The dictator Kagame at UN

The dictator Kagame at UN
Dictators like Kagame who have changed their national constitutions to remain indefinitely on power should not be involved in UN high level and global activities including chairing UN meetings

Why has the UN ignored its own report about the massacres of Hutu refugees in DRC ?

The UN has ignored its own reports, NGOs and media reports about the massacres of hundreds of thousands of Hutu in DRC Congo (estimated to be more than 400,000) by Kagame when he attacked Hutu refugee camps in Eastern DRC in 1996. This barbaric killings and human rights violations were perpetrated by Kagame’s RPF with the approval of UK and USA and with sympathetic understanding and knowledge of UNHCR and international NGOs which were operating in the refugees camps. According to the UN, NGO and media reports between 1993 and 2003 women and girls were raped. Men slaughtered. Refugees killed with machetes and sticks. The attacks of refugees also prevented humanitarian organisations to help many other refugees and were forced to die from cholera and other diseases. Other refugees who tried to return to Rwanda where killed on their way by RFI and did not reach their homes. No media, no UNHCR, no NGO were there to witness these massacres. When Kagame plans to kill, he makes sure no NGO and no media are prevent. Kagame always kills at night.

21 Jun 2016

[afrocarpus] UN DAILY NEWS from the UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE /20 June, 2016

 

UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE

20 June, 2016

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________




UN EMERGENCY FUND ALLOCATES $15 MILLION TO SUPPORT PEOPLE FLEEING FALLUJAH

The top United Nations relief official chief today released $15 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to provide urgent life-saving assistance for people affected by the recent fighting and military operations in Fallujah.

"People escaping Fallujah are in desperate need of assistance now, this minute. We must act fast before this situation becomes a humanitarian catastrophe. These funds are time critical; however they only offer a small portion of what is urgently needed," said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, in a statement issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"I call on donors to immediately support our humanitarian response and leverage this CERF allocation with additional resources so that together we can effectively address the growing humanitarian needs throughout Iraq," he added.

Since this past month, more than 85,000 people have been forced to flee the city, displacing families from their homes, communities and livelihoods. Those remaining in the city face dire shortages of food, medicine, electricity and safe drinking water, OCHA said.

"The families who have managed to flee Fallujah have escaped with nothing: they need everything," warned Lise Grande, Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq.

"Humanitarian partners are working around the clock to provide shelter, water, health care, household kits and specialized support for the victims of gender and sexual-based violence. This CERF grant will allow us to rapidly scale up our efforts, so it could not be more timely," she added.

Temperatures in the region are averaging 115 degrees Fahrenheit and rising. Many people are unable to access clean drinking water, and shade is limited, while already vulnerable communities are more susceptible to outbreaks of communicable diseases and there is a real risk of a cholera outbreak, OCHA said.

Response efforts will include improvements to hygiene and sanitation in order to help prevent the spread of disease.

OCHA indicated that the CERF funds will enable the UN humanitarian agencies in Iraq, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the Office of the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Health Organization (WHO), to quickly assist the newly displaced people.

OCHA is working with the Government of Iraq to quickly set up camps to provide additional shelters. Humanitarian partners will also focus on relief efforts to assist women and children who are particularly vulnerable in the conflict.

In addition, mobile psychological support teams are being established to provide specialized care for victims of the violence. The CERF funding will also enable health teams to provide critical care for newborn babies and children who have had limited health support and who have not yet been immunized.

The UN Humanitarian Response Plan in Iraq has called for $861 million to address the needs of people affected by the current crisis. To date, the appeal is only 36 per cent funded, OCHA said.

A further $65 million will be needed to respond to the current situation in Fallujah. This is expected to further strain already stretched resources and force humanitarian partners to reprioritize existing relief supplies and services, OCHA noted.

Contingency stocks are nearly depleted, which could leave other communities in the country potentially vulnerable. While agencies have been preparing for the Fallujah situation for some time, the number of displaced people and the scope of their needs have outpaced humanitarian capacity, OCHA emphasized.

Humanitarian update on Fallujah

In a humanitarian update released earlier today, OCHA reported that more than 83,000 people have fled the besieged city of Fallujah and surrounding areas as of this past Saturday, and thousands more could still be on the move amid ongoing fighting.

OCHA highlighted that since military operations led by Iraqi security forces to retake Fallujah in Anbar from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) began on 22 May, people have fled Fallujah in rapidly increasing numbers.

Most people initially fled outlying areas of Fallujah, but on 7 June, reports were received of some families leaving Fallujah city itself, as military operations began to enter the city centre. In the past few days, tens of thousands of people have been allowed to leave the centre of town, OCHA said.

"The sudden increase in displacement in early June follows both increased opportunities for families to flee as well as hundreds of other families demonstrating a willingness to take extremely high risks to try to escape, sometimes with grave consequences," OCHA noted in the bulletin.

There are reports of people drowning as they tried to escape, or being injured or killed by snipers or improvised explosive devices. Many families are separated during their escape, with men and teenage boys being separated from their families for security screening, OCHA said.

The families still trapped inside Fallujah are thought to have only limited, if any, food, and there appear to be few sources of safe drinking water. The risk for disease outbreaks is high, OCHA noted.

While it is not clear how many civilians remain in the city, OCHA said that UN estimates indicate there could still be thousands of families.

"Nothing is more important than ensuring that civilians are protected and have access to life-saving assistance. The UN and partners continue to call on all parties to the conflict to do everything possible to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law," OCHA said in the update.

Emergency response is ongoing in multiple locations

Most displaced people from Fallujah have been taken to Ameriyat al Falluja, a town located about 30 kilometres south of the city, where the Government of Iraq and partners had previously prepared tents as well as water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.

These camps are now full, although the Government and humanitarian partners are working to quickly set up others, including in the nearby towns of Khalidiyah and Habbaniyah Tourist City, OCHA said.

People are also fleeing areas north of Fallujah towards the east, and are being hosted in local schools and in the Al Ahal camp.

OCHA said that major efforts are being made to provide emergency assistance to the newly displaced, including shelter, water, food, basic household items and health care. Specialized activities for children and women are being established and mobile teams are providing psychological support.

The UN has not been able to access Fallujah since it came under the control of armed opposition groups in January 2014. Humanitarian partners have worked with about 50,000 civilians remaining in Fallujah, although OCHA stressed that the number of displaced people is well above that planning figure and that the scope of the crisis has outpaced humanitarian capacity.

"Contingency stocks are nearly depleted, every agency requires funds and there are few frontline partners," OCHA stressed. "With rising temperatures and lack of shade and clean drinking water, outbreaks of communicable diseases are likely."

OCHA also emphasized that there is only limited support for newborn babies, and nearly all of the children who have been outside Government control have not yet been immunized. The low level of antigens, coupled with poor hygiene and substandard sanitation, raises the risk of disease outbreaks further.

Prior to the most recent military operation, more than 75,000 displaced people from other locations within Anbar were already residing in camps near Fallujah in Khalidiyah, Habbaniyah and Ameriyat al Falluja.

Humanitarian partners also continue to provide emergency assistance to other conflict-affected people, including in the transit sites Al Wafaa and Kilo 18 in western Anbar, OCHA said.

* * *

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR 'OUTRAGED' AT ATTACKS ON AID VEHICLES

The interim United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the Central African Republic (CAR), Dr. Michel Yao strongly condemned an armed attack on a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) convoy transporting medicines and fuel from the capital, Bangui, to the south-eastern city of Bangassou on 17 June.

According to a statement issued by the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Coordinator (OCHA) in the Central African Republic, the head of the convoy was killed.

Dr. Yao underscored the highly precarious nature of relief work in the country and noted that the humanitarian workers provide life-saving assistance to alleviate the suffering of people affected by the crisis.

Moreover, such events hinder aid delivery to those in urgent need, and prove the crucial need to ensure the protection of civilians and to respect and protect humanitarian workers in compliance with International Humanitarian Law.

On 18 May, a driver employed by MSF was killed in another attack near Bossangoa, located in the north-west of the country.

Dr. Yao expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, and called for an investigation into the attacks and for the perpetrators to be held accountable. Dr. Yao added that the humanitarian community in the country remains fully committed to deliver vital assistance to all those in need.


* * *

BAN UNDERLINES PROGRESS TOWARDS STRENGTHENING RESPONSES TO GLOBAL HEALTH CRISES

With the continued increase in the number and gravity of health emergencies globally, the international community must continue to work towards charting a path for how nations and communities can proactively prepare for and respond to such challenges in the future, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized today.

"Given the tragic suffering that can be caused by outbreaks of global health emergencies, I am grateful for the strong engagement by the General Assembly in health crises," the Secretary-General said at the opening of an informal meeting of the Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York, during which he briefed on his report, Strengthening the global health architecture: implementation of the recommendations of the High-level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crises.

In his briefing, Mr. Ban highlighted that he commissioned the high-level panel in April 2015 to make recommendations on how to strengthen national and international systems to prevent and manage future health crises.
In its report released this past February, the panel set out 27 recommendations for national, regional and international action, which stressed that making health systems stronger and being better prepared for health emergencies needs innovative research and development, adequate financing and support through development programming, the UN chief said.

"The panel has given us concrete and sensible recommendations that chart a clear path forward for how communities, nations and the international system can better prepare for and respond to health crises in the future," Mr. Ban said.

"I intend to be fully engaged in the implementation of the panel's recommendations as they relate to the UN system," he added.

For that reason, Mr. Ban said he had established a Global Health Crises Task Force to monitor, coordinate and support the follow-up and implementation of the panel's recommendations.

The task force is being led by Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, who will be supported by Dr. David Nabarro, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and climate change. The task force's co-leads are Dr. Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Dr. Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group.

Progress on high-level panel's recommendations

The Secretary-General indicated that there has already been progress on some of the high-level panel's key recommendations.

In that regard, he noted that the panel affirmed WHO's role as a global health leader, at all times and especially during public health emergencies. In addition, the panel recommended that WHO's capacity to respond to health emergencies must be consolidated and strengthened.

Mr. Ban highlighted that in the past year, WHO has been working to change how it works in health crises, including by, among other actions, creating a new Health Emergencies Programme, which now gives WHO an operational arm to respond effectively and immediately to outbreaks and emergencies.

"This new programme changes the fundamental nature of WHO, which up until now has primarily seen itself as having technical and normative roles," the Secretary-General said.

"I applaud the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, for having the vision, the dedication and the tenacity to implement this transformation," he added.

Mr. Ban said that the panel also highlighted the importance of strengthening UN system coordination during health crises, and affirmed the critical role of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC).

"These recommendations on how the UN system needs to do better have been taken very seriously," the Secretary-General stressed.

He noted that in the case of the ongoing Zika outbreak, the Deputy Secretary-General has been convening monthly coordination meetings of the principals of the UN system to ensure that there is a senior-level forum for coordination and information-sharing.

In addition, he recalled that earlier this month, the IASC endorsed a proposal prepared jointly by WHO and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to extend and adapt existing IASC mechanisms to facilitate the coordination of support for large-scale outbreaks and public health emergencies.

For their part, WHO and OCHA will work to finalize standard operating procedures for infectious hazards.

The Secretary-General also said that he is pleased that the World Bank launched its Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility this past month.

"This will be an innovative fast-disbursing global financing mechanism designed to protect the world against pandemics. It will create the first-ever insurance market for pandemic risk," Mr. Ban said, noting that the facility will be implemented in close cooperation with WHO.

Recalling that this past March, Dr. Chan had declared that the Ebola outbreak no longer constituted a public health emergency of international concern, the Secretary-General said that by then, 2016 had already seen a new health emergency with the clusters of neonatal malformations and neurological disorders related to the Zika virus.

"These reports on global health crises address one of the most urgent and intractable challenges of our time," the Secretary-General said.

* * *

'UNPRECEDENTED' 65 MILLION PEOPLE DISPLACED BY WAR AND PERSECUTION IN 2015 – UN

The number of people displaced from their homes due to conflict and persecution last year exceeded 60 million for the first time in United Nations history, a tally greater than the population of the United Kingdom, or of Canada, Australia and New Zealand combined, says a new report released on World Refugee Day today.

The Global Trends 2015 compiled by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) notes that 65.3 million people were displaced at the end of 2015, an increase of more than 5 million from 59.5 million a year earlier.

The tally comprises 21.3 million refugees, 3.2 million asylum seekers, and 40.8 million people internally displaced within their own countries.

Measured against the world's population of 7.4 billion people, one in every 113 people globally is now either a refugee, an asylum-seeker or internally displaced – putting them at a level of risk for which UNHCR knows no precedent.

On average, 24 people were forced to flee each minute in 2015, four times more than a decade earlier, when six people fled every 60 seconds.

Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia produce half the world's refugees, at 4.9 million, 2.7 million and 1.1 million, respectively.

Colombia had the largest numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs), at 6.9 million, followed by Syria's 6.6 million and Iraq's 4.4 million.

While the spotlight last year was on Europe's challenge to manage more than one million refugees and migrants who arrived via the Mediterranean, the report shows that the vast majority of the world's refugees were in developing countries in the global south.

In all, 86 per cent of the refugees under UNHCR's mandate in 2015 were in low- and middle-income countries close to situations of conflict.

Worldwide, Turkey was the largest host country, with 2.5 million refugees. In terms of the refugee-to-population ratio, Lebanon has the highest proportion, with nearly one refugee for every five citizens.

Distressingly, children made up an astonishing 51 per cent of the world's refugees in 2015, with many separated from their parents or travelling alone, UNHCR said.

With anti-refugee rhetoric so loud, it is sometimes difficult to hear the voices of welcome. But these do exist, all around the world.

"Our responses to refugees must be grounded in our shared values of responsibility sharing, non-discrimination, and human rights and in international refugee law, including the principle of non-refoulement," UN Secretary-General said in his message on the Day.

"World Refugee Day is a moment for taking stock of the devastating impact of war and persecution on the lives of those forced to flee, and honouring their courage and resilience," he said, noting that it is also a moment for paying tribute to the communities and States that receive and host them, often in remote border regions affected by poverty, instability and underdevelopment, and beyond the gaze of international attention.

Last year, more than one million refugees and migrants arrived in Europe across the Mediterranean, in unseaworthy dinghies and flimsy boats. "Thousands did not make it – tragic testimony to our collective failure to properly address their plight," Mr. Ban said.

He stressed that meanwhile, divisive political rhetoric on asylum and migration issues, rising xenophobia, and restrictions on access to asylum have become increasingly visible in certain regions, and the spirit of shared responsibility has been replaced by a hate-filled narrative of intolerance.

"With anti-refugee rhetoric so loud, it is sometimes difficult to hear the voices of welcome. But these do exist, all around the world," he said, acknowledging an extraordinary outpouring of compassion and solidarity shown by host communities.

The UN chief drew attention to the General Assembly's High-Level Meeting on addressing large population movements on 19 September, which he said will offer an historic opportunity to agree a global compact, with a commitment towards collective action and greater shared responsibility for refugees at its core.

This year, hopeful signs are hard to find

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said that each year, UNHCR seeks to find a glimmer of hope in the global statistics, but "this year the hopeful signs are hard to find."

He warned that instead of burden sharing, nations are closing their borders and that instead of political will, there is political paralysis. And humanitarian organizations like his are left to deal with the consequences, while at the same time struggling to save lives on limited budgets.

Yet, there is cause for hope. Citing host communities, individuals, and families opening their homes, he said "these ordinary people see refugees not as beggars, competitors for jobs, or terrorists – but as people like you or me whose lives have been disrupted by war."

"UNHCR sees 2016 as a watershed moment for the refugee cause," he stressed. As wars spiral out of control, this must be a year to take collective responsibility and action to end the conflicts which force people to flee and also a year to help the millions of people whose lives have been destroyed by violence.

"World leaders can no longer watch passively as so many lives are needlessly lost," he said, also noting that the upcoming General Assembly meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants will put all to the test.

For its part, UNHCR launched last week the #WithRefugees initiative to generate momentum towards that meeting, he added.

Numbers do not capture hardship of displaced

Mogens Lykketoft, UN General Assembly President, said the numbers do little justice to the pain and trauma that this crisis is causing for individual women, men and children across our world.

"They fail to capture the hardship of those who flee and the fear of those who wait anxiously behind. They fail to capture the hopelessness of those held in detention centres or the final thoughts of those lost at sea without even a whisper," he said.

The numbers do little justice to the pain and trauma that this crisis is causing for individual women, men and children across our world
He highlighted several points, including that the international community must intensify its efforts to find political solutions to conflicts, as they are the main drivers of humanitarian need. The UN and other institutions and agencies must be provided with sufficient and predictable resources needed to fulfil their mandates and respond to the incredible levels of need.

In 2014, children constituted 51 per cent of the refugee population, with half of these missing out on primary education, he said. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind has placed a new obligation on all to reach those in situations of conflict, disasters, vulnerability and risk.

Citing that almost nine out of every 10 refugees, 86 per cent, are in regions and countries considered economically less developed, he urged the international community to enhance its solidarity with refugee hosting countries.

Given the scale of the crisis, current levels of third-country resettlement need to be reviewed, he pointed out. In 2014, only 15 per cent of the global resettlement needs were met. At least fifty thousand persons, including thousands of children died in the past two decades while seeking to cross international borders. Governments must create safe, orderly and regular pathways for refugees to move to other countries.

Violations of international humanitarian and human rights law are of grave concern. All must speak out in the face of serious violations of international law. Xenophobic and racist rhetoric seems not only to be on the rise, but also to be becoming more socially and politically acceptable. This needs to change, he said.

* * *

UN STRONGLY CONDEMNS SERIES OF ATTACKS IN AFGHANISTAN

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today expressed grave concern about a series of deadly attacks across Afghanistan, reiterating its call for anti-Government elements, including the Taliban, to immediately cease all attacks in civilian-populated areas and stop targeting civilians, including diplomatic facilities and personnel.

"UNAMA condemns in the strongest terms the detonation of an improvised explosive device in a bazaar in Kishem district, Badakhshan province that killed 10 civilians including five children, and injured 36 others, mostly children," a statement issued by the mission said.

Earlier this morning, a Taliban suicide attack in a crowded area of Kabul city killed 13 Nepalese contractors and injured eight others, including five Nepalese diplomatic security guards and three Afghan civilians.

Following this incident, an improvised explosive device targeting a provincial council member detonated in Kabul city, injuring four civilians including the council member.

Taliban claimed responsibility for both attacks in Kabul city but denied responsibility for the attack in Badakhshan province.

"UNAMA extends its condolences to the families of all of those killed and wishes a speedy recovery for those injured," the statement said.


* * *

UN EXPERT SEES VERY LITTLE CHANGE IN EFFORTS TO PROTECT RIGHT TO LIFE, END IMPUNITY IN MEXICO

A United Nations human rights expert today said that in Mexico, very little has changed regarding the protection of the right to life his 2013 fact-finding mission to the country.

"Extrajudicial killings and excessive use of force by security officers persist," said Christof Heyns, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, in his follow-up report to the UN Human Rights Council.

Protective measures remain insufficient and ineffective; impunity and the lack of accountability for violations of the right to life remain a serious challenge, as does the absence of reparations for the victims, he stressed.

While welcoming the steps taken by the Mexican Government, Mr. Heyns emphasised that "additional measures are still required and should be carried out in practice to fully implement my recommendations in order to better ensure the protection of the right to life."

Particularly, the expert urged the Mexican authorities to approve a general law on the use of force, and to create a national autonomous forensic services institution.

With regards to law enforcement, he recommended that all necessary steps be taken immediately to ensure that public security is upheld by civilian rather than military security forces.

The Special Rapporteur regretted the lack of progress in the implementation of his recommendation on this issue, and pointed to a series of tragic events that continue to place the armed forces at the centre of accusations of extrajudicial executions.

Mr. Heyns encouraged the Government to fully implement his recommendations and offered his technical assistance and cooperation.


* * *

MYANMAR MUST ADDRESS 'SERIOUS' HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST MINORITIES – UN RIGHTS CHIEF

Issuing a new report on the situation of minorities in Myanmar, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has urged the Government to take concrete steps to end the "systemic discrimination" and ongoing human rights violations against minority communities, particularly the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.

The report requested by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2015, documents a wide range of rights violations, including arbitrary deprivation of nationality, severe restrictions on freedom of movement, threats to life and security, denial of rights to health and education, forced labour, sexual violence, and limitations to political rights. It also notes that for those formally charged, fair trial guarantees are often not respected.

The report also raises the possibility that the pattern of violations against the Rohingya may amount to crimes against humanity.

Among the report's findings is that in northern Rakhine state, 'arbitrary arrest and detention of Rohingya remains widespread. Arrests are often carried out without grounds, formal processing or charges, until release is secured by payment of a bribe. For those formally charged, fair trial guarantees are often not respected.'

Rakhine has one of the lowest literacy rates in the country, and non-citizens, including Rohingya, are excluded from studying certain professions including medicine, economics and engineering. Some 30,000 Muslim children in IDP camps depend on temporary learning spaces supported by humanitarian organizations. "The consequences of lost years of education are devastating for future livelihood opportunities and the ability of Rohingya and Kaman youth to contribute to Myanmar's development," the report states.

According to a news release issued by the his Office (OHCHR), Mr. Zeid said Myanmar's new Government had inherited the situation where laws and policies are in place that are designed to deny fundamental rights to the minorities and where impunity for serious violations has encouraged further violence against them.

Noting that it will "not be easy to reverse such entrenched discrimination," he urged the Government to accord priority to halt ongoing violations and prevent further ones taking place.

Mr. Zeid further noted the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement last year as both a significant step and also a starting point. He called on the authorities to initiate a comprehensive programme of legal and policy measures to address the scope and pattern of violations against such communities. Acknowledging the complexity of the situation, he added: "We stand ready to support the Government of Myanmar in ensuring a successful transition to a society based firmly on the rule of law and the protection of human rights for all."

The report outlines human rights violations and abuses against other minorities, including in the context of armed conflict. These include deliberate targeting of and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, use of child soldiers, forced labour, sexual and gender-based violence, violations of housing, land and property rights, and restrictions on freedom of religion or belief.

It also calls for a comprehensive inquiry into the situation of minorities in Myanmar, and independent investigations into all alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including those committed by law enforcement officers.

The report also notes that Government has taken some initial steps, including creating a Ministry of Ethnic Affairs, proposing a national peace conference, and establishing a central committee on the implementation of peace, stability and development of Rakhine state.


* * *

THAILAND: BAN REAFFIRMS UN'S READINESS TO SUPPORT COUNTRY'S RETURN TO DEMOCRACY

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has reaffirmed the UN's readiness to support Thailand as the country prepares to vote on a final draft Constitution.

Mr. Ban spoke by telephone yesterday with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-O-Cha.

"The Secretary-General reaffirmed the UN's readiness to support Thailand during this critical juncture to facilitate a swift return to democracy," said a statement released by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.

Referring to reports about restrictions on the freedoms of expression, opinion and assembly ahead of the 7 August referendum on the draft Constitution, the Secretary-General stressed that an open and inclusive debate would be essential to ensuring the legitimacy of the constitution and achieving national unity, according to the statement.


* * *


 







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    -“The enemies of Freedom do not argue ; they shout and they shoot.”

    The principal key root causes that lead to the Rwandan genocide of 1994 that affected all Rwandan ethnic groups were:

    1)The majority Hutu community’s fear of the return of the discriminatory monarchy system that was practiced by the minority Tutsi community against the enslaved majority Hutu community for about 500 years

    2)The Hutu community’s fear of Kagame’s guerrilla that committed massacres in the North of the country and other parts of the countries including assassinations of Rwandan politicians.

    3) The Rwandan people felt abandoned by the international community ( who was believed to support Kagame’s guerrilla) and then decided to defend themselves with whatever means they had against the advance of Kagame’ guerrilla supported by Ugandan, Tanzanian and Ethiopian armies and other Western powers.

    -“The enemies of Freedom do not argue ; they shout and they shoot.”

    -“The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.”

    -“The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”

    -“I have loved justice and hated iniquity: therefore I die in exile.”

    The Rwanda war of 1990-1994 had multiple dimensions.

    The Rwanda war of 1990-1994 had multiple dimensions. Among Kagame’s rebels who were fighting against the Rwandan government, there were foreigners, mainly Ugandan fighters who were hired to kill and rape innocent Rwandan people in Rwanda and refugees in DRC.

    READ MORE RECENT NEWS AND OPINIONS

    SUMMARY : THE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE BRITISH BUDGET SUPPORT AND GEO-STRATEGIC AMBITIONS

    United Kingdom's Proxy Wars in Africa: The Case of Rwanda and DR Congo:

    The Rwandan genocide and 6,000,000 Congolese and Hutu refugees killed are the culminating point of a long UK’s battle to expand their influence to the African Great Lakes Region. UK supported Kagame’s guerrilla war by providing military support and money. The UK refused to intervene in Rwanda during the genocide to allow Kagame to take power by military means that triggered the genocide. Kagame’s fighters and their families were on the Ugandan payroll paid by UK budget support.


    · 4 Heads of State assassinated in the francophone African Great Lakes Region.
    · 2,000,000 people died in Hutu and Tutsi genocides in Rwanda, Burundi and RD.Congo.
    · 600,000 Hutu refugees killed in R.D.Congo, Uganda, Central African Republic and Rep of Congo.
    · 6,000,000 Congolese dead.
    · 8,000,000 internal displaced people in Rwanda, Burundi and DR. Congo.
    · 500,000 permanent Rwandan and Burundian Hutu refugees, and Congolese refugees around the world.
    · English language expansion to Rwanda to replace the French language.
    · 20,000 Kagame’s fighters paid salaries from the British Budget Support from 1986 to present.
    · £500,000 of British taxpayer’s money paid, so far, to Kagame and his cronies through the budget support, SWAPs, Tutsi-dominated parliament, consultancy, British and Tutsi-owned NGOs.
    · Kagame has paid back the British aid received to invade Rwanda and to strengthen his political power by joining the East African Community together with Burundi, joining the Commonwealth, imposing the English Language to Rwandans to replace the French language; helping the British to establish businesses and to access to jobs in Rwanda, and to exploit minerals in D.R.Congo.



    Thousands of Hutu murdered by Kagame inside Rwanda, e.g. Kibeho massacres

    Thousands of Hutu murdered by Kagame inside Rwanda, e.g. Kibeho massacres
    Kagame killed 200,000 Hutus from all regions of the country, the elderly and children who were left by their relatives, the disabled were burned alive. Other thousands of people were killed in several camps of displaced persons including Kibeho camp. All these war crimes remain unpunished.The British news reporters were accompanying Kagame’s fighters on day-by-day basis and witnessed these massacres, but they never reported on this.

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    25,000 Hutu bodies floated down River Akagera into Lake Victoria in Uganda.

    25,000  Hutu bodies  floated down River Akagera into Lake Victoria in Uganda.
    The British irrational, extremist, partisan,biased, one-sided media and politicians have disregarded Kagame war crimes e.g. the Kibeho camp massacres, massacres of innocents Hutu refugees in DR. Congo. The British media have been supporting Kagame since he invaded Rwanda by organising the propaganda against the French over the Rwandan genocide, suppressing the truth about the genocide and promoting the impunity of Kagame and his cronies in the African Great Lakes Region. For the British, Rwanda does not need democracy, Rwanda is the African Israel; and Kagame and his guerilla fighters are heroes.The extremist British news reporters including Fergal Keane, Chris Simpson, Chris McGreal, Mark Doyle, etc. continue to hate the Hutus communities and to polarise the Rwandan society.

    Kagame political ambitions triggered the genocide.

    Kagame  political  ambitions triggered the genocide.
    Kagame’s guerrilla war was aimed at accessing to power at any cost. He rejected all attempts and advice that could stop his military adventures including the cease-fire, political negotiations and cohabitation, and UN peacekeeping interventions. He ignored all warnings that could have helped him to manage the war without tragic consequences. Either you supported Kagame’ s wars and you are now his friend, or you were against his wars and you are his enemy. Therefore, Kagame as the Rwandan strong man now, you have to apologise to him for having been against his war and condemned his war crimes, or accept to be labelled as having been involved in the genocide. All key Kagame’s fighters who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity are the ones who hold key positions in Rwandan army and government for the last 15 years. They continue to be supported and advised by the British including Tony Blair, Andrew Mitchell MP, and the British army senior officials.

    Aid that kills: The British Budget Support financed Museveni and Kagame’s wars in Rwanda and DRC.

    Aid that kills: The British Budget Support  financed Museveni and Kagame’s wars in Rwanda and DRC.
    Genocide propaganda and fabrications are used by the so-called British scholars, news reporters and investigative journalists to promote their CVs and to get income out of the genocide through the selling of their books, providing testimonies against the French, access to consultancy contracts from the UN and Kagame, and participation in conferences and lectures in Rwanda, UK and internationally about genocide. Genocide propaganda has become a lucrative business for Kagame and the British. Anyone who condemned or did not support Kagame’s war is now in jail in Rwanda under the gacaca courts system suuported by British tax payer's money, or his/she is on arrest warrant if he/she managed to flee the Kagame’s regime. Others have fled the country and are still fleeing now. Many others Rwandans are being persecuted in their own country. Kagame is waiting indefinitely for the apologies from other players who warn him or who wanted to help to ensure that political negotiations take place between Kagame and the former government he was fighting against. Britain continues to supply foreign aid to Kagame and his cronies with media reports highlighting economic successes of Rwanda. Such reports are flawed and are aimed at misleading the British public to justify the use of British taxpayers’ money. Kagame and his cronies continue to milk British taxpayers’ money under the British budget support. This started from 1986 through the British budget support to Uganda until now.

    Dictator Kagame: No remorse for his unwise actions and ambitions that led to the Rwandan genocide.

    Dictator Kagame: No remorse for his unwise actions and ambitions that led to the  Rwandan genocide.
    No apologies yet to the Rwandan people. The assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana by Kagame was the only gateway for Kagame to access power in Rwanda. The British media, politicians, and the so-called British scholars took the role of obstructing the search for the truth and justice; and of denying this assassination on behalf of General Kagame. General Paul Kagame has been obliging the whole world to apologise for his mistakes and war crimes. The UK’s way to apologise has been pumping massive aid into Rwanda's crony government and parliement; and supporting Kagame though media campaigns.

    Fanatical, partisan, suspicious, childish and fawning relations between UK and Kagame

    Fanatical, partisan, suspicious, childish and fawning relations between UK and Kagame
    Kagame receives the British massive aid through the budget support, British excessive consultancy, sector wide programmes, the Tutsi-dominated parliament, British and Tutsi-owned NGOs; for political, economic and English language expansion to Rwanda. The British aid to Rwanda is not for all Rwandans. It is for Kagame himself and his Tutsi cronies.

    Paul Kagame' actvities as former rebel

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    This blog reports the crimes that remain unpunished and the impunity that has generated a continuous cycle of massacres in many parts of Africa. In many cases, the perpetrators of the crimes seem to have acted in the knowledge that they would not be held to account for their actions.

    The need to fight this impunity has become even clearer with the massacres and genocide in many parts of Africa and beyond.

    The blog also addresses issues such as Rwanda War Crimes, Rwandan Refugee massacres in Dr Congo, genocide, African leaders’ war crimes and crimes against humanity, Africa war criminals, Africa crimes against humanity, Africa Justice.

    -The British relentless and long running battle to become the sole player and gain new grounds of influence in the francophone African Great Lakes Region has led to the expulsion of other traditional players from the region, or strained diplomatic relations between the countries of the region and their traditional friends. These new tensions are even encouraged by the British using a variety of political and economic manoeuvres.

    -General Kagame has been echoing the British advice that Rwanda does not need any loan or aid from Rwandan traditional development partners, meaning that British aid is enough to solve all Rwandan problems.

    -The British obsession for the English Language expansion has become a tyranny that has led to genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, dictatorial regimes, human rights violations, mass killings, destruction of families, communities and cultures, permanent refugees and displaced persons in the African Great Lakes region.


    - Rwanda, a country that is run by a corrupt clique of minority-tutsi is governed with institutional discrmination, human rights violations, dictatorship, authoritarianism and autocracy, as everybody would expect.