A UN report warned today that the continued lack of accountability and years of impunity enjoyed by those behind the human rights violations and abuses committed in the Libyan city of Tarhuna between 2013 and 2022 risk fuelling more instability and further division in the country.

The report by the Human Rights Service of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN Human Rights Office describes how the Al-Kaniyat, an armed element which emerged in 2011, later exercised brutal control over Tarhuna, a city of some 150,000 people 90 km southeast of Tripoli.

The report details killings, disappearances, sexual violence, abductions, torture, ill-treatment, forced displacement and other gross human rights violations and abuses, as well as serious violations of international humanitarian law committed by the Al-Kaniyat between 2013 and 2022.

“Years have passed since these terrible violations were committed, but the perpetrators have still not been brought to justice, nor have truth, justice or reparations been delivered to victims and their families,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. “The impunity must end – there must be accountability in accordance with international due process and fair trial standards.”

The failure to deliver justice has led, in some instances, to renewed violence and repeated violations, fomenting further grievances in Tarhuna and surrounding areas, the report states.

“Leaving the root causes and drivers of conflict unaddressed will only serve to keep fuelling toxic cycles of violence and revenge between communities,” added the acting Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Political Affairs Stephanie Koury.

In November 2022, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced that further applications for arrest warrants were being submitted in relation to the situation in Libya.

The report recommends a comprehensive transitional justice and reconciliation process, with meaningful truth-seeking measures and effective reparations for victims – including legal aid and mental health support and guarantees of non-repetition, designed in consultation with those directly affected. It also calls for robust accountability measures, through investigations and prosecutions of alleged perpetrators in line with international standards.

The report states that the Al-Kaniyat’s integration into the former Government of National Accord (GNA) and later the Libyan National Army (LNA) has been a significant barrier to accountability and justice. As a result, it adds, some residents have been hesitant to get involved in investigations and report crimes for fear of reprisals.

The report complements and builds on the 2022 findings of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya on the atrocities committed in Tarhuna, including the discovery of mass graves containing hundreds of human remains, most of them handcuffed, blindfolded and bearing signs of torture, and of the possibility that there could be up to 100 more such sites.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

His Excellency Dr Salem Ibrahim Al Naqbi, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Kenya, presented his credentials as Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Madagascar to His Excellency Andry Rajoelina, President of Madagascar, during a ceremony held at the Royal Palace in the capital, Antananarivo.

H.E. Al Naqbi conveyed the greetings of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, to H.E. President Rajoelina, as well as their wishes of further progress and prosperity for the government and people of Madagascar.

For his part, H.E. President Rajoelina conveyed his greetings to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, and expressed his wishes for further development and growth for the government and people of the UAE.

H.E. President Rajoelina also wished the ambassador success in his work to enhance bilateral relations in various fields between the two countries, stressing his country’s readiness to provide all possible support to facilitate his duties.

For his part, H.E. Al Naqbi expressed his pride in representing the UAE in Madagascar, and highlighted his keenness to strengthen bilateral relations across various sectors, to enhance ties between the two countries.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed areas of cooperation between the UAE and the Republic of Madagascar, and discussed ways of developing them to achieve the interests and aspirations of both countries and peoples.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs&International Cooperation.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a US$ 1 million contribution by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to provide emergency food and nutrition assistance to severely food-insecure people in northwest Nigeria.

In collaboration with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WFP will provide food and nutrition assistance to 14,000 people in Katsina and Sokoto states for six months. Livelihood assistance and psycho-social support will also be provided to promote social cohesion and peace among crisis-affected communities.

“With rising food costs, and inflation running above 30 per cent, the highest level in 30 years, this partnership comes at a time of great need for humanitarian assistance in Nigeria”, said David Stevenson WFP’s Country Director and Representative in Nigeria.  “The ECOWAS contribution underscores the efforts of the humanitarian agencies and the government authorities in tackling the scourge of conflict and hunger in northern Nigeria. Together, we are creating sustainable solutions that will ensure long-term food security and resilience in the region.”

Rising inflation, conflict and high food prices across the country have left millions of people in Nigeria struggling to feed themselves. The Northwest region now has the highest number of hungry people in the country. The March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis projected that the number of hungry people could reach 6 million during the June-August 2024 lean season – a sharp increase of over 30 per cent compared to the same period in 2023. Child malnutrition is also running very high in the northwest, with some 4 million children acutely malnourished.

“ECOWAS has reaffirmed its dedication to alleviating the suffering of people impacted by humanitarian crises,” said Prof Fatou Sarr, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria, under the renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, is committed to ameliorating the plight of the vulnerable, bearing in mind the socio-economic challenges faced by communities due to insecurity, poverty, conflicts and natural disasters,” said Abel Enitan, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

Overall, in Nigeria, WFP provides food and nutrition assistance to 1.2 million people in the conflict-affected northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, and supports some 200,000 vulnerable people in the northwest.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).

Experts from member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are meeting from August 29 to 30, 2024 in Lome, Togo, to update the study for the establishment of the ECOWAS Fund for the Development and Financing of the Transport and Energy Sectors (FODETE). The consultative meeting is organized by the ECOWAS Project Preparation and Development Unit (PPDU). The meeting, which saw the virtual participation of ECOWAS Commissioner Sediko DOUKA in charge of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitization, was launched by the Representative of the Minister of Economy and Finance of the Togolese Republic.

The purpose of the consultative meeting is to examine the corrected final report on the implementation of FODETE, following the latest recommendations made by the experts at the technical meeting held from March 6 to 8, 2024 in Abidjan. It could be recalled that the Abidjan meeting, which was attended by representatives of the ECOWAS National Offices and the Ministries of Finance/Planning of each member state, focused on the timetable for setting up FODETE, as well as the levy rates to be applied by sector.

At the opening of the meeting, Commissioner Sediko DOUKA, on behalf of H.E. Omar Alieu TOURAY, President of the ECOWAS Commission, thanked the Government of Togo and its Head of State for having accepted to host this regional consultative meeting, and for their constant support for the cause of integration and development in the ECOWAS region in general, and for the development of regional infrastructures in particular.

According to the ECOWAS Commissioner in charge of Infrastructure, the project to create FODETE bears witness to ECOWAS’s strong commitment to mobilizing internal financial resources to finance infrastructure, the basis of all development, and a factor in stability, job creation and peace.

“To this end, the ECOWAS Commission undertook four advocacy missions to Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. The aim of these missions was to raise awareness of the FODETE dossier, to demonstrate the advantages of FODETE in terms of sustainable infrastructure financing, and to take into account the concerns of the various countries. I am pleased to inform you that the advocacy missions were well received by the various member states, who reaffirmed their support for the FODETE dossier,” said Commissioner DOUKA.

In his official opening address, delivered on behalf of H.E. Essowè Georges BARCOLA, the new Minister of Finance and Economy of the Republic of Togo, Mr. Ahodo-Abalo TCHAMDJA, Director of Conjoncture and Macroeconomic Forecasting, reiterated the commitment of the Government of Togo to continue supporting FODETE to become a sustainable financing model that will stimulate service delivery in the region’s transport and energy sectors.

He added: “Togo is also convinced of FODETE’s potential to provide a sustainable financing mechanism to reinforce collective economic growth within the region”.

At the end of the two-day meeting, the experts will finalize a clear roadmap for adoption by the ECOWAS Statutory Bodies and implementation of the ECOWAS Fund for the Development and Financing of the Transport and Energy Sectors (FODETE).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).