Foreign News
UN calls for more support to tackle humanitarian crisis in North East
The United Nations (UN) has renewed its call for more interventions to address the nagging humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.
The call was contained in a statement issued in Maiduguri by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA).
The UN said a team of senior officials had conducted a five-day assessment tour of Borno state and visited Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in Damboa, Dikwa, Maiduguri and Rann.
It said the team observed that the humanitarian crisis in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe needed renewed support to face the recent upsurge in violence and growing humanitarian needs.
The UN quoted Mr Vincent Houver of the International Organization for Migration (IMO) as saying that “the crisis in the Lake Chad Region is far from over. The humanitarian community cannot spare any effort at this time.
“This week, we met women, children and men who were forced to flee multiple times and urgently need protection and assistance to survive and rebuild their lives. We cannot let them down.”
According to the UN agency, more than 134,000 persons had been displaced since January due to upsurge in violence and military counter-operations in the sub region.
It revealed that about 7.1 million people needed lifesaving assistance, including food, nutrition and healthcare interventions, while about three million others, including one million children, were vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, disclosed that aid agencies had scaled up humanitarian response to address the situation.
“Aid agencies have significantly scaled up and reached some two million people with aid this year.
“However; much more supports are urgently needed. We are worried about the tens of thousands of people who have recently fled due to rising violence and are still sleeping outside in the open.
“With the rainy season progressing, they will face increased risk of diseases and will need immediate protection,” Kallon said.
The UN also quoted Mr Christian Gad of the Danish Refugee Council as adding that “some of the people we met have been living in IDP camps for several years.
“All actors, including government and the private sector in Nigeria, need to join forces to help those affected by the crisis to recover in dignity and restart their lives.”
It explained that the UN and its partners have appealed for 848 million dollars to enable it to provide urgent life-saving assistance to 6.2 million people in 2019, adding that the response plan was so far 32.6 per cent funded.
It stressed that more funding was urgently needed to sustain the humanitarian response.
During the visit, the team met with the officials of Borno Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Gov. Babagana Zulum, a wide range of UN agencies and humanitarian organisations.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the team included Ms Reena Ghelani, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division (UN-OCHA) and Ms Sheila Grudem, Deputy Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response Support Division, World Food Programme (WFP).
Others were Mr Christian Gad, Head, Emergencies, Danish Refugee Council, Mr Vincent Houver, Deputy Director, Department of Operations and Emergencies, IMO and Mr José Barahona, Director, Emergency Response, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Mr Andrew Mbogori, Principal Emergency Coordinator, Division of Emergency Services, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Dr Renee Van de Weerdt, Acting Director, Emergency Operations, World Health Organisation (WHO) were also part of the team.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Iran to conclude an agreement with Washington on its controversial nuclear programme, amid a series of Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities and military leaders.
“There is still time to make this slaughter come to an end,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday.
“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire,” Trump continued.
“JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”Observers consider it unlikely that Iran’s leadership would opt for a diplomatic approach in light of the Israeli attacks.
Israeli media reported that Tehran had retaliated with an attack involving about 100 drones, all of which were shot down.
“I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal,” Trump wrote.
“The U.S. makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come and they know how to use it,” Trump wrote. (dpa/NAN)
Pope Leo XIV said on Wednesday that he was praying for the victims of the mass shooting in a school in the Austrian city of Graz.
“I would like to express my prayers for the victims of the tragedy at the Graz school,” Leo said during his weekly audience in the Vatican.
Leo added that he is keeping the families, teachers, and fellow pupils in his thoughts.
According to police, a 21-year-old former pupil at the school entered the grounds on Tuesday and opened fire, killing 10 pupils aged between 15 and 17 as well as a teacher.
He then shot himself.
Eleven people remain in the hospital, most of them in intensive care.
All are now reported to be in a stable condition.
Graz, in south-eastern Austria, is home to around 300,000 people. (dpa/NAN)
The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NiDO)-Worldwide has appointed Mr Chibuzo Ubochi, as its new Coordinating Chairman of NIDO-Europe.
Ubochi succeeds Dr Victor Ubani, the Chairman of NIDO Americas and outgoing coordinating chairman of NiDO-Worldwide.
Ubani disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday, against backdrop of the end of his tenure as coordinating chairman and inauguration of Ubochi’s tenure as the new chairman of the organisation.
He congratulated Ubochi over his recent electoral victory where he emerged chairman of the organisation, saying it was a closely contested NIDO-Europe election against Dr Johnson Odibo.
According to him, the process which was conducted with robust participation, ushered in a new era for NIDO-Europe.
Ubani said: “It is one marked by renewed strength, unity and purpose. I write in my capacity as the outgoing Coordinating Chairman of NIDO-Worldwide, having had the honour of serving in this rotational role on behalf of the Americas.
“I am deeply grateful for the cooperation and commitment demonstrated by our continental bodies throughout my tenure.
“Together, we pursued the vision of a more effective, united and relevant NIDO across all regions. I believe we made notable progress in advancing our collective mandates.
“As is the custom within our global structure, which comprises five continental bodies, I will now be handing over the rotational leadership of the Coordinating Chairmanship to the current Chairman of NIDO Europe, Sir Chibuzo Ubochi”.
Ubani explained that he had observed Ubochi’s leadership as Chairman of NIDO UK South and his previous tenure as Legal Adviser to the NIDO-Worldwide Coordinating Platform, to express confidence in the latter’s ability to lead the organisation.
“I am confident in his capacity to fulfill this responsibility with vision, integrity and diplomatic skill.
“He is well acquainted with the complexities of our global structure and is well-positioned to continue strengthening and advancing a more focused and impactful NIDO Worldwide.
“As he assumes this role, I urge all continental chairs, executives and members to extend the same cooperation and collegiality accorded me to him.
“The task ahead requires a united front, focused energy and shared commitment free from unnecessary distractions and geared solely toward the progress of our global diaspora, and the development of our homeland,” he said. (NAN)
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