HE President of the Republic of Seychelles Wavel Ramkalawan received the credentials of HE Mohammed bin Mutair Al Anazi, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar (Non-resident) to the Republic of Seychelles.

HE the Ambassador conveyed HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s greetings and wishes of good health and happiness to HE the President of the Republic of Seychelles and the people of Seychelles continued progress and prosperity.

For his part, HE the President of the Republic of Seychelles entrusted HE the Ambassador with his greetings to HH the Amir, wishing His Highness good health and happiness and the State of Qatar further progress and growth. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.

On April 23, Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa Maksym Subkh had a meeting with the delegation of Kenyan political analysts and economic experts.

Maksym Subkh highlighted the role of Kenya as one of the reliable partners of Ukraine on the African continent and expressed hope for deepening comprehensive bilateral relations.

The Parties discussed the ways to enhance and further develop the Ukrainian-Kenyan relations in political, trade and economic fields. Special Representative expressed his gratitude to the Kenyan party for firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, particularly during the voting on the relevant resolutions in the UN General Assembly.

The Special Representative informed about major international effort exerted by Ukraine to liberate its territories from Russian invaders and have underlined the need to restore the full-hedged functioning of the Black Sea grain corridor.

On the top of that, the Kenyan delegation was informed about successful implementation of the President of Ukraine’s “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian initiative, which has covered an increasing number of recipient countries in Africa and Asia.

For their part, representatives of the Kenyan delegation expressed interest in attracting Ukrainian investments and exchanging experience in fields of agriculture, digitalization, and innovation. They also underlined the importance of further deepening coordination aimed at effective countering the spread of Russian propaganda in Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The United Nations in South Sudan acknowledges the assurance given today by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs that the imposition of taxes on trucks carrying fuel and other supplies does not apply to UN humanitarian, development, and peacekeeping operations or to the diplomatic community.

However, we remain concerned that our fuel trucks are still being held up at various depots and the border. Until they are released, the UN will not be able to conduct many of its activities in support of vulnerable communities across the country.

The situation is critical. The fuel reserves of the UN and its agencies, funds and programmes are running out. This will prevent the delivery of millions of dollars of aid during a severe humanitarian crisis and divert already stretched funding provided by donors and other Member States to assist the people of South Sudan. 

Humanitarian airdrops have already been suspended, affecting 60,000 people in need. UNMISS itself is also forced to review peacekeeping patrols, road repairs, construction of police stations, schools, and health centers, as well as reduce support to peace and electoral processes.

“While we acknowledge the Government’s confirmation of its intention to end the blockade of our trucks, we now need urgent action to get the trucks moving to ensure our support for South Sudan does not grind to a halt,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The United States and Nigeria are working together to address and mitigate the drivers of conflict in northern and middle-belt Nigeria, including ethnic, regional, and sectarian tensions across communities.

Over the past five years, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has invested $15 million in the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP) program. This initiative has trained more than 46,000 community members, including traditional leaders, women, men, and youth, in six states – Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, and Plateau – on skills such as dispute resolution, early warning and early response, reconciliation efforts, and prevention of violent extremism.

The CIPP program has been helped mitigate violent conflict in at-risk communities and engaged women and youth in peace processes. A randomized control trial, which compared how the activity worked in its target communities with nearby communities that did not include any interventions, showed that despite the overall increase in violence in Plateau, Benue, and other states, violent conflict was lower in communities where USAID worked.  For instance, after four years of implementation, the study showed that only 29 percent of CIPP treatment communities experienced violent incidents, compared to 55 percent in control communities – a difference of 26 percent.

“The CIPP activity has shown that a timely investment in peace can yield remarkable dividends,” said USAID Mission Director, Melissa A. Jones at yesterday’s ceremony. “Individuals trained in conflict mediation skills across Nigeria’s Middle Belt helped resolve hundreds of disputes before they escalated further,” she added.

As part of its closeout plan, USAID will transfer some of CIPP’s community structures, such as Conflict Mitigation Regional Councils and Women Peace Councils, to its new Peace Action for Rapid and Transformative Nigerian Early Response activity. This will ensure continuity and sustained progress in our shared mission to promote peace and security in the northern and middle-belt regions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria.