of Homs, during a visit to assess progress made on the ground by UN military observers.

Ban hails Timor-Leste’s ‘impressive advances’ on 10th independence anniversary

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated the people of Timor-Leste on the 10th anniversary of their country’s restoration of independence, hailing the «impressive advances» over the past decade, and noting that national institutions are now able to safeguard stability and democracy.

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