Conflict-torn C.Africa gets first woman president. The mayor of the Central African Republic's capital Bangui was chosen as interim president Monday, becoming the first woman to lead the violence-wracked country, as the European Union agreed to send hundreds of troops to help stem the bloodshed. Catherine Samba-Panza, a businesswoman with a reputation as a fighter who became Bangui mayor last year, was elected in a second-round vote by the transitional parliament. She now faces the enormous task of restoring peace to the chronically unstable country. Cheers broke out in the assembly as the result was announced, with lawmakers singing the national anthem in celebration. In her victory speech, Samba-Panza -- who won 75 votes against 53 for Desire Kolingba, the son of a former president -- called for an end to violence by the mostly Muslim Seleka ex-rebels and Christian self-defence militias known as "anti-balaka" (anti-machete). "I'm launching a resounding appeal to my anti-balaka children who are listening to me: Show your support for my nomination by giving the strong signal of laying down your weapons," said Samba-Panza, who is Christian but did not campaign on a religious platform. "To my ex-Seleka children who are also listening to me: Lay down your weapons," she said. "Stop the suffering of the people." - Yahoo News Philippines

CLICK LINK TO READ>>> Conflict-torn C.Africa gets first woman president - Yahoo News Philippines: "The 59-year-old called herself "the president of all Central Africans, without exclusion", and said her top priority was "to stop people's suffering, to restore security and the authority of the state across the country"."



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UPDATE: DRC: Efforts to attain peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are at an important juncture, senior United Nations officials said, calling on all parties in the region to fulfilL their commitments to achieve lasting peace. “It is the concrete implementation of national commitment in the DRC and commitments at the regional level that would lead to sustainable peace in the region, and this cannot wait any longer,” the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Mary Robinson, said in a briefing to the Security Council. Addressing the 15-member body by video link from the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, Mrs. Robinson said that the positive atmosphere that prevailed last month in the aftermath of the defeat of the M23 rebel group has “vanished” and that the region is going through a period of renewed turbulence. This has been marked by deadly attacks in eastern DRC by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group, the ongoing crisis in Central African Republic (CAR) and the eruption of fighting in South Sudan. Amid this fragility in the region, Mrs. Robinson said that the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the Region – signed by 11 nations in February 2013 – remains “the best chance” to achieve sustainable peace, security, cooperation and development in the Great Lakes Region. “However, it is essential that the pace of its implementation be increased in order to maximize its impact,” she said of the accord. At the national level, she said efforts to reform the security sector should be significantly increased and accelerated – which would be essential for expanding State authority, particularly in eastern DRC. Another priority is the swift implementation of an effective programme to disarm and reintegrate former M23 combatants. The envoy noted that at the regional level, signatory countries must also begin implementing their commitments, including working towards further economic integration and concrete confidence-building steps such as ensuring that no one is harbouring individuals responsible for grave human rights violations or assisting armed groups. The Framework agreement is at a crucial juncture, Mrs. Robinson stressed. “However, what is most important for meaningful progress is the immediate implementation of all commitments at the national and regional levels in order to bring about concrete peace dividends and lasting life improvements to the people in the region.” Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for DRC, told the Council that the signing last year of the Framework was a major milestone, along with the creation of the intervention brigade within the UN peacekeeping force, known as MONUSCO. “With the Force Intervention Brigade and our unmanned aerial vehicles, all armed groups are aware now that we have the will and the means to take robust action at any time,” said Mr. Kobler, who is also head of MONUSCO. “In the coming weeks, we will finalize the review of our military deployment across eastern Congo. We will then have a more flexible force. We need it to be more agile, ready to deploy when it is needed and where civilians are threatened, to take on the threat.” At the same time, he noted that peace in eastern DRC can only be durable if its root causes are addressed. “Restitution of State authority alone is not enough. Only regional cooperation and good governance will provide the peace dividend the population is expecting,” he said. In this regard, he cited the need for legalizing and regulating the current exploitation and trade of conflict minerals in order to substantially increase state revenues. “Thus, Congo’s natural wealth will help finance the economic and social challenges of the country. Obviously, this has to be done in partnership with the Government of the DRC and neighbouring States, the private sector and with the assistance of the international community.” - United Nations News Centre - DR Congo peace efforts, regional framework at crucial juncture, UN officials stress

CLICK LINK FOR THE ARTICLE SOURCE: United Nations News Centre - DR Congo peace efforts, regional framework at crucial juncture, UN officials stress:

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UPDATE: 2014 International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: Urging that the observance be used to redouble efforts to achieve a durable peace between Israel and Palestine. “The coming year will be crucial to achieving the two-State solution,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said in his remarks to the UN General Assembly’s Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Mr. Eliasson said Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are working hard towards a peaceful, comprehensive settlement of all permanent status issues. That means a settlement that ends the occupation that started in 1967 and which would end the conflict. It also means securing an independent, viable and sovereign State of Palestine living alongside a secure State of Israel, where each side recognizes the other’s legitimate rights, he added. “The Secretary-General and I urge all in the international community to work together to translate the solidarity and desire for peace expressed on this occasion into positive action for security and for justice.” Last November, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, and requested the Committee to organize activities around the observance. General Assembly President John Ashe told today’s meeting that he hoped the Year leads to “robust” support for the people of Palestine. “I am sure I speak for many when I say that I hope the Year helps foster an atmosphere of dialogue and mutual understanding between the two sides of this decades-long conflict,” he said. “We live in an international context that requires cooperation among all parties, entities and beings to find solutions to the challenges facing the human family. There are no exceptions; Israel and Palestine must find agreement on the conditions in which they can live side by side in peace and security.” UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have noted that 2014 could be a an important year in the Middle East peace process, if both sides are willing to take bold steps and refrain from actions that undermine progress in the peace talks that resumed last year. “Now is the time for vision, compromise and deepening of respect. Let us make this year – 2014 – the decisive year for achieving peace between Israel and Palestine,” said Mr. Ashe. “I implore all those who have a stake in this outcome – Governments, international organizations, and people everywhere – to do their part.” - United Nations News Centre - UN officials hope observance of International Year will lead to Israeli-Palestinian peace

CLICK LINK FOR THE ARTICLE SOURCE: United Nations News Centre - UN officials hope observance of International Year will lead to Israeli-Palestinian peace:

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The Senior Programme Officer, Field Project Financing and Budgeting of the United Nations, Ms Hannah Davies has begun a fact finding mission on Nigeria’s participation in peace keeping. Davies, who led a team of UN surveyors to the Defence Headquarters, said their visit is in line with the United Nations’ mandate last year to pursue a different approach to doing surveys to find out the cost involved in a country’s contribution to UN peacekeeping. The survey, which will last for three days, will cover five categories which include training deployment medicals, allowances, personnel, gears and equipment. The Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Ibrahim Attahiru, during the October 2013 monthly press briefing of the army in Abuja had dispelled a rumour that the authorities were deliberately with holding allowances of soldiers that participated in peace keeping mission. Attahiru said “The Nigerian Army commenced its participation in peace support operations in 1961. The first actors of this noble endeavour are still alive and can testify to the fact that the Nigerian Army has never held back operational allowances, or any allowance for that matter, of any personnel in the last 52 years of its involvement in peace support operations,” he said. - UN To Investigate Nigeria’s Participation In Peace Keeping – www.channelstv.com

UN To Investigate Nigeria’s Participation In Peace Keeping – www.channelstv.com: "Attahiru stated that some administrative and logistic factors might delay the payment of such allowances but disclosed that the army has ways of filling the vacuum saying “At times, administrative and logistic bottlenecks may delay the release of funds. The army headquarters has always made efforts to fill in the void, more so troops are kept informed of all developments” revealing that the “United Nations (UN) admitted to owing Nigeria and four other countries N127.2 billion accrued through her peacekeeping efforts to the global organisation.”"

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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is sending invitations today to the list of invitees determined at the 20 December Trilateral meeting between Russia, the United States and the Joint Special Representative of the UN and the League of Arab States for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi. The conference, to be held in Switzerland, will also include the three other permanent members of the Security Council - China, France and the United Kingdom, joining Russia and the US - as well as representatives of the League of Arab States, the European Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and 26 other countries, Mr. Brahimi announced last month. “The Secretary-General is in favour of inviting Iran, but discussions between the initiating States have not produced final results yet,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson today said. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are to meet on 13 January, and “we very much hope they will reach agreement on Iran’s participation,” said Mr. Ban, adding that the active support of regional powers is “critical”. The goal of the conference is to achieve a political solution to the conflict through a comprehensive agreement between the Syrian Government and the opposition for the full implementation of the Geneva communiqué, adopted after the first international meeting on the issue on 30 June 2012, which called for the creation of a transitional government that would lead to the holding of elections. Mr. Ban said in a statement today that the conference is a “unique opportunity” for ending the violence and ensuring that peace can be restored in a way that fully meets Syrians’ aspirations. Over 100,000 people have been killed and 8 million driven from their homes, 2 million of them seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, since the conflict first erupted in March 2011. The Secretary-General will chair the event, which will be held in two parts. Following its opening session in Montreux on 22 January, it will then move on 24 January to the Palais des Nations in Geneva where Mr. Brahimi will facilitate the talks between the two Syrian parties. Given that the opposition groups seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad have yet to name who will attend on their behalf, the spokesperson today reiterated the UN’s call for a “broadly representative” delegation as soon as possible, so as to allow sufficient time to prepare for negotiations. Meanwhile, a separate conference for Syrian women is being organized by UN Women on 12 and 13 January, also in Geneva, to include their opinions in the future of the country, the UN agency has said.

United Nations News Centre - Invitations to Syria peace conference being sent out today, UN spokesperson confirms: "Preparations for the long-sought international conference on Syria are moving ahead, with the United Nations reaching out to the more than 30 participating Member States and with a call on the Syrian opposition to name members of its delegations."

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BBC News - South Sudan: UN calls for end to fighting as talks loom. The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has called for an end to fighting in the country, and for peace talks to be given a chance. Hilde Johnson told the BBC the humanitarian situation was worsening. At least 1,000 people have died since fighting erupted last month between supporters of President Salva Kiir and those of his sacked deputy Riek Machar. Both sides have sent delegations to talks in Ethiopia but so far the rebels have not agreed to end hostilities. Meanwhile, Mr Kiir has declared a state of emergency in two parts of the country affected by fighting and where rebels have taken control of large areas. Heavy fighting is reportedly taking place in the key town of Bor.

BBC News - South Sudan: UN calls for end to fighting as talks loom: "The decree would allow officials in Jonglei and Unity states who had joined the rebels to be sacked without the need for a vote in the state parliament, the president's spokesman said.

Among officials thought to have joined the rebels was the deputy governor of Jonglei."

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