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Vami zadané údaje do kontaktného formulára sú spracúvané spoločnosťou Ringier Axel Springer Slovakia, a.s., so sídlom Prievozská 14, 821 09 Bratislava, IČO: 00 678 155, zapísaná v Obchodnom registri Okresného súdu Bratislava I, v odd. Sa, vložka č. 19/B na účely spätného kontaktovania ... Viac informácií k ochrane osobných údajov nájdete tu.</s>BAMAKO, Mali — The spokesman for a Tuareg group in Mali says gunmen have attacked two villages in the country’s central Menaka region near the border with Niger, killing at least 20 people.

Mohamed Ag Albachar of the Azawad self-defence group, said Wednesday that armed men attacked two villages on Tuesday, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Menaka. The attackers killed 20 civilians, including elderly people, and some security personnel also died in the attack.

The attack has not been claimed but it bears the marks of jihadists who stage attacks in the region in retaliation against Tuaregs who are fighting against the Islamic State.

Attacks against civilians have increased in Mali’s Menaka area since 2018, when the U.N.’s mission in Mali documented 100 cases of human rights violations there.</s>After increased insecurity in the Tillabéry region of Niger caused large numbers of people to flee their homes, MSF carried out an emergency response in early January 2019.

Why did MSF carry out an emergency response in the rural area of Dessa in the Tillabéry region last week?

A state of emergency was declared recently in the department of Tillabéry, in the region of the same name. Like many other departments in the region, Tillabéry faces many security challenges.

The people living in this border area between Mali and Niger find themselves trapped in violence that comes from two directions: on one side, the community conflict; on the other, the activities of non-state armed groups.

After receiving information about people being displaced in the region, an MSF team visited the immediate area, where they saw first-hand the precarious situation in which the displaced people were living.

We are talking about a total of 1,287 people at three sites within a five-kilometre radius. These people were already vulnerable, having been displaced several times already.

What were people’s main needs?

These people had been forced to leave their homes, their fields and often their animals in order to escape the violence orchestrated by armed groups and other opportunists. Because of the hostilities in the area, basic services such as schools and health centres have been closed.

The displaced people lack shelter, food, healthcare and protection. They are also drinking untreated river water, which brings the risk of various diseases.

Given the urgency of their needs, and in the absence of other humanitarian organisations, the MSF team decided to launch a response.

Our medical team conducted 170 medical consultations, mainly for respiratory infections, malaria, dermatitis and severe malnutrition, as well as 20 antenatal consultations.

We also assessed the nutritional status of children and vaccinated nearly 130 children against measles. Five mental health promotion sessions were organised for approximately 160 people.

Several patients were referred to the health centre for follow-up care, which MSF was also involved in. Our team distributed essential relief items to 220 families, including blankets, cooking utensils, washing kits, mosquito nets and jerry cans.

To make sure that people have safe drinking water, the teams distributed 4,000 water purification tablets, and ran sessions on how to use them.

Who are the displaced people?

“Most of the people who fled the violence are women, children and the elderly, of different ethnicities, living in the border area between Mali and Niger. There are also a number of young people who reject violence and want to settle in places that are considered more secure.

The displaced include refugees from Mali and internally displaced people from Niger.

The majority of the displaced people live in fear of being attacked at any time, because of what they have already experienced – their villages being attacked, assassinations, their markets burned down, their animals stolen, and living with the threat of death.

Other than this emergency response, what is MSF doing in Tillabéry region?

MSF has been working in Niger’s Bani-Bangou department, near the border with Mali, since November 2018. Long before the state of emergency was declared, schools, health centres and other social infrastructure were not functioning because of the violence.

MSF is working in the area to ensure access to free quality medical care for displaced people and local communities. We support two health centres and five health posts.

We are also monitoring the situation in other areas which could potentially receive newly displaced people, or where there are needs not covered by other organisations, particularly in the area around Innates. MSF also supports medical services, from health posts to hospitals, in Bani-Bangou and Ouallam.

Our teams work in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. In December 2018, we treated 4,599 people, provided 452 antenatal consultations and assisted 22 births. In addition, 588 children under the age of two received routine immunisations, and 34 women of childbearing age were vaccinated against tetanus. We also referred to hospital seven patients in need of emergency treatment.

What are people’s main needs in this region? And what are the challenges of assisting them?

People in this region need food, essential relief items, physical and mental healthcare, clean water, good sanitation and hygiene, and protection.

The main challenge we face is the climate of insecurity in the region, which can make it difficult to reach the people who need assistance.</s>About 20 civilians, all Tuaregs, were reported killed in an attack on Tuesday evening by Daesch elements against the Mèneka Circle (northern Mali), local sources told APA.The attackers, men of Abu Al Walid Assahraoui, came on board motorcycles and attacked three villages in Méneka.

This attack adds to a long series of fatal assaults on civilians in northern Mali, on the grounds that they support Barkhane’s French force.</s>BAMAKO - Gunmen on motorbikes have killed more than 30 Tuareg civilians this week in northern Mali, where clashes over land and scarce water are common, an official said on Wednesday.

The violence compounds an already dire security situation in the desert region used by jihadist groups to launch attacks in Mali and across West Africa.

The identity of the assailants was unknown, but disputes between the nomadic Tuareg and herder Fulani ethnic groups have killed several hundred and displaced thousands over the past year.

Menaka town mayor Nanout Kotia told Reuters 34 Tuareg were killed in two nearby villages on Tuesday.

“Armed men riding several motorbikes, as is their custom, encircled these villages and shot at the people. The death toll is high,” Kotia said by telephone.

The attack follows the killing of more than 40 Tuareg civilians in the same area in mid-December and the death of 15 Fulani civilians in Mali’s central Mopti region in the same month.

Mali has been in turmoil since Tuareg rebels and loosely allied Islamists took over its north in 2012, prompting French forces to intervene to push them back the following year.

They have since regained a foothold in the north and centre, tapping into ethnic rivalries to recruit new</s>German soldiers serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, which the United States says could face changes if no progress is made in implementing a peace deal (AFP Photo/SEYLLOU)

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - France on Wednesday threatened to push for more targeted sanctions to be imposed on Mali after hearing a UN official report on worsening violence in the West African country.

The Security Council last month put three individuals linked to armed groups on a UN sanctions blacklist, the first Malian nationals to be hit by a global travel ban and assets freeze.

The sanctions were imposed for hindering a peace agreement signed in 2015 by the Bamako government and armed groups that is aimed at restoring stability to Mali following a brief Islamist takeover in the north.

The peace deal has failed to stop violence by Islamist militants, who have also staged attacks in Burkina Faso, Niger and against UN peacekeepers.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre told a council meeting that his government was "ready to propose the adoption of new (sanctions) designations when the time comes if the expectations of this council are not met."

The United States renewed its warning that it will push for changes to the peacekeeping mission in Mali, possibly a major drawdown, if there is no progress.

UN peacekeeping official Bintou Keita told the council that the security situation in central Mali had worsened with a spike in intercommunal violence, stoked by extremists groups.

An attack on the Fulani community on January 1 left 37 dead in the central Mopti region.

The worsening violence has led to "a dramatic increase in displaced persons by 75 per cent in December 2018, compared with June 2018," said Keita.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, however, warned that fresh sanctions will "hardly contribute" to strengthening the peace process.

More than 13,000 peacekeepers are deployed in Mali as part of a UN mission that was established after Islamist militias seized northern Mali in 2012. They were pushed backed by French troops in 2013.

The council is planning a possible visit to Mali in March to take stock of failures in implementing the peace deal and consider next steps.</s>Bamako: Gunmen on motorbikes have killed more than 30 Tuareg civilians this week in northern Mali, where clashes over land and scarce water are common, an official said on Wednesday.

The violence compounds an already dire security situation in the desert region used by jihadist groups to launch attacks in Mali and across West Africa.

The identity of the assailants was unknown, but disputes between the nomadic Tuareg and herder Fulani ethnic groups have killed several hundred and displaced thousands over the past year.

Menaka town mayor Nanout Kotia said 34 Tuareg were killed in two nearby villages on Tuesday.</s>The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President José Singer Weisinger (Dominican Republic):

The members of the Security Council were briefed on 16 January 2019 by the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Bintou Keita, on the situation in Mali.

The members of the Security Council welcomed the recent positive steps achieved in the implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, including through: the establishment of 10 district-level interim administrations in the Kidal, Ménaka and Timbuktu regions; the launch of an accelerated disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and integration process for 1,423 combatants; the holding of a second high-level meeting on the implementation of the defence and security pillar of the Agreement, which allowed further progress towards the definition of a common vision on the reconstituted Malian defence and security forces, the establishment of a regional territorial police force and of anti-terror special units, and the modalities of conduct of the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and integration and of the security sector reform processes; as well as the establishment of a working group on the participation of women in the peace process, under the leadership of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

The members of the Security Council commended the Malian parties for the establishment of a weekly coordination framework between representatives of the Government of Mali, the Plateforme coalition of armed groups and the Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad coalition of armed groups, under the authority of the Minister for Social Cohesion, Peace and National Reconciliation. They welcomed the mobilization of the Prime Minister in support to the implementation of the Agreement. They called upon all Malian stakeholders to unite their efforts following President [Ibrahim Boubacar] Keïta’s re-election and work together to promote sustainable peace, human rights, and tackle the security and development challenges facing Mali.

The members of the Security Council expressed a significant sense of impatience with parties over the persistent delays in the full implementation of key provisions of the Agreement. They urged the Government of Mali and the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups to take immediate and concrete action to effectively implement the remaining key provisions of the Agreement referenced in paragraph 4 of resolution 2423 (2018) which have not yet been implemented.

The members of the Security Council recalled the provisions of resolution 2423 (2018) requesting the Secretary-General to report 6 months after the presidential inauguration on progress in the implementation of the Agreement and expressing the intent of the Security Council, in the absence of significant progress, to request the Secretary-General to provide options for potential significant adaptation of MINUSMA after the expiration of its current mandate. They further recalled the provisions of resolution 2423 (2018) expressing the intention of the Security Council to follow closely the timely implementation of the road map adopted on 22 March 2018 and to respond with measures pursuant to resolution 2374 (2017) should the parties not implement the agreed-upon commitments within the announced timeframe. They recalled, in this context, the listing decision of 20 December 2018 of the 2374 Sanctions Committee. They stressed that all parties to the Agreement share the primary responsibility to make steadfast progress in its implementation.

The members of the Security Council expressed growing concerns about the continued deterioration of the security situation in central Mali. They strongly condemned the continued attacks, including terrorist attacks, against civilians, representatives from local, regional and State institutions, as well as national, international and United Nations security forces. They further strongly condemned the recent surge in intercommunal violence which has led to the loss of numerous innocent lives. They urged Malian authorities to ensure that those responsible for crimes involving violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law are held accountable and brought to justice without undue delay.

The members of the Security Council underlined that stabilization of the situation in central Mali requires a fully integrated plan encompassing simultaneous pursuit of progress on security, governance, development, reconciliation, as well as protection and promotion of human rights. They welcomed the measures taken by the Government of Mali to implement its comprehensive plan to re-establish State presence in Central Mali (Plan de sécurisation intégrée des regions du Centre — PSIRC). They highlighted the importance of the provision of basic services for all, including the reopening of schools. They took positive note of the recent visits of President Keïta and of the Prime Minister in the Mopti region. They encouraged further and continued efforts from the Government of Mali and called for enhanced support by all actors. They further encouraged MINUSMA to continue to support the restoration of State authority in the centre and to implement its good offices, reconciliation and protection of civilians mandate, according to the relevant provisions of resolution 2423 (2018).

The members of the Security Council reiterated their full support to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali and Head of MINUSMA, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the international mediation team led by Algeria, MINUSMA and the other security presences in Mali and in the Sahel region, as mentioned in resolution 2423 (2018). They emphasized the central role the Special Representative of the Secretary-General should continue to play to support and oversee the implementation of the Agreement by the Malian parties. They called on all members of the Comité de suivi de l’Accord and other relevant national and international partners to increase their engagement in support to the full, effective and inclusive implementation of the Agreement.

The members of the Security Council reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Mali. They underlined the importance of an inclusive implementation of the Agreement, which associates all Malian actors supportive of the peace process. They further underlined that lasting peace and security in the Sahel region will not be achieved without the full, effective and inclusive implementation of the Agreement, as well as a combination of political, security and development efforts.

For information media. Not an official record.</s>Kano, Nigeria: At least 26 people were killed after cattle thieves raided several villages in Nigeria´s northern Sokoto state, police said Tuesday.



Armed bandits on motorcycles attacked Warwana, Tabkin Kwasa and Dutsi, a trio of neighbouring villages in Rabah district, late Sunday, shooting residents as they fled.

"Twenty six people were killed in the attack -- they included 24 males and two females," Sokoto state police commissioner Murtala Usman Mani told AFP.

"The criminals came on motorcycles and attacked three herding settlements, shooting people," said Mani, who attended the victims´ funerals on Monday.

Residents said the gunmen rode into the villages on two dozen motorcycles, three men on each.

"They attacked around 5:00 pm (1600 GMT) and began shooting people without warning," Warwana resident Kabiru Jabbi said.

The three villages border Zamfara state where kidnapping and cattle rustling gangs operate.

The gunmen were believed to have launched the attacks from Zamfara forests where the gangs are based, Mani said.

In July last year armed bandits killed more than 30 people and torched homes in raids on five villages bordering Sokoto and Zamfara states, two of them in Rabah district.

Farming and herding communities in Zamfara state have long been terrorised by such gangs who raid villages, stealing cattle, kidnapping residents for ransom and burning homes.

The incessant attacks prompted villages to form local vigilante groups as a protection force but they are themselves accused of extrajudicial killings of suspected bandits.

The killings by vigilantes attract reprisals by motorcycle-riding criminal gangs who carry out indiscriminate killings and burn villages in retaliation.

In April, the Nigerian central government deployed troops to Zamfara to combat the gangs while police outlawed the vigilantes to end the tit-for-tat killings.

It was not clear whether the latest attacks were connected with the face-off between the bandits and vigilante groups.</s>The Federal Government has called on the implementing agency for the 1,000 villages project in Nigeria, StarTimes, to expedite action on the installation of the satellite TV systems in the selected villages ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Speaking at the flag-off of the 1,000 Villages Satellite TV Project in Kpaduma 3 in Abuja, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the installation would no doubt go a long way in making it easier for Nigerians to make the right choice of candidates to vote for during the elections and challenged StarTimes to replicate what it did in China in similar project in Nigeria.

He noted that the project was kick-started by the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, at the 2015 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, FOCAC, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The project, according to the minister, would see some 10,000 African villages – 1,000 of which are from Nigeria, benefitting under the Access to Satellite TV programme.

He said: “Under the project, each of the 1,000 carefully-chosen villages in Nigeria will receive two sets of solar-powered projector television systems and one set of solar 32-inch digital TV integrated terminal system. In addition, 20 recipient families with TV in each village will be provided with 20 sets of direct broadcast satellite terminal system free of charge.”

Mohammed explained that the project, which would boost access to information would also have a positive effect on the lives of people in rural communities.

He said the project would strengthen the already very cordial China-Nigeria relations, adding that it would also complement the ongoing efforts of the Buhari administration to democratise access to information and entertainment in the country.

Buhari to take decision on minimum wage soon—Minister

Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer, StarTimes Nigeria, Justin Zhang, said that StarTimes was contracted by the Chinese Government to deliver on the project across Africa, adding that the project was an initiative which could help meet ITU’s demand for African countries to achieve digital migration of TV industry before the year 2020.

He said: “We have entered an advanced stage in the installation of satellite TV access to 1,000 villages in Nigeria. The villages identified for this project will receive two solar power projector TVs for the community, digital TV sets, 20 Satellite dishes and decoders where they can watch more than 100 international and local channels all free of charge, just as we have done in Kpaduma village.”

Zhang further stated that during the course of the project, a number of jobs were created, as many Nigerians from various villages had been trained on how to recharge, operate and provide the required maintenance support for all the products installed.

“For us at StarTimes, it makes us truly happy as a company and a people to be able to work together successfully with both the Chinese and Nigerian government, and to put long lasting smiles on the faces the children and adults that would benefit from the exposure they get from the access to satellite TV.

“We have been making families happy since we came into the Pay TV market in 2010 with only one mission – To provide every African family affordable and enjoyable digital TV service, and will continue to do so,” Zhang maintained.
Gunmen attack two villages in the Ménaka region, Mali, near the border with Niger, killing at least 20 people.