Category: Mass Atrocity Crimes

UNICEF scales-up relief for Rohingya facing critical ‘shortages of everything’

Amid an acute shortage of humanitarian supplies for the thousands of Rohingya arriving every day in Bangladesh, having fled violence in Myanmar, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is undertaking a “massive” scale-up of its emergency operations to ensure that those most vulnerable are not endangered further. Up to 400,000 Rohingyas have been sheltering in […]

UN human rights chief points to ‘textbook example of ethnic cleansing’ in Myanmar

The United Nations human rights chief today lashed out at the treatment of the Rohingya in Myanmar which has led to more than 300,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh in the past three weeks, as security forces and local militia reportedly burn villages and shoot civilians. “The situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” Zeid Ra‘ad […]

ISIL’s ‘genocide’ against Yazidis is ongoing, UN rights panel says, calling for international action

Marking three years since the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) attacked the Yazidis in Syria, a United Nations-mandated inquiry has called for justice and rescue plans. “The Commission of Inquiry calls on the international community to recognize the crime of genocide being committed by ISIL against the Yazidis and to undertake steps to refer […]

Nigeria: Welcoming release of 82 Chibok girls, UN urges support for their rehabilitation

Welcoming Saturday’s release of 82 of the schoolgirls abducted from the Nigerian town of Chibok by the Boko Haram insurgent group three years ago, the United Nations has called for continued global support for the country’s efforts to release, rehabilitate and reintegrate all Boko Haram victims. “We appeal to all Nigerians, including the families and […]

Religious leaders deserve full support in quest for peace, says UN adviser on genocide prevention

Religious leaders and faith-based organizations have a responsibility to contribute to peaceful societies and the international community must support these grassroots peacemakers in their daily activities, the United Nations official mandated to fight genocide has told an international meeting on religion. Addressing the third annual symposium on ‘The Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in […]