SUDAN: SECRETARY-GENERAL
DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT REPORTED CLASHES IN ABYEI

• The
  Secretary-General is deeply
  
  concerned by the recent reports of clashes
  in the Abyei area. The Secretary-General
  condemns the reported loss of life and calls
  upon the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan
  People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) leadership
  to maintain calm and ensure that this issue is
  resolved through peaceful dialogue.
   

• The UN
  Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
  has intensified its patrolling activities on the
  ground and is on standby to reinforce its
  peacekeeping presence if the need arises. The
  Mission, in consultation with other
  stakeholders, is engaging the parties to defuse
  tensions and prevent further escalation.
   

• The
  Secretary-General urges both sides to resume and
  conclude negotiations on Abyei as a matter of
  priority.
   

• Asked
  about recent unrest in the South, the
  Spokesperson noted that on Monday, a convoy of
  23 buses and five trucks carrying about 1,000
  returnees coming from the North to Aweil was
  detained by Misseriya tribes in Dabib in
  Southern Kordofan State.
   

• The
  Governor of Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State has
  said that the returnees are being abused and
  their belongings stolen. He has requested that
  UNMIS in Southern Kordofan press the Sudan Armed
  Forces and police to intervene immediately to
  lift the restriction of movement of the
  returnees, currently under detention.
  
   

• 
  Asked about a recent attack, Nesirky said that
  
  UNMIS is aware of reported attack on a convoy of
  returnees to southern Sudan; however the mission
  is not in a position to confirm the number of
  killed. UNMIS is in the process of verifying
  this incident.
   

• Asked
  about the transport on a UN helicopter of an
  Abyei official wanted by the International
  Criminal Court, the Spokesperson said that the
  UN Mission is mandated to provide good offices
  to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)
  parties in their efforts to resolve their
  differences through dialogue and negotiations.
  UNMIS has been working with the parties,
  including the local authorities, to contain any
  potential violence which may escalate.
   

• Nesirky
  said that clashes in Abyei were ongoing and
  threatening to escalate to wider war. Governor
  Harun was critical to bring the Misseriya
  leaders in Southern Kordofan to peace meeting in
  Abyei to stop further clashes and killings.
   

• In
  accordance with its mandate, he said, the
  Mission will continue to provide the necessary
  support to those key players in their pursuit to
  find a peaceful solution.

SECRETARY-GENERAL’S PANEL
CONTINUES MONITORING REFERENDA AS VOTING ENTERS
THIRD DAY

• The
  Secretary-General's Panel on the Referenda in
  the Sudan today continued its monitoring of the
  Southern Sudan referendum as voting entered a
  third day. The three Panel members visited
  numerous polling centres and met with referendum
  authorities and voters in the states of South
  Darfur, Upper Nile and Western Bahr el-Ghazal.
   

• The
  Panel's Chairman, former Tanzanian President
  Benjamin Mkapa, who visited South Darfur, told
  journalists in the state capital, Nyala, that he
  was impressed with the organization of the
  polling, including the training of staff at the
  referendum centres.
   

• He said
  he was sure that the outcome of the polling this
  week would reflect the true feelings of the
  registered voters in South Darfur.
   

• He
  expressed the hope that when the counting starts
  on 15 January, the process of tabulating and
  aggregation and the final announcement would be
  as smooth and transparent as the voting.
   

• On
  Wednesday, the Panel members will travel to
  other states across Sudan as they continue to
  monitor the referendum process.

U.N.-SUPPORTED HUMANITARIAN
TEAM WRAPS UP TWO-DAY VISIT TO WESTERN CÔTE D’IVOIRE

• A
  humanitarian country team comprising UN agencies
  and non-governmental organizations has completed
  a two-day visit to western
  
  Côte d’Ivoire, where the team assessed the
  needs of more than 16,000 displaced persons. The
  UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Ndolamb Ngokwey,
  reminded local authorities of the need to ensure
  the protection of civilians and comply with
  human rights standards.
   

• The
  inter-agency mission also handed over supplies
  of medicines and non-food items to the Catholic
  Mission of Duékoué, which is providing shelter
  for thousands of the displaced.
   

• The UN
  Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
  is building a new refugee camp for Ivorians in
  eastern Liberia. The agency says that there are
  now some 25,000 Ivorian refugees in Liberia,
  with around 600 people arriving each day.
   

• The new
  camp, in the town of Bahn, can house some 18,000
  refugees initially. The site will provide
  services including health, water, sanitation,
  and schooling.  Meanwhile, the agency continues
  to deliver aid to villages where refugees are
  located.
   

• Asked
  about the recent blocking of a UN convoy, the
  Spokesperson said that the UN Mission in Côte
  d’Ivoire (UNOCI)
  reports that on 10 January, a UNOCI logistics
  convoy comprising four civilian trucks was
  stopped at the checkpoint near the American
  Embassy in Abidjan on its way to re-supply the
  Golf Hotel.
   

• A few
  minutes later, three vehicles with some 20
  Defense and Security Force (FDS) elements
  arrived at the location. A crowd of several
  hundred gathered which included five additional
  vehicles with some 50 elements of FDS, police
  and gendarmerie.
   

• Nesirky
  said that four civilians who were part of the UN
  convoy were taken into custody. Meanwhile, the
  crowd began looting the items from the vehicles.
  UNOCI elements left to bring reinforcements and
  when they returned, the three civilian trucks
  and the four drivers were missing.
   

• UNOCI is
  in direct contact with the FDS leadership to
  ascertain their whereabouts. The Mission is
  investigating the incident and is also putting
  in place measures in order to mitigate the risk
  of such incidents occurring in the future.
   

• Asked
  about prospects for a unity government, the
  Spokesperson underscored that the will of the
  people needs to be respected and that Laurent
  Gbagbo accordingly needs to step down.

CÔTE D’IVOIRE: SECURITY
COUNCIL VOICES SUPPORT FOR REGIONAL EFFORTS TO
PEACEFULLY RESOLVE CRISIS

• In a
  press statement issued on Monday evening, the
  members of the
  
  Security Council expressed their support for
  the efforts by the African Union and the
  Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
  in seeking a peaceful resolution of the crisis
  in Côte d’Ivoire.
   

• Security
  Council members expressed their deep concern
  over continued violence and human rights
  violations in Côte d’Ivoire, including against
  UN peacekeepers, and condemned deliberate
  attempts to impede the United Nations Operation
  in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI)
  from fulfilling its mandate, including the
  protection of civilians and the investigation of
  reported atrocities. 
   

• In this
  context, the members of the Security Council
  strongly condemned and demanded an immediate
  halt to the use of media, especially via
  Radiodiffusion-Télévision ivoirienne (RTI), to
  propagate false information to incite hatred and
  violence, including against the United Nations.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TRAVEL TO
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, OMAN

• The
  Secretary-General will travel to the United Arab
  Emirates (U.A.E.) and to Oman during
  mid-January.
   

• The
  Secretary-General will attend the fourth annual
  World Future Energy Summit (WFES) that will be
  held in Abu Dhabi from 17-20 January to discuss
  renewable and future energy solutions,
  innovations, investments, and policy. While in
  the U.A.E., the Secretary-General will meet with
  U.A.E. leaders and visit Masdar City.
   

• From Abu
  Dhabi, the Secretary-General will travel to
  Muscat. In Oman, the Secretary-General will pay
  an official visit and meet with leaders of the
  country. Among subjects of common interest will
  be the forthcoming Decade of Action for Road
  Safety.

U.N. CONTINUES ITS
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE AS ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF
HAITI QUAKE APPROACHES

• 
  Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of the
  
  Haiti earthquake, and the United Nations’
  humanitarian response continues.
   

• At
  present, 810,000 people, out of the 1.5 million
  left homeless by the earthquake, live in
  spontaneous and organized sites. More than
  31,000 transitional shelters were built. Between
  February and November of last, 240,000 people
  were employed through Cash-for-work and
  Food-for-work programmes.
   

• Some
  2,100 damaged schools – that’s 68 percent - were
  cleared of debris. 1.1 million children received
  daily meals through the National School Feeding
  Programme.
   

• Ninety
  percent of internally displaced people in
  Port-au-Prince have access to health clinics.
  
   

• High
  Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and
  Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP),
  
  Josette Sheeran, have issued statements on
  the occasion of the one-year anniversary.
   

• Asked
  about the origins of the cholera outbreak, the
  Spokesperson noted the formation of an
  independent panel that will look into how the
  outbreak originated.

SRI LANKA: U.N. ASSISTING WITH
HUMANITARIAN ASSESSMENT IN WAKE OF FLOODS

• In Sri
  Lanka, continuous rains since 26 December have
  caused floods, land and rock and mud slides and
  displacement, mainly in the eastern and central
  parts of the island state.
   

• Initial
  area assessments have been conducted in the past
  24 hours in several affected districts.
  Preliminary findings include assistance needed
  in the areas of food, non-food items, and water,
  sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
   

• Today,
  an assessment is being carried out by the Sri
  Lankan Government’s Disaster Management Centre
  with the support of the UN Humanitarian Country
  Team across all affected districts in the East,
  North and Central Provinces. More information
  about the situation and current needs will be
  available in the next few days.
   

• The
  World Food Programme (WFP),
  the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
  and the World Health Organization (WHO)
  are also all active on the ground.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

BAN KI-MOON
CALLS FOR RESTRAINT, RESPECT FOR FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION IN TUNISIA:
In response
to questions, the Spokesperson said that the
Secretary-General is concerned about the escalation
of violent clashes between security forces and
protestors in Tunisia, and the resulting deaths and
injuries. The Secretary-General calls for restraint
and urges all parties to seek to resolve differences
through dialogue. He underscores the importance of
full respect for freedom of expression.

MEMBER
STATES TO BE INFORMED ABOUT CLOSURE OF BANK
ACCOUNTS:
Asked about
the close of bank accounts for Member States’ United
States missions by one US bank, the Spokesperson
said that this was a matter for Member States to
resolve with the host country. A US diplomat is
expected to brief UN Missions about the matter, he
added.