HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

WEDNESDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2014

EBOLA: MORE U.N. AID SUPPLIES EXPECTED IN SIERRA LEONE AND GUNIEA THIS WEEK

• The head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), Anthony Banbury, briefed the Security Council, stressing the need to accelerate the response and saying that Ebola got a head start on us and is winning the race. 
• Mr. Banbury said that, according to current projections, only 4,300 treatment beds will be available by 1 December, while 7,000 beds will be needed. He added that only 50 safe-burial teams are on the ground while 500 are required. 
• Today a German aircraft arrived at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, to be loaded with United Nations humanitarian supplies and equipment for delivery to Sierra Leone and Guinea later in the week. This is done under the coordination of UNMEER.
• Items include high-energy biscuits for people affected by the crisis and infrastructure equipment to set up the logistics chain for future aid delivery.
• A flight from the World Food Programme (WFP) is also en route to Liberia carrying 58 metric tons of supplies, including water tanks, washing units and generators.
• In Liberia, at the request of the Government and the World Health Organization (WHO) and WFP are doing groundwork for four Ebola Treatment Units in Monrovia with a total of 400 beds. Construction of two of the centres is expected to be completed by this weekend.  

MORE THAN 7,000 SYRIANS HAVE FLED KOBANE TO IRAQ SINCE LATE SEPTEMBER

• On Tuesday, nearly 1,500 refugees from Kobane, Syria, arrived in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Since 25 September, 7,318 people have arrived. The majority of these refugees are traveling through Turkey, where there are now about 200,000 Syrian refugees from Kobane.
• United Nations and non-governmental partners are assisting the new arrivals at the Ibrahim Khalil border before they are transferred by International Organization for Migration to the Arbat refugee camp in Sulaymaniyah Governorate.
• Until Tuesday, arrivals were transferred to the Gawilan refugee camp in Dohuk, which is now full with 5,400 refugees. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that between 10,000 and 15,000 people might cross into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from Kobane in the coming days.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXPECTED TO MEET ON SOMALIA AND ERITREA

• The Security Council will hold consultations at 3:00 p.m. today, beginning with discussions about the work of the sanctions committee dealing with Somalia and Eritrea.
• After that, Council members will hear from Terje Roed-Larsen on the implementation of resolution 1559, concerning Lebanon. Mr. Roed-Larsen intends to speak to reporters at the Council stakeout afterwards.

FOUR PEACEKEEPERS WOUNDED BY ATTACK IN BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

• The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reported that today a United Nations police patrol was ambushed by anti-Balaka elements in the Combattant neighbourhood (8th district) of Bangui.
• The peacekeepers returned fire. The attack resulted in four peacekeepers being wounded: three by grenade and one by gunfire. They were immediately transported to the mission’s hospital and are currently receiving medical care.

NEW HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT DETAILS SERIOUS VIOLATIONS BY CONGOLESE SECURITY FORCES

• A United Nations report released today details serious violations of human rights committed against civilians by Congolese security forces in the context of Operation “Likofi" in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between 15 November 2013 and 15 February 2014.
• The report is based on investigations conducted by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It documents the killing of at least 9 civilians and the enforced disappearance of at least 32 civilians by agents of the Congolese National Police.
• The total number of victims could be much higher since Human Rights officers faced various difficulties in their investigations into these violations. The High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called on the Congolese authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay.
• The Head of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Martin Kobler, stressed that these violations show how urgent it is to accelerate security sector reform and to establish strong accountability mechanisms within the Congolese police force.
• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report that a flare up in insecurity in North Kivu has forced more than 35,000 people from their homes since 1 September. This climate of insecurity stems from a string of clashes between armed groups and between the armed groups and the Congolese army.
• Insecurity is also a concern for aid agencies who work in the area, as humanitarian needs remain high. Food and essential household items were distributed ??to more than 50,000 displaced people last month.