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Tag: United Nations

  • Ukraine invasion: Neighbouring countries struggle with refugees’ influx

    Ukraine invasion: Neighbouring countries struggle with refugees’ influx

    UN humanitarians have warned that the exodus of millions of Ukrainians from their country following the Russian invasion could overwhelm neighbouring countries.

    The head of UN Children Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday expressed her horror over the reported destruction of a maternity hospital in the stricken coastal city of Mariupol, which has been under heavy bombardment for days.

    Till date, more than 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine according to UN refugee agency (UNHCR), most have found shelter in Poland and more than 200,000 have reached Hungary.

    Slovakia has taken in more than 150,000 people from its embattled neighbour since Feb. 24, when Russian forces began shelling and bombarding Ukrainian cities.

    In a phone call with Polish President, Andrzej Duda, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he appreciated the welcome extended there, to more than one million refugees from Ukraine.

    The UN chief “told the President that he will do everything possible to mobilise the whole of the UN system, in coordination with UNHCR, to support Poland’s generosity,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

    He said Guterres was thankful for the “immense generosity and solidarity shown by all countries” bordering Ukraine.

    As part of his overall mediation efforts to try and end the fighting in Ukraine, the UN chief also spoke on Wednesday afternoon with German Chancellor Olaf Schultz, and Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign and security policy High Representative.

    Latest estimates from UN aid agencies suggest that four million refugees are likely by the end of the war, which represents about 10 per cent of Ukraine’s population.

    The development follows news alerts on Wednesday that a Russian strike on a children’s hospital and maternity ward in the stricken city of Mariupol, had left children buried under the rubble, according to Ukrainian officials.

    The bombing has not been independently verified, but Dujarric said the UN was urgently investigating the “shocking” reports.

    He reiterated the UN’s call for an immediate halt to attacks on healthcare, hospitals, health-workers and ambulances, reminding that “none of these, should ever be a target.”

    Any attacks on healthcare, are a clear violation of International Humanitarian Law.

    In a tweet, Guterres described reports of the attack as “horrific”, noting that civilians were paying “the highest price, for a war that has nothing to do with them. This senseless violence must stop.”

    In a statement, UNICEF chief, Catherine Russell, said she was “horrified by the reported attack…an attack which reportedly left young children and women in labour, buried beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings.

    “We do not yet know the number of casualties but fear the worst.”

    “This attack, if confirmed, underscores the horrific toll this war is exacting on Ukraine’s children and families” she added. “In less than two weeks, at least 37 children have been killed and 50 injured, while more than one million children have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries.

    According to UNICEF chief, this attack, if confirmed, underscores the horrific toll this war is exacting on Ukraine’s children and families.

    “Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure – including hospitals, water and sanitation systems and schools – are unconscionable and must stop immediately.

    “UNICEF renews its call for an immediate ceasefire and urges all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect children from harm, and to ensure that humanitarian actors can safely and quickly reach children in need.”

    Briefing journalists in Geneva, World Health Organisation chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus said that so far, WHO has verified 18 attacks on health facilities, health workers and ambulances amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including 10 deaths and 16 injuries.

    “These attacks deprive whole communities of health care,” he said.

    “So far, WHO has delivered 81 metric tons of supplies, and WHO is establishing a pipeline of supplies for health facilities throughout Ukraine, especially in the most affected areas,’’ he said.

    The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday it has helped almost 100 so-called Third Country Nationals (TCNs), stranded in Ukraine during the Russian attack, to return home.

    They include 77 Tunisians, forced to flee to Romania and Poland; three Lebanese nationals, and 17 Ghanaian students. Seven other students leave for Ghana on Thursday.

    IOM said that around 109,000 TCNs have fled Ukraine since the war began, as the agency collaborates with States, embassies, border authorities, and other partners, to help them return.

    In addition to supporting returns, IOM provided pre-departure medical assistance, food, COVID-19 testing, Personal Protective Equipment and much-needed ground transportation to the points of departure.

  • Sense and nonsense in Nigeria voting against Russia – By Owei Lakemfa

    Sense and nonsense in Nigeria voting against Russia – By Owei Lakemfa

    By Owei Lakemfa

    The unfolding tragedy in the Ukraine’s war with Russia deserves the universal attention it is receiving. Where better to discuss it than the United Nations, UN? Where best in the UN than the Security Council which has all the powers of the world body, has teeth and can bite. But when the matter was discussed at the Security Council, it suffered defeat because that exclusive club of five permanent members that dictates to the rest of humanity, runs on veto power. That group comprising the United States, US; China and three European countries: Russia, France and the United Kingdom, UK, decide what is best for the rest of the world irrespective of the opinion of the rest of humanity.

    The war is a matter in which the members of the big boys club had differing interests and the rule is that if any of them objects, no binding decision can be taken.

    So, calling a meeting of the castrated UN General Assembly on the issue became more a motion without movement; an academic exercise or more of moral suasion.

    Also, the motive of calling the Assembly was more of the West showing that there are more countries that supports it than its rival Russia. A more meaningful objective would have been how the world can pressure both sides of the conflict to accept immediate ceasefire, a negotiated settlement and return of peace, more so when an escalation may have negative consequences on the world.

    A non-legal or non-binding vote was taken of the 193-member assembly with 141 states voting against Russia, five in favour, 35 abstentions, while 12 did not vote. In a world supposedly wedded to democracy, this Assembly would have been an opportunity for the world to insist on changing the power relations in the UN to allow the equality of votes or the will of the majority to prevail rather than a world where the vote of a single country overrides that of the entire world. That was why the manifest evil called Apartheid in South Africa endured until 1994; because the US and UK would not allow the world take decisive steps at the UN against that Evil Empire.

    When in 1976, Africa boycotted the Montreal Olympic Games because the International Olympics Committee refused to disqualify New Zealand that was making rugby tours in Apartheid South Africa, some Western countries denounced us for allegedly mixing sports with politics. Interestingly, the US boycotted the 1984 Moscow Olympic Games because the Soviet Union intervened in Afghanistan; the same country America was to invade 17 years later. Today, Russian sportsmen and women are being barred from international competitions; is this not mixing sports and politics? The point I am making is not to justify any attacks or invasion, including the war in Ukraine. Rather, it is to make the point that countries play international politics primarily based on the promotion and defence of their national interests. So in Nigeria voting against Russia at the UN Assembly, what interest was being served? National interest or a mindless casting of vote?

    First, in taking sides in the intra-European squabble, we have lost the opportunity to play the needed mediatory role and lost relevance in the resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Secondly, we lost sight of the fact that unlike the West, Russia has never constituted a threat to Nigeria or Africa. Thirdly, the Buhari administration displayed a lack of historical knowledge. The defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, USSR, which was inherited by Russia, was in the forefront of the global struggles against colonialism. It applied pressure that colonies like Nigeria must be freed. Even while being colonised, the Soviets and their allies provided thousands of Nigerians scholarship to ensure an independent Nigeria has the trained manpower required to run a new country.

    Moscow also provided African colonies fighting for liberation with funds, military training, arms, scholarship and vital international support. This it did in the bloody liberation wars in Algeria, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. The Soviets did not mind that the colonialists they armed us against were their fellow Europeans!

    In the specific case of Nigeria, when the civil war broke out and countries like France and Israel equipped the then rebels with military hardware and training to secede, the UK refused to supply Nigeria needed air force equipment as it did not want the federal side to have air superiority, and the US declared itself neutral. It was Moscow that came to Nigeria’s aid. On August 2, 1967, then Information and Labour Minister, Chief Anthony Enahoro, was in Moscow to sign an arms deal, including the supply of aircraft. Soviet ally, Czechoslovakia followed six days later, agreeing to supply the federal side military aircraft and training.

    The Soviet Union did not mind that Nigeria was opposed to socialism; its position according to Premier Alex Kosygin, was based on the Soviets desire to “prevent the country from being dismembered”.

    Nigerian Ambassador to the Soviet Union, Brigadier George Kurubo, declared that Russian support was “responsible for the federal victory more than any other single thing, more than all other things put together”.

    In November 1968, while the war was on, Moscow came to Nigeria’s aid by agreeing to provide the funds to build the crucial Kainji Dam.

    Also, when in Nigeria’s quest for development it decided to build an iron and steel complex, the West refused on the basis that we did not need this mother of all industries. It was Moscow that came to our rescue by providing funds and building the Ajaokuta Iron and Steel complex.

    Nigeria as the giant of Africa forgets that in the event of a conflict between a NATO member and an African country, like the one brewing between Mali and neo-colonial France, the Europeans will collectively fight against the African country. It forgets that with the shortage of gas from Russia, desperate European countries will turn on countries like Nigeria for gas they will want virtually for free even if it means subverting us or removing a non-compliant government. This is our experience.

    The basis of Buhari’s foreign policy is truly amazing: from supporting the military coup in Chad to abstaining on December 31, 2020 in the UN Resolution on: “A global call for concrete action for the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance…” In other words, it refused to vote for the universal elimination of discrimination and racism! At the UN General Assembly, Nigeria should either have abstained or not voted like its more sensible brothers such as Cameroun, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Morocco, Togo, Mali, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. Like we say in Nigeria: Common sense is not common.

  • Moscow offers ceasefire in Ukraine as talks continue

    Moscow offers ceasefire in Ukraine as talks continue

    Russia is offering a fresh Ukraine ceasefire for Tuesday, Moscow’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said, amid efforts to get civilians to safety.

    Speaking at the UN Security Council in New York, Nebenzya read from a statement from the authorities in Moscow.

    It offered a ceasefire from 10 am Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday to open a humanitarian corridor or corridors to evacuate citizens from Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol.

    It also included an offer to evacuate Ukrainian cities to the west of Kiev.

    There were small but positive steps in improving logistics for the humanitarian corridors in embattled cities, Ukrainian official, Mykhailo Podolyak said after a third round of negotiations with Moscow.

    Representatives of the two countries met for a new round of peace talks in Belarus on Monday, on the 12th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Russian negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky said there should be a new attempt on Tuesday to get people to safety via the corridors.

    However, he expressed overall disappointment after the meeting.

    “The expectations were not met,’’ Medinsky told Russian state television.

    The Russian side brought a number of prepared documents to the negotiations.

    The Ukrainians did not want to sign anything, but took the papers for examination.

    According to Medinsky, another round of negotiations is expected soon, during which the agreements can be put in writing.

    The head of the Ukrainian delegation, David Arakhamia, on Sunday had rejected Russia’s central demand for any peace agreement as not acceptable in an interview with Fox News.

    Russia demanded that the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, be formally ceded to Russia.

    In addition, it wanted the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, controlled by pro-Russian separatists, recognised as independent states by Kiev.

    Moscow was also demanding the complete “demilitarisation’’ of Ukraine and that it became a neutral buffer state.

    Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba confirmed plans that would meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Turkey this week.

    “Currently the March 10, is planned. Let’s see if he flies to Antalya, then I’ll fly too. Let’s sit down, let’s talk,’’ Kuleba said in a video message.

    Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu had previously said both sides were expected in the Turkish city of Antalya on Thursday.

    The talks were likely to take place with Cavusoglu in a three-way format.

    Meanwhile, the Ukrainian ambassador to Israel said that Jerusalem could be a venue for high-level talks between the two sides to end the war, telling reporters in Tel Aviv that Ukraine saw Israel as a close friend.

    Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to remain in the country’s capital in spite of the ongoing fighting there.

    “I am staying in Kiev,’’ he said in a video message.

    He said he would not hide and wasn’t afraid of anyone.

    “Today is the twelfth night of our struggle, our defence. We are all on site, everyone is working. Everyone where he has to. I’m in Kiev, my team is with me,’’ Zelensky added.

    As the fighting in Ukraine continued, at least 13 civilians were killed during a Russian airstrike to the west of Kiev on Monday.

    Russian troops were stationed to the north-west of Kiev and are trying to advance on the capital from the west.

    Authorities in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv announced that 133 civilians were known to have died in the city since the start of the war.

    A further 76 Ukrainian military personnel had also died in fighting in the city.

    The total number of civilians killed in the Ukraine had risen to at least 406, according to UN figures announced on Monday.

    In spite of the evidence to the contrary, Russia maintained that no civilian targets in Ukraine were being attacked by its troops.

    Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian troops took control of the airport in the southern city of Mykolaiv on Monday but was back in Ukrainian hands just a few hours later, according to Mykolaiv Oblast Governor Vitaly Kim.

    Meanwhile, a senior U.S. Defence Department official said Washington would be sending another 500 soldiers to Germany, Greece, Poland and Romania to reinforce its presence in Europe.

    Among other things, their task would be to support efforts to protect NATO airspace.

    In New York, the U.S. ambassador to the UN told an emergency meeting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine that the United States expected an ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

    “We are concerned that the world needs to be prepared for very long and very difficult road ahead,’’ Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

    In Washington, the World Bank said it had mobilised some 720 million dollars in loans and aid to help the Kiev government provide critical services to Ukrainian people amid Russia’s war on the country.

    The bank’s board of executive directors on Monday, approved a supplemental budget support package including a supplemental loan for 350 million dollars and 139 million dollars in guarantees.

  • U.S. fumes as Russia vetoes UN Security Council resolution on invasion of Ukraine

    U.S. fumes as Russia vetoes UN Security Council resolution on invasion of Ukraine

    Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that would have demanded Moscow immediately stop its attack on Ukraine and withdraw all troops, a move several Council members said was deplorable, but inevitable.

    Although Russia, a permanent member of the Council, refused to support the draft resolution, 11 of the 15-member UN body voted in favour while India, China and the United Arab Emirates abstained from the vote.

    Speaking to journalists after the session, Secretary-General António Guterres, stressed that “we must never give up”.

    “We must give peace another chance. Soldiers need to return to their barracks. Leaders need to turn to the path of dialogue and peace,” he said.

    And despite growing operational challenges, he assured that the UN is scaling up the delivery of life-saving support on both sides of the line of contact.

    Against the backdrop of multiplying humanitarian needs, dying civilians and at least 100,000 Ukrainians reportedly fleeing their homes – with many crossing into neighbouring countries, underlining the regional nature of this growing crisis, Guterres announced the appointment of Amin Awad as UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine.

    A close colleague of Guterres when he was chief of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, Awad will lead the coordination of all UN efforts, including its humanitarian response, on both sides of the contact line.

    “All concerned in this conflict must respect international humanitarian law and guarantee the safety and freedom of movement of UN staff and other humanitarians.

    “They must guarantee safety of UN staff and humanitarians, especially in a moment like this, it is important to remember that the UN…is tens of thousands of women and men around the world,” he said.

    The top UN official described the work of the organisation, from feeding the hungry, vaccinating children and promoting development to protecting civilians in peacekeeping operations, mediating conflicts and supporting refugees and migrants, all while “standing, delivering, extending a lifeline of hope’’.

    He reminded that although the Charter has been challenged in the past, it has “stood firm on the side of peace, security, development, justice, international law and human rights”.

    “Time after time, when the international community has rallied together in solidarity, those values have prevailed. They will prevail, independently of what happened today,” the UN chief said.

    “We must do everything in our power so that they prevail in Ukraine but they prevail for all humanity,” concluded the Secretary-General.

    Introducing the draft resolution, which her country had helped craft, U.S. Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, painted a picture of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that was “so bold, so brazen,” that it threatens the international system “as we know it”.

    We have a solemn responsibility not to look away, she said, stressing that Russia must be held accountable and its forces immediatly, completely and unconditionally withdrawn.

    “Today we are taking a principled stand in this Council,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield said. “There is no middle ground,” responsible States do not invade their neighbours.

    Indian Ambassador T. S. Tirumurti, who abstained, maintained that “dialogue is the only path forward,” no matter how daunting it might seem, and urged the Council to restore the difficult path forward.

    Also abstaining, UAE Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh said that now that the resolution has been vetoed, the United Arab Emirates seeks “inclusive and consultative processes” for a path forward.

    Meanwhile, as the only Permanent Council member to abstain, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun warned against actions that might “shut the door” to a negotiated settlement.

    He reminded that the Ukraine crisis did not occur “overnight” and that the security of one State cannot come at the expense of that of others.

    “Ukraine should become a bridge between East and West, not an outpost,” he said, adding that that cold war mentalities must be abandoned to build balanced European mechanisms and all parties should return to diplomacy.

    Ukraine Crisis: You cannot veto our voices, U.S. tells Russia

    Meanwhile, United States Ambassador to the UN, Ms Linda Thomas-Greenfield, on Friday told her Russian counterpart Amb. Vasily Nebenzya that he could not veto the voices of countries speaking against invasion of Ukraine.

    Thomas-Greenfield said this after Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have demanded that Moscow immediately stop its attack on Ukraine and withdraw all troops, a move several Council members said was deplorable, but inevitable.

    Although Russia, a permanent member of the Council, refused to support the draft resolution, 11 of the 15-member UN body voted in favour while India, China and the United Arab Emirates abstained from the vote.

    “You can veto this resolution but you cannot veto our voices; cannot veto the truth; cannot veto our principles; cannot veto the Ukrainian people; cannot veto the UN Charter…and you will not veto accountability,” she said.

    The U.S. Ambassador attested that despite a reckless, irresponsible Member State, the United States would continue to stand with Ukraine against Russia’s aggression.

    The draft resolution, which her country had helped craft, Thomas-Greenfield painted a picture of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that was “so bold, so brazen,” that it threatens the international system “as we know it”.

    UK Ambassador, Ms Dame Woodward described how women and children in Kiev, pensioners in Odessa and people all over Ukraine are “sheltering from Russia’s onslaught”.

    She upheld that the draft resolution sends “a message to the world that the rules we built together must be defended because otherwise, who will be next”.

    Moreover, President Vladimir Putin’s “massive invasion” of Ukraine to remove the government is “a naked aggression” that must be condemned, Woodward added.

    After the vote, the UK Ambassador pointed out that Russia was the only Council Member to vote against the draft.

    “Make no mistake, Russia is isolated, it has no support for the invasion of Ukraine,” she said, noting that history will record what has happened today and that the United Kingdom stands “firmly in support” of the Ukrainian people and will hold Russia accountable.

    After voting for the failed resolution, France’s Ambassador, Nicolas de Rivière, said that Russia’s “premediated aggression” is killing civilians and destroying infrastructure with goal of rebuilding the Russian empire.

    While other members expressed their commitment to international law, Russia vetoed it.

    “Russia is alone,” he observed, adding that “within the UN and in all bodies, France will continue to mobilise with its partners to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people”.

    Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said that he would not respond to those who have criticised him of abusing his veto power.

    Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of February, chairs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine.

    He accused the draft’s sponsors of “spinning tales” about the true situation in Ukraine, including Western allies’ attempts to cover up the fact that they had been flooding the Donbas with weapons.

    “You have made Ukraine a pawn in your own game… this resolution is nothing other than yet another brutal, inhumane move on this Ukrainian chessboard,” he said.

    Speaking to the representatives of France, the UK and US, he said that there was no verifiable confirmation about the death of Ukrainian civilians; that photographs of supposed Russian artillery “is fake”; and that reports of attacks on civilian infrastructure were untrue.

    Moreover, with its history of aggressions against other countries, the United States was “in no position to moralise”.

    Ukraine Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya asserted that he would not respond to the “diabolical script” read by the Russian Ambassador, which was in fact “a detailed application for a seat in Hell”.

    He recalled that when the Council was discussing the situation in Ukraine earlier in the week, Russia bombed his country and sent forces across the border, including through Belarus.

    Therefore, he was not surprised that Russia voted against the text, he said, denouncing the actions of “the Kremlin regime”.

    Kyslytsya asked the Ambassadors to remember how many times the Russian Ambassador said his country would not invade or bomb Ukraine.

    But after what has happened in recent days, “how can we trust you? You have no idea what is on the mind of your President,” he declared.

    The Ukraine Ambassador also noted that according to the rules of procedure, Russia should not have been presiding over a meeting of which his country was the subject.

    The Ukraine Ambassador asked the Council to dedicate a moment of silence “for peace… and to pray for the souls of those that have already been or may be killed”, inviting the Russian Ambassador to “pray for salvation”.

    This was followed by solemn applause throughout the Chamber.

    Noting that nothing could justify the bombing of hospitals and kindergartens –considered war crimes under the Rome Statute – he said that Ukraine was collecting evidence to send forward to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    In addition, Kyslytsya called on nations to break off diplomatic relations with Russia, and international organisations to end their relations with that country.

    “You should stop wiping your feet” on the words of the Secretary-General and the work of the UN, and “show respect for the principles enshrined in the Charter,” he said.

    The Ambassador maintained that Ukraine remained open to negotiations, but it was Russia that had launched an offensive that sent “thousands of troops” into its territory.

  • FG summon Russian, Ukrainian envoys

    FG summon Russian, Ukrainian envoys

    The Federal Government on Friday in Abuja summoned the Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Alexei Shebarshin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Kirdoda Valerii over the raging conflict between their countries and the need to evacuate Nigerians living there.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, met with the envoys separately behind closed doors.

    Onyeama said he told the Russian envoy, Shebarshin that Nigeria as a country would not condone the violation of the territorial integrity of a United Nations member state, a country with which Nigeria has diplomatic relations.

    The minister also said that he told Shebarshin that Nigeria wanted Russia to revert to the status quo before the military action and to prioritise diplomacy and dialogue.

    “This is really the position of the government and also, that we have 5,600 Nigerians in Ukraine and we are very concerned about what we are hearing and what we are seeing regarding missiles and bombs about the safety of Nigerian citizens there and also that we would like to be able to evacuate them.

    “He said that this would be communicated to his headquarters and that obviously, they consider Nigeria a friendly country.

    “The Russian envoy also said that they would do nothing to harm Nigerians and assured me that their action is targeted at military installations and that they are not about to start attacking civilian areas and so forth,” the minister said.

    Onyeama added that the Russian envoy insisted that civilians were not being targeted and that hopefully, it won’t last long.

    Speaking after his meeting with the Ukrainian envoy, Onyeama said the government sympathised with Ukraine regarding its situation as a country and as a people, in view of the heavy bombardment, which has led to loss of lives.

    Onyeama told the Ukrainian envoy that Nigeria has more than 5,000 students and ither citizens in the country and very concerned about their safety and welfare.

    “I told the Ukrainian envoy that we want the cooperation of the Government of Ukraine to do whatever is possible to ensure their safety and security and to also seek advice as to how the evacandion can be facilitated,” Onyeama added.

    Onyeama also said the envoy told him that that the Ukrainian government has given all the residents and civilians, specific instructions about how to stay safe and the measures to take.

    Onyeama added that the Nigerian Embassy in Ukraine will also act as a coordinating mechanism in reaching out to all Nigerians in Ukraine and ensure that they adhered to all the advice and directives.

    On the evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine, Onyeama said the issue could only come up when the airports reopened.

    Onyeama said that during discussions, the Russian envoy stated that they would possibly also see some airports as military targets.

    The minister said that they also discussed road travel to facilitate the evacuation, even though some Nigerians were able to get into neighbouring countries such as Holland.

    The Russian envoy however told Onyeama that there might be risk involved, while also saying that Russia was mindful of the civilians from foreign countries and that they would take all the necessary measures to ensure their security.

    The Ukrainian envoy expressed gratitude to the Government and people of Nigeria for their support.

    “Right now, we are in a very difficult situation, but we are fighting against the aggression and we believe that we will all win,” the Ukrainian envoy said.

    Valerii also said Nigerian students in Ukraine were in the same situation as anybody else on the territory of Ukraine.

    “Ukrainian Government does not differentiate between people on the basis of their nationality and that is the best effort to protect everybody.

    “Currently, the evacuation of Nigerian students is not possible because it is not safe to fly on the sky of Ukraine.

    “As soon as it is safe to fly on the sky of Ukraine, we will join the Embassy of Nigeria in Ukraine and jointly with the Nigerian Government, we will arrange for the evacuation of Nigerian Students,” Valeri said.

    FG meets with Envoys of G7 countries over Russia-Ukraine crisis

    Similarly, the Federal Government has met with envoys of the G7 countries in Nigeria, expressing worries over the Russian-Ukraine conflict with a call for peace to resolve the conflict.

    Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, met with the envoys on Friday in Abuja, saying that the Nigeria government call for peace and use of diplomacy in resolving all differences.

    Onyeama said that the Federal Government had stated that Nigeria does not condone the approach of aggression by Russia, calling on Russia to pull back.

    “Peace and diplomacy to be prioritised by both sides.

    “We support every effort being made to stop the aggression and Russian troops to return to Russia,” Onyeama said.

    Speaking to journalists after the closed door meeting, German Ambassador to Nigeria, Birgitt Ory, who is also chair of the G7 Group, appreciated the African Union on its statement on the situation.

    Ory who also commended Nigeria for putting in its weight, said Nigeria is a very important voice that the world needed to hear.

    He said that what is also clear is the unanimous condemnation of the attacks by all United Nations member states in the light of Russia’s military action.

    Ory said there will be resolutions in the United Nations Security Council, as well as the General Assembly and other United Nations fora such as the Human Rights Council where Nigeria is a very important voice and member.

    Also in attendance were; United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard; British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing; Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi.

    Others were the representatives of the Embassies of Japan and Canada.

  • Africa is ‘source of hope’ for the world – Antonio Guterres

    Africa is ‘source of hope’ for the world – Antonio Guterres

    The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described Africa as “a source of hope” for the world, highlighting the examples of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the decade of financial and economic inclusion for African women.

    UN chief said this in his address to the 35th Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the AU in Addis Ababa on Saturday via video message.

    He was represented in the Ethiopian capital, by Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed.

    Guterres also said that in the last 20 years, the African Union (AU) “has helped to bring this hope to life, in order to enable the continent to realize its enormous potentials.”

    According to Guterres, the collaboration between the UN and AU “is stronger than ever”, with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063, Africa’s blueprint for a peaceful, integrated and more prosperous continent, as the central pillars.

    The secretary-general argued that “injustice is deeply embedded in global systems”, but it was the Africans who “are paying the heaviest price.”

    He remembered that the vaccination rate in high-income countries was seven times higher than in Africa and stated that “a morally bankrupt global financial system has abandoned the countries of the South.”

    “The unethical inequalities that suffocate Africa, fuel armed conflict, political, economic, ethnic and social tensions, human rights abuses, violence against women, terrorism, military coups and a sentiment of impunity,” he said.

    Because of that, Guterres said, tens of millions of people are displaced across the continent and the democratic institutions are in peril.

    The secretary-general then offered the UN’s support to ignite “four engines of recovery.”

    First, he said, everyone needed to get their vaccines.

    In this regard, he highlighted the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Force (AVATT) and the benefits that greater vaccine production in South Africa and other African countries will generate.

    “I urge you to create the conditions for the number of African countries capable of producing tests, vaccines and treatments to multiply, including by addressing intellectual property issues, and providing the technical and finance needed,” he said.

    Second, Guterres said Member states needed to ignite the engine of economic recovery by reforming the global financial system.

    “But the deck is stacked against Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is facing cumulative economic growth per capita over the next five years that is 75 per cent less than the rest of the world,” he said.

    He called for re-directing Special Drawing Rights – an IMF-created reserve currency asset – to countries that need support now, reform of the international debt architecture, and more concessional forms of finance.

    Thirdly, the UN chief pointed to a green recovery across the continent.

    The vast continent contributes just 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but many of the worst impacts of climate change are being felt there.

    “To address today’s tragic reality, we need a radical boost in funding for adaptation and mitigation on the continent,” the UN Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Guterres as saying.

    According to him, the Glasgow COP26 commitment to double adaptation finance, from 20 billion dollars, must be implemented, but it was not enough.

    He called on wealthier countries to make good on the $100 billion dollars climate finance commitment to developing countries, starting this year, and hold to account private sector partners who have also made similar commitments.

    “We are in emergency mode, and we need all hands on deck,” he said, pointing to the next UN Climate Conference (COP27), happening later this year in Egypt, as “an essential opportunity for Africa and our world.”

    Lastly, the UN chief said peace across the continent could also work as an engine for recovery.

    In multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural states across Africa, Guterres believes an organisation like the African Union “is about showing how people can co-exist – even flourish – by working together.”

    According to him, this requires “inclusive and participatory structures” and so Member States need to make them a reality through good governance.

    Especially for young Africans, Guterres added, who need more connectivity to access information, benefit from faster communication, better education and job

  • Osinbajo arrives London for UN Energy Summit ( Photo)

    Osinbajo arrives London for UN Energy Summit ( Photo)

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has arrived in London, the United Kingdom to participate in today’s high-level United Nations Energy Transition in Africa event, with a special focus on Nigeria.

    Representing President Muhammadu Buhari at the programme, Osinbajo would feature in meetings by the UN-Energy ahead of the UN Climate Conference COP26 to be hosted by the UK in Glasgow, Scotland, among other engagements.

    Before returning to the country on Sunday, October 10, the Vice President will hold talks with the President-Designate of COP26, Alok Sharma, a cabinet UK Minister and Chair of the British Government’s COP26 Energy Transition Council (ETC), on issues regarding the 2050 global net-zero emission target and move to align with key elements of a just and equitable transition for all.

    The parley holds at Whitehall.

    Osinbajo was accompanied by a delegation, including the Minister of State for Environment, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor and the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu.

  • UNICEF condemns brutal attack, abduction of schoolgirls in Zamfara

    UNICEF condemns brutal attack, abduction of schoolgirls in Zamfara

    The United Nations Children Fund says it is angered and saddened by the abduction of over 300 schoolgirls in an overnight attack on the Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Talata in the Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State, North-West Nigeria.

    “We are angered and saddened and by yet another brutal attack on schoolchildren in Nigeria,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.

    “This is a gross violation of children’s rights and a horrific experience for children to go through – one which could have long-lasting effects on their mental health and well-being. We utterly condemn the attack and call on those responsible to release the girls immediately and for the government to take steps to ensure their safe release and the safety of all other schoolchildren in Nigeria.”

    “Children should feel safe at home and at school at all times – and parents should not need to worry for the safety of their children when they send them off to school in the morning,” Hawkins added.

    “UNICEF acknowledges efforts being made by the Government of Nigeria to secure the release of kidnapped schoolchildren in Nigeria and calls on the government and all concerned to make schools safe in Nigeria.”

    The school attack on Zamfara comes about a week after a similar attack occurred in Niger State on a school for boys.

  • Boko Haram killed 110 Nigerian farmers, not 43 in Borno – UN

    The United Nations has said at least 110 farmers were killed by Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast.

    The figure nearly tripled the 43 farmers that were initially reported killed by the insurgents on Saturday.

    French newswire AFP cited UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria Edward Kallon as saying on Sunday afternoon that at least 110 people were killed.

    Earlier on Sunday, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno had admitted more bodies were yet to be recovered from the village where the terrorists attacked rice farmers.

    The governor led other leaders in Zabarmari to bury 43 bodies that were retrieved on Saturday.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the attack as ‘insane,’ saying the armed forces had all the resources needed to protect lives and Nigerian territory.

  • UN at 75 holds lots of hope and hopelessness – Owei Lakemfa

    By Owei Lakemfa.

    The United Nations, UN, commenced activities marking its 75th Anniversary on Monday, September 21, buoyed with floods of mainly congratulatory speeches in a world drenched in increasing despair and cynicism. Its predecessor, the League of Nations had been born on June 28, 1919 under the Versailles Peace Treaty which ended World War I. Thirteen of the 15 parts of the Treaty, punished defeated Germany.

    The Treaty forced the disarmament of Germany, imposed on it heavy reparations, seized some of its territories and gave them to Poland, Czechoslovakia and Belgium. They also confiscated (instead of granting independence) to Germany’s colonies in China, the Pacific and Africa. These included Togo, Cameroun, Namibia and Tanganyika( Now part of Tanzania) and Botswana.

    However, the League of Nations was consumed in the hellfire-like flames of the second European conflagration in 22 years which the conquerors styled the Second World War. In truth, it was not the world that was at war; rather, the Europeans with their American cousins who had conquered the world as colonialists were settling their final scores in a bestial war in which they dragged the rest of humanity.

    We in Africa fought on both sides of that war as objects of our various colonial masters and some of the hottest battles took place in colonies like Myanmar (The Burma War). Some of the fiercest battles were fought in North Africa where the Germans led by the colourful “Desert Fox”, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, locked horns with the British led by Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery.

    After the Second World War in 1945, some countries met to sign the UN Charter in San Francisco, United States, based on the principles of equality, human rights for all, peace, security and development in a shared world. Ironically, for the first time in its history, the UN could not gather in New York this year for its annual General Assembly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Immediate Past President of the Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of Nigeria explained that: “World leaders cannot come to New York because they cannot come simply as individuals. A President doesn’t travel alone, leaders don’t travel alone” and it is impossible to bring large delegations to New York. World leaders were, therefore, enjoined to make pre-recorded video speeches for virtual meetings based on the theme: ‘The Future We Want, the UN We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism’.

    The UN is about nations uniting for universal good, but to borrow a phrase the Nigerian Presidency used for a former president, American President Donald Trump rather than work for global unity, is playing the role of ‘Divider-in-Chief’. On Monday, Trump failed to deliver the expected American video speech; Vice President Mike Pence did not, neither did Secretary of State Michael Pompeo nor the US ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft. Rather, Pompeo and Craft chose that day to hold a press conference attacking Iran, announcing new sanctions and generally putting the world on notice that America is ready for war. Iran dismissed the American address.

    The acting Deputy United States ambassador, Cherith Norman Chalet had to address the ceremony live from UN headquarters. However, the next day when the American COVID-19 deaths topped 200,000, Trump sent an address pronouncing China guilty of having “unleashed this plague onto the world” and asking that it be punished.

    Some countries in their speeches verbally attacked the US. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, denounced “the world of hegemony, the world of imperialism” declaring that: “Venezuela supports a multipolar world, a renewed UN system, a system that knows how to enforce international law and protect the people of the world.” In his speech, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said: “It seems that (the US) is at war with the planet… and its inhabitants”.

    Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , whose country assumed the UN General Assembly Presidency, lamented that 820 million people in the world are hungry, 170 million people are in urgent need of aid and protection, while more than 70 million people had to flee their homes due to conflicts and oppression. He argued that: “Despite the ideals that have been set out, the United Nations system can neither prevent conflicts nor end those that have already begun.” In reference to the UN Security Council, he argued that: “A Council with a structure that leaves the fate of seven billion people at the mercy of five countries is not fair, and it is not sustainable either… The world is greater than five.”

    Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari agrees, saying: “The demand for the reform of the United Nations Security Council is just and a place for Africa in the very strategic organ of the organisation is long overdue.” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Eygpt concurred, with the latter demanding two permanent seats for Africa with full powers, including the Veto.

    The European Union, EU, said its commitment is preserving and strengthening multilateral relations with its partners across the globe, with the United Nations at its core. The UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir, focused on the body’s achievements which he said includes arms control to prevent nuclear conflict, peacekeeping and electoral assistance.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told members: “It is now time to mobilise your resources, strengthen your efforts and show unprecedented political will and leadership, to ensure the future we want and the United Nations we need”. The President of the UN Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC, Munir Akram, said humanity is drifting towards erosion of structures that have been built to preserve peace and promote prosperity, and risking a “tragedy of epic proportions for all mankind”. He called for a reversal.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping’s focus was on COVID-19 which has infected at least 31 million persons and killing about one million. The pandemic, he said, is a grave test for the entire world. Russian President Vladimir Putin supported China on the issue that the world puts up a united fight against COVID-19. President Emmanuel Macron of France said: “The world today cannot be reduced to the rivalry between China and the United States, irrespective of the global weight of these great powers.”

    One of the most touching speeches came from Lebanon, the fractious, economically devastated, fire-ravaged but proud country. Its President, Michel Aoun, said despite all its suffering, Lebanon stands for multilateralism. This is in contrast to Trump’s insistence on unilateralism. He had told the UN: “Only when you take care of your own citizens, will you find a true basis for cooperation.”

    The UN depends on multilateralism, so the American insistence on unilateralism including exiting the UNESCO, defunding the WHO, rejecting the Paris Climate Change Agreement and repudiating the Iran international nuclear deal, is a grave threat to its existence.