South Sudan, Mali & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (4 January 2023)

PAKISTAN CONFERENCE The Secretary-General will be arriving in Geneva on Sunday evening, where he will take part the following day on the International Conference on climate resilient Pakistan. The conference has been co-hosted by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations. The high-level conference aims to generate financial and international support to those impacted by last year’s devastating floods in Pakistan, and to rebuild damaged infrastructure in a climate-resilient manner. In his remarks to the conference, the Secretary-General will call for support to strengthen the resilience of communities in Pakistan for the future. While in Geneva, the Secretary-General is scheduled to hold a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif. You will be able to follow that live on the webcast, but it will be early morning in New York. The Secretary-General is expected back in New York on Monday evening, the 9th of January. SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Lieutenant General Otávio Rodrigues De Miranda Filho of Brazil as Force Commander for the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). He succeeds Lieutenant General Marcos de Sá Affonso da Costa, also from Brazil, to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for his important contribution and to the service of the UN peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lieutenant General Miranda Filho has several years of experience in command-and-control structures in the Brazilian Army. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO The United Nations Organization Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) today said that its Force Intervention Brigade has launched a joint operation with the Congolese army. The operation aims to bolster ongoing efforts to protect civilians and to neutralize armed groups in the area along the Beni-Semulike-Kamango-Nobil axis in North Kivu. MONUSCO is also undertaking patrols along the axis to help improve security, to allow freedom of movement of the population and security forces and to help with the return of internally displaced people. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) have concluded a joint mission with the Central African security forces to better protect people in the country’s West. Over a period of one month, peacekeepers conducted over 100 patrols and 30 aerial surveillance missions. They patrolled several localities, including Bossangoa, Nanabakassa, Markounda and Paoua. Military peacekeepers, also accompanied by civilian colleagues, provided medical services, distributed school equipment and shared information about the threats of improvised explosive devices. Overall, over the past week, MINUSCA carried out over 1,800 patrols to engage the population and better understand their concerns. This included long-range patrols in the east as well as in the central region. Meanwhile, as part of our support for the upcoming local elections, peacekeepers provided security by escorting personnel from the National Elections Authority in the Ouham Pende prefecture. ABYEI The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) - has responded rapidly to quell violence in the village of Rumamer, in the southern part of Abyei, after an early morning attack that took place today, resulted in 13 people being killed, five injured, and 27 homes being burnt to the ground. UNISFA reports that an armed group of approximately 200 cattle herders were responsible for the violence. Peacekeepers deployed immediately to provide physical protection to the villagers and are continuing to patrol the area to prevent further attacks and facilitate the safe return of civilians who fled. The Mission has also launched an investigation into the incident. The acting head of the Peacekeeping Mission, Brigadier General Abu Syed Mohammod Bakir, strongly condemned the attack and called on all stakeholders to end violence and fully engage in the peace process. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=04%20January%202023


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