DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In a statement, the Secretary-General strongly condemns the attacks by Coopérative pour le développement du Congo (CODECO) militias on the Savo camp for internally displaced persons in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attacks left at least 58 civilians dead and 36 injured.
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) deployed a patrol to the site and exchanged fire with the assailants. The Mission conducted joint operations with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the CONGO (FARDC) into the morning hours of 2 February, pushing the assailants out of the area and securing the site to prevent further attacks.
The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a swift recovery to the injured. He calls on the Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents and bring those responsible to justice, noting the reprehensible nature of these attacks on a site where civilians who had already been displaced by conflict had sought protection and humanitarian assistance.
The Secretary-General reiterates that the United Nations, through his Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will continue to support the Congolese Government and people in their efforts to bring about peace and stability.
In an update on the situation, we have been informed that UN peacekeepers are continuing to conduct robust patrols in the area. They have also reinforced their Temporary Operating Base in the area with troops from Bunia. These additional troops will focus on providing security around the Savo site for displaced people – the one attacked earlier this week.
Yesterday, the UN mission mobilized two helicopters to facilitate the medical evacuation to Bunia of 19 wounded civilians, while humanitarian workers provided medical supplies.
The UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, is also telling us they have maintained communication with the military Governor of the province of Ituri, to discuss security arrangements and an increased presence of national security forces. The Mission also engaged with the Territorial Administrator and key stakeholders at the local and provincial levels, including leaders of the Hema and Lendu communities, to urge them to intervene to de-escalate tensions and prevent an increase of communal violence in the Djugu territory, where the Savo IDP site is located.
In a separate statement, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed their horror at Tuesday’s attack.
IOM and UNHCR teams in Ituri are coordinating with other humanitarian actors to scale up the emergency response.
The site, which is managed by UNHCR and partner CARITAS, hosted more than 20,000 displaced people, including more than 13,000 children. Many of the site’s residents have fled to Bule town, three kilometers away.
SECRETARY-GENERAL’S TRAVELS
The Secretary-General arrived earlier today in Beijing, where he will be attending the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics tomorrow. He will deliver a video message at the opening of the Olympics Ceremony, which we will share with you under embargo later this evening.
As you know, while in Beijing, he will also meet with the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, and Chinese authorities.
The Secretary-General is expected to be back in New York on Sunday, the 6th of February.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL’S TRAVELS
Today, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will travel to Dublin, Ireland to deliver on Friday the Carmichael Lecture at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She will also meet with national authorities.
On Friday afternoon, she will proceed to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend, on behalf of the Secretary-General, the 35th ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union.
She will also visit some regions of the country and meet with senior officials of the Government of Ethiopia, the UN country team, members of the diplomatic community and other stakeholders.
The Deputy Secretary-General will return to New York on 9 February.
WEST AFRICA AND THE SAHEL
The Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, was in Ghana today to take part in the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the political situation in Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea.
In his remarks, Mr. Annadif reaffirmed our support to ECOWAS’ efforts to help these three countries. Turning to the situation in Burkina Faso, he stressed the importance of coordinating efforts by ECOWAS, the African Union, and the UN to ensure a swift transition.
On Guinea, Mr. Annadif encouraged the transition authorities to ensure a peaceful and inclusive transition.
SOUTHERN AFRICA
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that we and our partners are stepping up our support in the wake of Tropical Storm Ana, which led to destruction and loss of life in several countries in southern Africa.
In Madagascar, we are helping people displaced by flooding by providing cash, food, water, sanitation and hygiene items, as well as health, protection and camp management services.
In Mozambique, our partners have distributed health supplies for 100,000 people for two months. They have also deployed additional staff to support the response, while aid agencies are also helping the Government in Malawi.
Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai is expected to make landfall in Madagascar this weekend, after having passed through Mauritius.
Our colleagues anticipate that the cyclone’s landfall in Madagascar will have a significant impact, including in areas that are still recovering from the effects of Tropical Storm Ana, and preparations are underway.
COVID-19/AFRICA
The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that, although COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Africa have increased, the continent is struggling to expand rollout, with only 11 per cent of the population fully vaccinated.
WHO says that the vaccination rate needs to increase by six times if the continent is to meet the 70 per cent target set for the middle of this year. To date, Africa has received more than 587 million doses.
WHO, UNICEF, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and our partners are launching a new initiative aimed at resolving bottlenecks.
WHO and its partners are working with countries to urgently fix operational challenges, including supporting health workers to speed up vaccine delivery, save lives and beat back this pandemic.
AFGHANISTAN/COVID-19
We have an update from Afghanistan, where our UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov, continues to support people by boosting COVID-19 vaccination and offering technical support through the COVAX Facility.
Our team in Afghanistan notes that since the beginning of this year new samples have resulted in a nearly 40 per cent positivity rate. According to WHO, since February 2020, more than 163,000 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Afghanistan, with a total of 7,417 COVID-related deaths.
With support from the UN team, more than 5.1 million people have been vaccinated – nearly half of them women. Of these, nearly 4 million have been fully vaccinated and more than a million people are scheduled to get a second dose.
FOOD PRICE INDEX
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today said that world food prices went up in January, largely catalyzed by supply-side constraints for vegetable oils. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 135.7 points in January, 1.1 percent higher than in December.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, and with eight years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations is coming together to mobilize action for a resilient recovery guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at today’s inaugural UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Coordination Segment.
The Coordination Segment will be held today and tomorrow and addresses the annual theme: “Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” The segment will provide policy guidance towards the high-level segment of ECOSOC and the High-level Political Forum (HLPF), which will be held in July.
HONOUR ROLL
Today, we thank our friends in Vilnius for their country’s full payment to the regular budget. Lithuania’s contribution takes the Honour Roll to 44.
