Armed attacks in the Sahel & other topics - Daily Briefing (8 May 2019)

Briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Daily Press Briefing:
- Secretary-General Travels
- Libya
- Sahel
- Mozambique
- Syria
- Myanmar
- Security Council
- FAO
- Press Conferences
SG TRAVELS
The Secretary-General arrived in Geneva earlier today to attend the spring meeting of the Chief Executives Board (CEB), which gets underway tomorrow.
This evening, the Secretary-General is attending the official opening ceremony of the Chief Executives Board, which is being hosted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as part of its centenary celebrations.

LIBYA
The United Nations is very concerned about reports of airstrikes yesterday having hit a migrant detention centre in Tajoura, in Eastern Tripoli, Libya. Two migrants were reportedly injured. The UN Support Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, continues to remind all parties of their obligation under International Humanitarian Law to ensure the protection of civilians, including migrants and refugees.
The UN Mission in Libya is also deeply concerned about increased cases of arbitrary arrest and abduction of officials, activists and journalists. It calls on all parties to release immediately anyone arbitrarily arrested and detained and reminds all authorities to operate within the rule of law and ensure that arrests and detention fully comply with due process.
The World Health Organization report that 443 people are dead and 2,110 wounded due to violence in Tripoli. As the crisis continues and the number of displaced people approaches 60,000, WHO said in a tweet earlier today that it is working to coordinate ongoing health services for them.

SAHEL
Senior UN officials today warned that insecurity and armed attacks in the Sahel have reached unprecedented levels and called for increased humanitarian aid to millions of people affected by this spread of violence.
Briefing UN Member States in Geneva, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger warned that humanitarian needs had surpassed available resources, as violence persists and risks spilling over into coastal West African countries.
The number of security incidents in Burkina Faso, Mali and western Niger has increased sharply in recent months, with over 150 violent incidents recorded in April alone that claimed more than 300 lives.
In just one year, internal displacement has increased five-fold, uprooting more than 330,000 people, in addition to 100,000 refugees, and severely affecting education and health services.
Aid organizations have appealed for US$600 million to assist 3.7 million hardest-hit people. Four months into 2019 however, the average funding stands at only 19 per cent.
The officials stressed the need to act now and fast, and for sustained relief efforts.
Full Highlights:
Following Iran’s announcement that it will stop complying with parts of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Secretary-General António Guterres today (8 May) issued a statement expressing that he “strongly hopes” that the landmark nuclear deal “can be preserved.”
Reading the statement, Spokesperson Farhan Haq said, “the Secretary-General has consistently reiterated that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action represents a major achievement in nuclear-non-proliferation and diplomacy and has contributed to regional and international peace and Security.”
The JCPOA was agreed upon by Iran and the P5+1 (China France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and endorsed by the Security Council in July 2015.
On 8 May 2018, the United States officially withdrew from the agreement.