Africa

January 1, 2017 (JUBA/WAU) - The new head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), David Shearer has said the world body is committed to helping the South Sudanese create the conditions of peace and security,” that internally displaced people in the young nation need so as to feel confident of returning home.

The Special Representative of the U.N Secretary General in South Sudan David Shearer, February 1, 2017 (ST)

Shearer made these remarks on Wednesday during his first field trip outside the capital, Juba, in the town of Wau, where some 41,000 people are sheltering after fleeing their homes due to insecurity.

“The internally displaced people in Wau urgently need to return to their land ahead of the planting season in April and May,” he said.

“If they do not there will be no harvest and they will be further dependent on aid,” added the new head of the U.N mission.

UNMISS, Shearer further said in a statement, can support South Sudan's peace process, but stressed that “ultimately peace and stability is something that the South Sudanese need to create.”

Shearer also visited Rumbek town in Western Lakes State, where insecurity has been heightened by long patterns of cattle raiding.

According to UNMISS, the new head of its South Sudan mission met U.N peacekeepers who have rehabilitated over 250 kilometers of roads, noting how important transport infrastructure is for the development of war-torn South Sudan.

“The supply of humanitarian aid as well as business and trade all depends on having a good road infrastructure, but the key is to first bring peace to the country,” said Shearer.

During his visit to Rumbek and Wau towns, Shearer held meetings with the respective state governors and members of the legislature.

Shearer also listened to the concerns of internally displaced people.

South Sudan has experience violence since December 2013 when political disagreements between President Salva Kiir and Machar saw the nation split along ethnic lines. Tens of thousands of people have since been killed and millions displaced in South Sudan's worst ever outbreak of violence since its 2011 independence.

(ST)

The International Court of Justice &#8211 the principal judicial organ of the United Nations &#8211 today issued a verdict, admitting an application submitted by Somalia, over the maritime delimitation between it and Kenya in the Indian Ocean.

Rice grows in Nigeria. So why does the country import so much of the stuff, asks Ijeoma Ndukwe?

Kenya's government is building this fence at the Somalia border to prevent militants from attacking.

The mobile phone apps that are enabling fishermen to increase their catches at the same time as helping environmentalists monitor and preserve stocks.

Speaking to the media on his return from Africa and his participation at the African Union Summit, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted enhanced synergies and avenues of cooperation with the regional bloc.

Egypt reach the Africa Cup of Nations final after beating Burkina Faso 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.

The 84-year-old was one of the country's most important pro-democracy advocates.

A "reckless" attempt to save cash leads to starvation and dehydration deaths, ombudsman says.

Strongly condemning an attack against a United Nations monitoring team near the Nigeria-Cameroon border that resulted in the death of five persons, the UN envoy for West Africa and the Sahel region, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, called on both countries to take swift action to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Burkina Faso's Mamadou Sore is chosen as the top mascot at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Evan Mawarire, who left the country after sparking nationwide protests, is arrested on his return.

Cameroon coach Hugo Broos says the bonus offer to his players is disrespectful ahead of their Nations Cup semi-final.

African leaders take the decision after a divisive debate at their summit, but it is non-binding.

A Nigerian woman runs up a £330,000 bill for NHS treatment after she gives birth prematurely.

The 36-year-old man is suspected of recruiting for jihadist group Islamic State.

A dead migrant boy - "Spain's Alan Kurdi" - refocuses attention on migrants' desperate plight.

In 1993, elite US forces launched a disastrous raid in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Abdulaziz Ali Ibrahim was working with the UN in Somalia at the time.

The top United Nations relief official today approved an allocation from the Organization’s humanitarian emergency response fund to assist the response to new emergencies triggered by a surge of violence in the Central African Republic’s Kaga Bandoro, Bambari and Bria areas.

South Africa's "pitbull" shocks many by quitting prosecutor's role to start private practice.