HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 02 JANUARY 2018
 
D.R. CONGO: SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR RESTRAINT, RESPECT FOR RIGHT TO PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY FOLLOWING DEADLY PROTESTS

• The Secretary-General expressed concern about reports of the violent dispersion of protests by national security forces in Kinshasa and a number of cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in the death of at least five people, the wounding of several others and the arrest of over 120 persons.
• The Secretary-General called on the Government and national security forces to exercise restraint and to uphold the rights of the Congolese people to the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.
• The Secretary-General urged all Congolese political actors to remain fully committed to the 31 December 2016 political agreement, which remains the only viable path to the holding of elections, the peaceful transfer of power and the consolidation of stability in the DRC.

• The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reports that the security situation in Paoua in Ouham-Pendé prefecture remains tense following an anti-Balaka attack against the Muslim community this past Sunday.
• Two individuals were killed and 800 civilians sought refuge around the MINUSCA camp.
• MINUSCA deployed reinforcements to Paoua to enhance the protection of civilians in the town. Peacekeepers are also patrolling the area to defuse tensions.  

• The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Peter de Clercq, expressed deep concern yesterday over reports of the unannounced destruction of internally displaced persons (IDPs) settlements, along with humanitarian infrastructure in K13, Kahda District of Banadir, in Mogadishu.
• Over 23 settlements, housing over 4,000 IDP households, were destroyed. Personal property and livelihoods have been lost as people were not given time to collect their belongings before the destruction started.
• An assessment was carried out today to establish the immediate needs of the displaced and where the people have settled. Some partners have already started providing assistance, such as clean water. Additional response activities, including provision of temporary sanitation facilities and distribution of hygiene kits, are in the pipeline.
• Throughout Somalia, more than two million people are displaced due to drought and conflict, including one million newly displaced in 2017 alone. Displaced people constitute one-third of the 6.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

• A total of 69 Iraqi civilians (not including police) were killed and another 142 wounded in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in December 2017, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
• This compares with 63 civilians killed and 140 wounded in November. 
• Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate, with 122 civilian casualties.
• Ján Kubiš, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, expressed his hope that, as we move in the new year, these figures will fall rapidly as much-needed peace and stability return to Iraq.