De VN-gezant voor Somalië heeft in een verklaring de zelfmoordaanslag van dinsdag op een ministerie in de hoofdstad Mogadishu scherp veroordeeld. Bij de aanslag kwamen volgens hulpverleners meer dan 70 mensen om het leven.
De aanslag is opgeëist door Al-Shabaab. Een vrachtwagen vol explosieven explodeerde voor een ministerie waar juist ouders en studenten bijeen waren om de uitslag van tentamens te vernemen.
Al-Shabaab is een militante islamistische groepering die in Somalië strijd tegen de overgangsregering en een islamitische staat wil vestigen die gebaseerd is op de Sharia.
De verklaring van de VN
UN DEPLORES DEADLY BOMBING IN SOMALI CAPITAL
The top United Nations envoy to Somalia has strongly condemned today’s suicide bombing at a government ministry building in the capital, Mogadishu, that has killed scores of people and injured many more.
Media reports indicate at least 70 people have died and dozens of others sustained injuries as a result of the blast. The explosion occurred when a truck bomb detonated at a complex belonging to the country’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in the south of the city.
Augustine Mahiga, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and the head of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), issued a statement voicing his deep sadness at the “senseless and cowardly” bombing.
“These actions are unacceptable. The murder of ordinary Somalis cannot be justified for any reason,” he said.
The Islamist militant group known as Al-Shabaab, whose fighters withdrew from Mogadishu in August, has reportedly claimed responsibility for today’s attack.
“Although the extremists have left the capital, it is very difficult to prevent these types of terrorist attacks, which we have consistently warned are likely to be on the increase,” Dr. Mahiga said.
The Special Representative also condemned other recent raids or attacks carried out by Al-Shabaab, including a raid on Dhusamareb in central Somalia last night and an attack on Dhobley, close to the border with Kenya.
He stressed the need to both strengthen Somalia’s national security forces and provide sufficient resources to support the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in the Horn of Africa nation Amisom.
(VN, New York, 4-10-2011)
dinsdag 4 oktober 2011
donderdag 29 september 2011
Terrorismedreiging vandaag nog even groot als in tijd van aanslagen 2001 tegen VS
VN-secretaris-generaal Ban Ki-moon heeft tijdens een bijeenkomst van het VN-comité dat belast is om landen te helpen terrorisme te bestrijden gewaarschuwd dat de dreiging van terrorisme vandaag de dag nog even levensgroot is als in 2001 toen de Verenigde Staten werden aangevallen.
“Tienduizenden mensen zijn om het leven gekomen. Herhaaldelijke aanvallen hebben ernstige economische gevolgen en eisen hun tol van de stabiliteit van staten en regionale harmonie,” aldus de VN-chef.
Mike Smith, die het Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate (CTED) van de VN leidt, merkte op dat de internationale gemeenschap zich veel meer bewust is geworden van de noodzaak om samen te werken tegen terroristen.
Ook zei hij dat mensenrechten en terrorismebestrijding elkaar versterken en niet wederzijds in conflict hoeven te zijn.
“Contra-terrorismeprogramma’s die voorbijgaan aan de mensenrechten zijn minder effectief en kunnen zelfs contraproductief zijn,” aldus Mike Smith.
Smith beklemtoonde verder dat niet alleen met regeringen moet worden samengewerkt, maar ook met de burgermaatschappij, deskundigen, beroepsorganisaties, journalisten, parlementariërs, particuliere organisaties, leraren en religieuze leiders.
Smith zei: “De manier om dit aan te pakken zal een uitdaging zijn, maar het is er een die wij allemaal zullen moeten aannemen.”
De verklaring van de Verenigde Naties
TERRORISM THREAT AS ALIVE TODAY AS AT TIME OF 2001 ATTACKS AGAINST US, UN WARNS
The United Nations committee entrusted with helping countries tackle terrorism held a day-long meeting at UN Headquarters in New York today, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warning that the threat is still as great as it was at the time of the 2001 attacks against the United States.
“Terrorism is still as potent a threat today as it was 10 years ago,” he told the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), which was set up in the days following the attacks by Al Qaida against New York and Washington on 11 September 2001.
“Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives. Repeated attacks have had severe economic consequences and taken a toll on State stability and regional harmony.”
In an opening statement, Mike Smith, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate (CTED), noted that the international community had become much more aware of the need to take united action against terrorists, and of the fact that human rights and counter-terrorism are mutually reinforcing and need not conflict.
“Counter-terrorism programmes that ignore the human rights dimension are less effective and can even be counter-productive,” he said, stressing that as a matter of course the CTED includes human rights issues in its dialogue with Member States.
He also stressed the “the critical need” to address the social and other societal conditions that terrorist recruiters exploit to persuade young people to support their cause.
“Naturally issues such as education, humanitarian support and good governance are important for their own sake, but they are also relevant to our work and should be taken into account in broader, more comprehensive and integrated strategies to address terrorism,” he said.
“We spend a lot more time these days talking to countries about the value of adopting a comprehensive national strategy to counter terrorism, and of setting up coordination mechanisms that ensure all parts of their governments understand what the over-arching goal is, and where they fit into the counter-terrorism scheme.”
He noted that the CTED’s close relationship with international and regional organizations such as the global police body Interpol, the Organization of American States (OAS), the African Union (AU) and the Council of Europe.
The organizations “have a familiarity with their member states, a strong presence in key countries, and very often important technical expertise,” Mr. Smith said. “Partnering with them means our recommendations are followed up and better implemented in-country than otherwise we could reasonably expect.”
With regard to the problem of incitement, he stressed that counter-terrorism work will have to engage actors going well beyond government. “We will need to work with civil society, professional associations, academics, journalists, parliamentarians, the private sector, teachers and religious leaders,” he said. “How to do this will be a challenge but it is one that all of us will need to take up.”
(VN; New York, 28 September 2011)
“Tienduizenden mensen zijn om het leven gekomen. Herhaaldelijke aanvallen hebben ernstige economische gevolgen en eisen hun tol van de stabiliteit van staten en regionale harmonie,” aldus de VN-chef.
Mike Smith, die het Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate (CTED) van de VN leidt, merkte op dat de internationale gemeenschap zich veel meer bewust is geworden van de noodzaak om samen te werken tegen terroristen.
Ook zei hij dat mensenrechten en terrorismebestrijding elkaar versterken en niet wederzijds in conflict hoeven te zijn.
“Contra-terrorismeprogramma’s die voorbijgaan aan de mensenrechten zijn minder effectief en kunnen zelfs contraproductief zijn,” aldus Mike Smith.
Smith beklemtoonde verder dat niet alleen met regeringen moet worden samengewerkt, maar ook met de burgermaatschappij, deskundigen, beroepsorganisaties, journalisten, parlementariërs, particuliere organisaties, leraren en religieuze leiders.
Smith zei: “De manier om dit aan te pakken zal een uitdaging zijn, maar het is er een die wij allemaal zullen moeten aannemen.”
De verklaring van de Verenigde Naties
TERRORISM THREAT AS ALIVE TODAY AS AT TIME OF 2001 ATTACKS AGAINST US, UN WARNS
The United Nations committee entrusted with helping countries tackle terrorism held a day-long meeting at UN Headquarters in New York today, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warning that the threat is still as great as it was at the time of the 2001 attacks against the United States.
“Terrorism is still as potent a threat today as it was 10 years ago,” he told the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), which was set up in the days following the attacks by Al Qaida against New York and Washington on 11 September 2001.
“Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives. Repeated attacks have had severe economic consequences and taken a toll on State stability and regional harmony.”
In an opening statement, Mike Smith, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate (CTED), noted that the international community had become much more aware of the need to take united action against terrorists, and of the fact that human rights and counter-terrorism are mutually reinforcing and need not conflict.
“Counter-terrorism programmes that ignore the human rights dimension are less effective and can even be counter-productive,” he said, stressing that as a matter of course the CTED includes human rights issues in its dialogue with Member States.
He also stressed the “the critical need” to address the social and other societal conditions that terrorist recruiters exploit to persuade young people to support their cause.
“Naturally issues such as education, humanitarian support and good governance are important for their own sake, but they are also relevant to our work and should be taken into account in broader, more comprehensive and integrated strategies to address terrorism,” he said.
“We spend a lot more time these days talking to countries about the value of adopting a comprehensive national strategy to counter terrorism, and of setting up coordination mechanisms that ensure all parts of their governments understand what the over-arching goal is, and where they fit into the counter-terrorism scheme.”
He noted that the CTED’s close relationship with international and regional organizations such as the global police body Interpol, the Organization of American States (OAS), the African Union (AU) and the Council of Europe.
The organizations “have a familiarity with their member states, a strong presence in key countries, and very often important technical expertise,” Mr. Smith said. “Partnering with them means our recommendations are followed up and better implemented in-country than otherwise we could reasonably expect.”
With regard to the problem of incitement, he stressed that counter-terrorism work will have to engage actors going well beyond government. “We will need to work with civil society, professional associations, academics, journalists, parliamentarians, the private sector, teachers and religious leaders,” he said. “How to do this will be a challenge but it is one that all of us will need to take up.”
(VN; New York, 28 September 2011)
zaterdag 27 augustus 2011
Veiligheidsraad veroordeelt aanslag in Nigeria op VN-compound in Abuja
De VN-veiligheidsraad heeft de aanslag van vrijdag door de Nigeriaanse terroristische beweging Boko Haram op de VN-compound in de Nigeriaanse hoofdstad Abuja scherp veroordeeld.
De compound van de VN werd aangevallen met een autobom. De aanslag kostte aan zeker 18 mensen het leven en minstens 60 mensen werden gewond naar het ziekenhuis afgevoerd.
De radicaal-islamitische beweging Boko Haram heeft via de BBC de aanslag opgeëist.
In een persverklaring maakte de Veiligheidsraad bekend: “Terrorisme in alle vormen is crimineel en niet te rechtvaardigen, ongeacht de motieven ervan, waar dan ook, wanneer dan ook en door wie dan ook bedreven.”
De politie in Abuja meldde dat het om een zelfmoordaanslag ging.
Vanaf zaterdag hangen alle vlaggen van de VN drie dagen lang halfstok.
De Verklaring van de VN:
SECURITY COUNCIL AND BAN CONDEMN DEADLY ATTACK ON UN COMPOUND IN NIGERIA
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned this morning’s attack on the United Nations building in Abuja, in which a number of people have been killed or wounded, and said he is dispatching top officials to the Nigerian capital to respond to the emergency.
The compound in Abuja, a series of buildings that house the offices of 26 UN humanitarian and development agencies, was struck by a car bomb at around 11 a.m. local time. Hundreds of UN staff members were working in the compound at the time of the attack.
“This was an assault on those who devote their lives to helping others,” Mr. Ban told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. “We condemn this terrible act, utterly.”
Mr. Ban said that the UN did not yet have precise casualty figures but “they are likely to be considerable,” adding that a number of people are dead and many more are wounded.
“On this very sad occasion, I extend my deepest sympathies to the victims and their families,” he said. “The UN will undertake every possible effort to assist them during this difficult time.”
Nigerian and international search and rescue teams have mobilized and are moving the wounded to hospitals and providing emergency aid.
Mr. Ban announced that he is dispatching Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro to Nigeria immediately and mobilizing the UN system to respond to the emergency. She will be accompanied by the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, Gregory Starr, and meet with Nigerian authorities on arrival in Abuja.
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters that there was no previous threat against the UN compound, which had barriers around it to protect against attack.
“It is regarded as a well-defended building and we will need to investigate how it was that the attackers managed to get past different levels of protection so that they could cause the damage that they did,” he said.
The Secretary-General added that he will also call the Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, soon to discuss the attack. The Security Council observed a minute’s silence before the start of a meeting today on UN peacekeeping operations, during which individual delegations all voiced their strong condemnation of the attack.
In a later press statement voicing sympathy for the victims of the “heinous crime,” the Council reaffirmed that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of its motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.”
The heads of several UN agencies deplored today’s bombing, including the Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Helen Clark, who voiced deep sadness at the loss of UN personnel and Nigerian citizens killed in the attack.
“These are unarmed civilians who have dedicated their lives to helping the people of Nigeria,” she said. Miss Clark added that the UN Country Team is working closely with national authorities to account for those still missing.
The Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Anthony Lake, noted that the loss of UN colleagues comes exactly one week after the Organization commemorated the bravery of those working to save lives around the globe during the annual World Humanitarian Day.
“This tragic event should remind us all of the of the courage of so many other aid workers who face similar dangers and who are doing so much for so many around the world,” he said.
That sentiment was echoed in a statement issued by the UN Staff Union, which called on the Nigerian authorities to do their utmost to apprehend those responsible. “This event, once again, serves as a tragic reminder of the innumerable risks undertaken daily by United Nations personnel across the globe,” it said in a statement.
UN flags will be flown at half-mast for three days starting tomorrow.
(New York, 26-08-2011)
De compound van de VN werd aangevallen met een autobom. De aanslag kostte aan zeker 18 mensen het leven en minstens 60 mensen werden gewond naar het ziekenhuis afgevoerd.
De radicaal-islamitische beweging Boko Haram heeft via de BBC de aanslag opgeëist.
In een persverklaring maakte de Veiligheidsraad bekend: “Terrorisme in alle vormen is crimineel en niet te rechtvaardigen, ongeacht de motieven ervan, waar dan ook, wanneer dan ook en door wie dan ook bedreven.”
De politie in Abuja meldde dat het om een zelfmoordaanslag ging.
Vanaf zaterdag hangen alle vlaggen van de VN drie dagen lang halfstok.
De Verklaring van de VN:
SECURITY COUNCIL AND BAN CONDEMN DEADLY ATTACK ON UN COMPOUND IN NIGERIA
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned this morning’s attack on the United Nations building in Abuja, in which a number of people have been killed or wounded, and said he is dispatching top officials to the Nigerian capital to respond to the emergency.
The compound in Abuja, a series of buildings that house the offices of 26 UN humanitarian and development agencies, was struck by a car bomb at around 11 a.m. local time. Hundreds of UN staff members were working in the compound at the time of the attack.
“This was an assault on those who devote their lives to helping others,” Mr. Ban told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. “We condemn this terrible act, utterly.”
Mr. Ban said that the UN did not yet have precise casualty figures but “they are likely to be considerable,” adding that a number of people are dead and many more are wounded.
“On this very sad occasion, I extend my deepest sympathies to the victims and their families,” he said. “The UN will undertake every possible effort to assist them during this difficult time.”
Nigerian and international search and rescue teams have mobilized and are moving the wounded to hospitals and providing emergency aid.
Mr. Ban announced that he is dispatching Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro to Nigeria immediately and mobilizing the UN system to respond to the emergency. She will be accompanied by the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, Gregory Starr, and meet with Nigerian authorities on arrival in Abuja.
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters that there was no previous threat against the UN compound, which had barriers around it to protect against attack.
“It is regarded as a well-defended building and we will need to investigate how it was that the attackers managed to get past different levels of protection so that they could cause the damage that they did,” he said.
The Secretary-General added that he will also call the Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, soon to discuss the attack. The Security Council observed a minute’s silence before the start of a meeting today on UN peacekeeping operations, during which individual delegations all voiced their strong condemnation of the attack.
In a later press statement voicing sympathy for the victims of the “heinous crime,” the Council reaffirmed that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of its motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.”
The heads of several UN agencies deplored today’s bombing, including the Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Helen Clark, who voiced deep sadness at the loss of UN personnel and Nigerian citizens killed in the attack.
“These are unarmed civilians who have dedicated their lives to helping the people of Nigeria,” she said. Miss Clark added that the UN Country Team is working closely with national authorities to account for those still missing.
The Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Anthony Lake, noted that the loss of UN colleagues comes exactly one week after the Organization commemorated the bravery of those working to save lives around the globe during the annual World Humanitarian Day.
“This tragic event should remind us all of the of the courage of so many other aid workers who face similar dangers and who are doing so much for so many around the world,” he said.
That sentiment was echoed in a statement issued by the UN Staff Union, which called on the Nigerian authorities to do their utmost to apprehend those responsible. “This event, once again, serves as a tragic reminder of the innumerable risks undertaken daily by United Nations personnel across the globe,” it said in a statement.
UN flags will be flown at half-mast for three days starting tomorrow.
(New York, 26-08-2011)
vrijdag 26 augustus 2011
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