(Al Jazeera) – One million children die on the day they are born every year, with another 1.6 million unable to survive past the first month, the UN’s children’s agency said in a new report. Newborns in Pakistan, Central African Republic (CAR) and Afghanistan have the least chance of survival, according to the UNICEF report launched on Tuesday. Link
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(Al Jazeera) – Paoua, Central African Republic – When rebels attacked her village, Delphine Lokaingoto was still too weak from childbirth to lift more than one of her children at a time. As she snatched up her four-day-old baby, she told the others – aged three, four and six – to run to the fields. Link
(MSF) – “The first bullet hit a 13-year-old girl,” says Christelle. “I fell to the ground and they kept shooting. A bullet hit my ankle. Another bullet hit a child of two or three who was in a shelter next to the hospital wall. He died instantly.” Christelle, 24, is still recovering after the surprise attack by […]
(UN Meetings Coverage and Press Releases) – The Security Council extended its sanctions regime against the Central African Republic today, consisting of an arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze on listed individuals and entities, until 31 January 2019, and the mandate of the Panel of Experts facilitating those measures until 28 February 2019. Unanimously adopting resolution 2399 (2018) under Chapter VII of […]
(ICRC) – CAR is one of the poorest and most unstable countries in the world. The 2013 crisis has turned into an inter-community conflict, leading to the total collapse of already weak socio-economic infrastructures. Basic social services are almost non-existent. Link
(AP) – French investigators have dropped an investigation of alleged child sexual abuse by French soldiers in Central African Republic. A judicial official said Monday that investigating judges made the decision last week. The official, who was not authorized to be publicly named discussing the case, would not give their reasons. Link
(Oxfam) – More than half of Central African Republic’s population is in need of urgent humanitarian aid – amidst chronic underfunding, persisting violence across the country and unsuccessful peace agreements. This briefing calls for a huge and concerted effort by the government, donors and all stakeholders to consolidate progress, to support peace and reconciliation and to […]
(Theirworld) – Children always need protection – but never more so than during a conflict. Some are orphaned, many abandoned, most are frightened and in distress. They may be displaced, hungry, cold and left to survive on their own – which means they are at risk of violence, exploitation, disease or recruitment by armed groups. Link
(The New York Times) – In wars around the globe, thousands of children were front-line targets, used as human shields and recruited to fight this year on “a shocking scale,” Unicef said on Thursday. The United Nations agency warned against normalizing the brutality, a sentiment it has echoed in reports year after year. Link
(CNN) – They have been killed, recruited to fight, used as human shields, forced into marriage and enslaved. 2017 has been a “nightmare year” for children caught in the crosshairs of conflict, the UN’s agency for children has said. Link
