Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, in a statement by Oluseyi Soremekun, the National Information Officer of the UN System in Nigeria, said through both her words and actions, UN Police Officer Ugorji exemplifies the best of UN policing.

Of the 1,300 UN policewomen deployed in UN peacekeeping operations, twenty-one were nominated for the award.

Ugorji joined the Nigerian Police in 2003 and served as Criminal Investigator from the local to regional level, Child Protection Officer, Divisional Crime Officer up to Acting Deputy Commander of the Ogudu Police Division in Lagos.

The UN said 1,300 UN policewomen deployed in UN peacekeeping operations, twenty-one were nominated for the award and Chief Inspector Doreen Malambo of Zambia, serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), would receive the award.

The award would be presented during a virtual ceremony presided over by Mr Lacroix on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Also, Luis Carrilho, UN Police Advisor, congratulated Ugorji for being chosen as a runner-up and described her leadership of “three Formed Police Units(FPU) in Gao” as remarkable.

“Catherine has introduced tactical operations that have been instrumental in reducing crime in the area, in support of the Malian security forces and the host population.

“In addition to this very demanding role, Chief Superintendent Ugorji has worked diligently to improve living conditions for women police officers so they can serve safely and with dignity,” Carrilho said.

Ugorji was commended for her work to extend the outreach of the FPU to the Ansongo area, “close to the Mali-Niger-Burkina Faso border area, where terrorists and spoilers of the Malian peace agreement are increasing their influence.”

It was revealed in the statement that her support for the joint operations with the Malian police, gendarmerie and National Guard have helped to ensure the security of the local population.

Our correspondent reports that the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year award was established in 2011 to recognise the exceptional contributions of female officers to UN peacekeeping and to promote the empowerment of women.

The post Peacekeeping: UN recognises Nigerian policewoman appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

Okah-Donli’s appointment is contained in a statement issued to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja by Mr Vincent Adekoye, an officer in NAPTIP’s press and public relations unit.

The statement said that Okah-Donli’s appointment was announced by the UN Secretary General alongside other eminent persons from Philippines, Armenia, Belgium and Panama.

According to the statement, the NAPTIP DG’s appointment, guaranteed her membership of the board of trustees for United Nations office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC).

It added that her responsibility would be to manage the funds meant for the protection of trafficking victims especially for women and children.

It explained that all the appointees were all given the assignment of managing the UN voluntary trust fund, which pools resources from International donors for the protection and assistance to trafficking victims with full respect to their human rights.

The statement noted that the appointment was on an ad-hoc and non remunerated basis, adding that this latest one came on the heels of a similar appointment for the DG sometime in July 2019, by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

It said that Okah-Donli had also been appointed in 2019 by the UNESCO as a member of the project advisory committee on empowering young people in Africa through media and communication on irregular migrations.

UN organ’s statement said that “the general assembly established the UN voluntary trust fund for victims of trafficking, to provide humanitarian, legal and financial aid aid to victims of trafficking in person.

“As determined by the General Assembly, the board is composed of five experts with relevant experience in the field of trafficking in persons who are appointed on the basis of fair equitable geographical distribution.

“Also in consultation with member states and the Executive Director of UNODC.”

It listed other members on the UN assignment as, Ms Maria Susana V. Ople, Director of the Blas F. Ople Policy Centre, Philippines, Dr Victoria Avakova, Health and Anti-trafficking Project Coordinator at UMCOR-NGO, Armenia.

Others were Ms Be Inge be Vervotte, former Belgian Minister for Civil Service and Public Enterprises, Belgium, and Mr Alexis Bethancourt Yau, Panamanian Minister of Public Security, Panama.

It said the five new members would serve a three-year term and provide strategic advice to UNODC trust fund secretariat in the management of the fund.

According to the statement, since the inception of the fund 10 years ago, the UN voluntary trust fund has awarded 4.6 million US dollars as grant to almost 90 NGO projects, directly assisting more than 3,500 victims of human trafficking per year, from around the world.

The statement added that Okah-Donli had continued to give Nigeria positive visibility across the world as champion and advocate of child protection and trafficking free world, thereby earning numerous awards and honours globally.

Meanwhile, the NAPTIP DG had descibed her appointment as a pleasant surprise.

“I am overwhelmed by this appointment, I want to sincerely thank the President Muhammadu Buhari for his firm support to NAPTIP and the institutional policies put in place to support the agency.

“I also appreciate the support of my supervising Minister, Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouk, and also Directors and officers of NAPTIP for their unflinching support and cooperation.

“I will surely do my best to rate Nigeria high in this global assignment,” Okah-Donli said.

The post UN appoints NAPTIP’s DG into UNODC board of trustees appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

Guterres made the call in his message as the United Nations celebrates its 75th anniversary, which is celebrated yearly on Oct. 24.

Our correspondent reports that the year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the UN and its founding Charter.

The UN officially came into existence on Oct. 24, 1945, when its Charter was ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, United States and a majority of other signatories.

Guterres said that the founding mission of the organisation was now more critical than it ever was.

This, he said, was to promote human dignity, protect human rights, respect international laws and save humanity from war.

“The 75th anniversary of the United Nations falls in the middle of a global pandemic.

“I call for a global ceasefire because in our world today, we have one common enemy, COVID-19.

“Now is the time for a stepped-up push for peace to achieve a global ceasefire. The clock is ticking,” he said.

The Secretary-General added that peace must be made on the planet because the climate emergency threatened life itself.

He said that the whole world must be mobilised to reach carbon neutrality, net zero emissions of greenhouse gasses by 2050.

According to him, a growing number of countries and companies have already pledged to meet this goal toward 2050.

Guterres said that more work had to be done to end human suffering from poverty, inequality, hunger and hatred and fight discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender or any other distinction.

He added that the months of pandemic had seen a horrific rise in violence against women and girls.

Guterres emphasised the need to build on progress, stating that a remarkable global collaboration was under way for a safe, affordable and accessible COVID-19 vaccine for all.

“The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) give us an inspiring blueprint for recovering better. We face colossal challenges but with global solidarity and cooperation we can overcome them.

“On this anniversary, I ask people everywhere to join together. The United Nations not only stand with you, it belongs to you and is you, ‘we the peoples.’

“Together, let us uphold the enduring values of the United Nations Charter. Let us build on our advances across the decades and let us realise our shared vision of a better world for all,” the Secretary-General said.

The post UN at 75: Secretary-General Guterres calls for global ceasefire appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

The winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize was announced on Friday at 11 a.m. (0900 GMT) in Oslo by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. There were 318 candidates, 211 individuals and 107 organisations for the nomination.

Our correspondent reports that the prize comes with a $1.1 million cash award and a gold medal which would be handed over at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 10, 2020, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel’s death.

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine and Literature.

It has been awarded annually since March 1901, to those who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”

This year’s ceremony to hand over the prize will be on a low key due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Rome-based WFP, the programme helps some 97 million people in about 88 countries each year, and one in nine people worldwide still do not have enough to eat.

On Thursday, American poet Louise Gluck won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature for her ‘’candid and uncompromising ‘’ works exploring family and childhood in an “unmistakable…voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal”.

The chemistry prize on Wednesday went to scientists behind a powerful gene-editing tool.

Tuesday’s Nobel prize for physics honoured breakthroughs in understanding the mysteries of cosmic black holes and on Monday, the Nobel committee awarded the prize for physiology and medicine for discovering the liver-ravaging hepatitis C virus.

Next week, the prize for outstanding work in the field of economics will be awarded.

Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan is the youngest to have won the Nobel peace prize in 2014. She got the prize alongside Kailash Satyarthi of India for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.

Africans who have won the Nobel peace prize include Albert Lutuli, South Africa, (1960); Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat, Egypt (1978); Desmond Tutu, South Africa, (1984); Nelson Mandela and Frederick Williem de Klerk, South Africa (1993) and Kofi Annan , Ghana (2001).

Others include Wangari Muta Maathai, Kenya (2004); Mohamed ElBaradei, Egypt (2005); Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia (2011); Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet (2015); Denis Mukwege, Democratic Republic of Congo (2018) and Abiy Ahmed of Ethopia in 2019.

The post UN’s World Food Programme wins 2020 Nobel Peace Prize appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

The UN rights chief singled out prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who is serving a 30-year prison term.

Bachelet said “I am very concerned that Nasrin Sotoudeh’s life is at risk,” pointing to her heart condition and recent hunger strike.

Earlier, Sotoudeh won a 2020 Right Livelihood Award, also known as the alternative Nobel prize

Iran is the Middle Eastern country that has been hit the hardest by COVID-19, with nearly half a million cases and some associated 27,000 deaths.

As the novel coronavirus also spread through the prison system, some 120,000 inmates were temporarily released in February to avoid further infections.

However, people serving long sentences for national security offences were excluded from this policy.

As a result, most of the imprisoned rights activists, lawyers, environmental campaigners and other dissenters have remained behind bars.

Bachelet added that “expressing dissent is not a crime. It is a fundamental right that should be protected and upheld,’’ demanding their unconditional release.

The post UN rights chief demands release of all political prisoners in Iran appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

Mr Femi Adesina, the president’s spokesman, in a statement in Abuja on Friday said Buhari gave the warning in a video-message to the UN High-level meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

Buhari restated Nigeria’s commitment to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

He, however, expressed concern about the ‘‘slow pace’’ of States possessing nuclear weapons in disarming and decommissioning their existing nuclear facilities.

”We are concerned about the slow pace of progress by nuclear-weapon States to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals, in accordance with their legal obligations and undertakings under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),” he said.

He reiterated the need for the United Nations to continue engaging Nuclear Weapon States to speed up their efforts in disarming and decommissioning their existing nuclear facilities.

”The best approach to avoid damage associated with nuclear materials such as humanitarian crisis, accidents, disasters and criminality is the total elimination of nuclear weapons,” he added.

The Nigerian leader told world leaders at the virtual summit that the universalization of the NPT was dependent upon strict compliance with its three pillars namely, disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

He, therefore, enjoined other Member States to ratify the Treaty, noting that Nigeria had played a major role in negotiations leading to the coming into force of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone Treaty (Pelindaba Treaty).

”We will continue to galvanize other African States to abide by the tenets of the Pelindaba Treaty. This is to ensure that the entire continent remains nuclear-free.

”While there are no easy solutions when we confront one of the gravest existential threats to the survival of the human race, we must remain undeterred and committed to a world of safety and security, one without the volatility posed by Nuclear Weapons,” he said.

The Nigerian President said it was noteworthy that this year marks the 75th Anniversary of the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan that terminated the lives of thousands of people with severe long-term damages to the environment.

”The Anniversary is a forceful reminder of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons which undermine global, national and human security.

”Hence, there is need for all states to comply with applicable international laws and conventions to ensure a world free of nuclear weapons. We must, therefore, redouble our efforts to implement the provisions of the Nuclear NPT being the basis of Non-Proliferation Regime.

”This is to enable us achieve our desire for total elimination of nuclear weapons,’’ he said.

Buhari also highlighted how Nigeria had demonstrated support for multilateral efforts toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

The president recounted that as one of the countries in the vanguard of the campaign for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, Nigeria signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on Sept. 20, 2017 and recently ratified it on Aug. 6.

He noted that Nigeria joined like-minded states to sponsor the resolution titled “Taking Forward Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament Negotiations” which led to the legally binding Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

”Nigeria has been involved in the promotion of peaceful application of nuclear science and technology at national and international levels.

”Accordingly, Nigeria ratified several international treaties and conventions in the area of nuclear safety and security.

”We have also expressed political commitment to the IAEA Code of Conduct on safety and security of radioactive sources.

”More so, we have developed and approved the first International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Integrated Nuclear Security Plan for the period 2010-2012 with further review to cover 2019-2021 period.

”In this connection, Nigeria commends the continued efforts of the IAEA, particularly its role in monitoring and inspecting nuclear facilities,” he said.

The Nigerian leader urged States to ensure compliance with IAEA safeguards and standards at all times as well as nuclear verification disarmament measures.

The president added that in order to facilitate the development and peaceful deployment of nuclear technology, Nigeria regulates and implements its energy aspiration through the relevant agencies.

”In addition, we are reforming the National Nuclear Security Sector to make it robust and reliable.

”These reforms involve the domestication of The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism; Review of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act; and Review of Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority Act.

”To further demonstrate our commitment to nuclear security, Nigeria successfully converted the Nigeria Research Reactor (NIRR-1), a 31 kilowatts miniature neutron source reactor from highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium fuel.

”Also in 2019, the administration set up Nigeria’s Nuclear Security Support Centre and developed a Nuclear Security Detection Architecture to serve as a sustainable safeguard for maintaining nuclear security and detection of radioactive materials out of regulatory control,’’ he said.

Buhari also reminded the Summit that the 1996 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice affirms that the threat or use of nuclear weapons constitute a crime against humanity and a violation of international law, including international humanitarian law.

The post Buhari to UN: Trafficking in Nuclear materials threat to international peace, security appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

This represents a 57 per cent national electricity access rate compared with the global average of 90 per cent, says the report launched at the United Nations on Thursday.

It indicates an increase in the number of Nigerians with access to electricity by 34.6 million people from 76.1 million in 2010.

On the global scene, the report says the world has made “promising progress” towards ensuring universal access to sustainable energy over the last decade.

According to the document, the number of people without access to electricity dropped from 1.2 billion globally in 2010 to 789 million in 2018.

This, however, is not the case in Nigeria, where the figure rather increased from 82.4 million people without electricity access in 2010 to 85.2 million in 2018.

The reports states that renewable energy solutions played a big role in the global progress, with more than 136 million people receiving basic electricity services from off-grid sources by 2018.

According to the document, the world saw an improvement in renewable energy consumption from 16.3 per cent in 2010 to 17.3 per cent in 2018.

In Nigeria, the report shows that renewables accounted for 83 per cent of the total energy consumed by the citizens in 2017.

But there was a decline in the renewables to total energy ratio in the country from 86.9 per cent in 2010 to the 83 per cent recorded in 2017.

“Still, unless efforts are stepped up significantly, an estimated 620 million people globally would remain without access to electricity in 2030.

“This number could become even higher with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,’’ the report warns.

Titled “Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report’’, the document is published annually by custodian agencies of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, which targets energy access for all.

It provides the most comprehensive look available at the world’s progress towards global energy targets on access to electricity, clean cooking, renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The report also serves to guide international cooperation and policy making to achieve universal and sustainable energy access by 2030.

It is produced by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in collaboration with the International Energy Agency (IEA), World Bank, Word Health Organisation (WHO) and other relevant agencies.

The report also captures a huge increase in the number of Nigerians with access to clean cooking fuels and technologies between 2010 and 2018.

As of 2018, 20.5 million people or 10 per cent of the population had access to clean cooking energy, up from just 2.7 million people in 2010.

But many Nigerians remained behind on this score with 175.4 million citizens lacking access to clean cooking energy sources in 2018 as against 155.8 million people in 2010.

This also means that the country missed out on the global decline in the number of people without access to clean cooking energy sources from three billion in 2010 to 2.8 billion in 2018.

However, the report reflects an improvement in the country’s energy efficiency by 6.4 per cent between 2015 and 2017, higher than the global average of 5 per cent.

On financing, the document indicates that Nigeria received a total of five billion dollars (about N1.8 trillion) from abroad in support of its renewable energy efforts.

This included funds from the country’s international development partners under Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement on renewable energy projects.

The post UN puts Nigeria’s electricity access rate at 57% appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

Guterres’ message was conveyed by his spokesman, Mr Stéphane Dujarric, at a news briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday while responding to our correspondent’s question that sought the Secretary General’s reaction to the situation.

“We strongly condemn the acts of violence that have been reported in different provinces in South Africa, including attacks against foreigners and the destruction of their property.

“The Secretary General has also very much noted President Cyril Ramaphosa’s unequivocal condemnation of that violence.

“He has also noted Ramaphosa’s call for strengthening accountability in line with democratic values enshrined in South Africa’s constitution.

“The Secretary General urges all political leaders to clearly and openly reject the use of violence,” he said.

Our correspondent’s question had particularly sought his comments on the refusal of the South African government to recognise the attacks as xenophobic, blaming criminality instead.

The government’s attitude, in addition to a “deliberate” failure by security agencies to prevent the attacks, is fueling allegations of subtle official backing of the perpetrators.

But the UN Chief’s spokesman also avoided the xenophobia tag, choosing rather to describe the attacks as “acts of violence”.

The last few days have seen a resurgence of xenophobic violence by South African mobs against foreign nationals, their property and businesses in parts of the country.

Many Nigerians and their assets have been targeted, triggering retaliatory attacks against South Africa-linked businesses in parts of Lagos, Ibadan, Uyo and Abuja.

A diplomatic row is imminent between both countries with the Nigerian government announcing on Wednesday that it had drawn ‘a red line’ with South Africa over the xenophobic attacks.

Making the announcement, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, told State House corespondents that the Federal Government was considering recalling its High Commissioner to South Africa for consultations.

Onyeama said a final decision would be taken after the Special Envoy sent to South Africa returned and presented his report.

The post Xenophobia: UN Chief flays ‘acts of violence’ against foreigners appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), said this in an interview with our reporter in Ankara, Turkey.

“More lives have been claimed in conflicts over access to land and water than Boko Haram.

“Every day, you have more conflicts between people that are competing for access to land and water.

“The root cause of the competition is access to natural resources,” the UN official told NAN on the sidelines of 2019 World Day to Combat Desertification in the Turkish capital.

World Day to Combat Desertification is celebrated every year globally on 17 June to promote good land stewardship for the benefit of present and future generations.

It was reported that the event was jointly hosted at Ankara Congresium by Government of Turkey and UNCCD, with ministers from 10 countries in attendance.

The UNCCD head said that growing population with growing demand on resources, coupled with Climate Change and reduction of available land resources, were root causes of most of the bloody conflicts.

“So, the tipping point was reached long time ago; and most of the time this is also combined with bad governance at national levels,” Thiaw said.

He said that land restoration could not be left in the hands of governments alone, and called for a review of the land tenure system in order to mobilise private business investment into the programme.

“This means there should be some concession for the business sector to participate in land restoration.

“It means that if a business restores a land, it gets concession on the land for 50 years or more, so that the land remains restored rather than leave it barren.

“Otherwise, why would I invest in land restoration if I had no right on that land; if the land continues to belong to someone else, I won’t invest in it,” said the UNCCD boss.

Thiaw said that economists had projected that every dollar invested in land restoration would generate five dollars.

According to him, restoring land also means reducing risks of irregular and forced migration.

“Restoring land will reduce forced migration and keep people on the ground to generate their own incomes and live their own lives,” he said.

The UN official said that forced migration was the worst that could happen to countries where people were departing from.

“Most times, countries of destination see it as a problem, but countries they are departing from have a bigger problem because people involved in forced migration are educated and a big loss to their national economies,” he said.

Thiaw also said that although planting of trees was important and symbolic in land restoration, it was not the only solution to the problem.

“You can plant billions of trees, but unless you have good sensitisation, the trees will not grow or they clear off again.

“Land restoration is about security, reducing clashes between farmers and herdsmen over access to land and water, which may trigger the Third World War,” he said.

The UN official called on people to care more about land because land is important and interconnected with biodiversity.

He also called for the use of technology to produce solar, wind and small hydro power so as to create decentralised energy system in villages.

Some 196 countries and the European Union are parties to the Convention, of which 169 are affected by desertification, land degradation or drought.

In 2015, the international community agreed to achieve a balance in the rate at which land is degraded and restored by taking concrete actions to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation, generally referred to as achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN), and mitigate the effects of drought.

In the last four years, 122 countries have committed to taking voluntary, measurable actions to arrest land degradation by 2030.

Also, 44 of the 70 countries that have suffered drought in the past have set up national plans to manage it more effectively in the future.

The post UN: Water, land trigger more conflict than Boko Haram appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

The global health agency also said that total cases of 211 had been recorded, comprising 176 confirmed cases and 35 probable cases.

On Friday afternoon, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the DRC, Leila Zerrougui, had said a Beni-based UN colleague had tested positive for Ebola and was now receiving the necessary medical treatment.

Medical officials reported that the patient was feeling well and that his progress was satisfactory, while co-workers who had had contact with him would receive appropriate support and follow-up.

Following the rising incidences of infection, WHO has called an Emergency Committee meeting on the Ebola virus outbreak on Wednesday in Geneva.

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said the agency had assessed the national and regional risk of the current Ebola outbreak in DRC as “very high”.

Ghebreyesus said while the global risk remained low, so far, the UN health watchdog has not called for any trade or travel restrictions to be imposed.

The crisis meeting would decide whether or not the outbreak constituted a public health emergency of international concern, and what recommendations should be made to manage the spread of the disease.

This outbreak, the 10th to hit the DRC over the last four decades, was declared in North Kivu Province on Aug. 1.

However, based on the worsening security situation in and around the city of Beni, WHO elevated the risk from “high” to “very high” on Sept. 28.

The UN agency identified 39 new confirmed cases were reported between Oct. 1 and Oct. 11, 32 of which were from Beni.

The DRC Ministry of Health, WHO and other partners have been responding to the outbreak with teams on the ground.

However, WHO has warned that continuing insecurity severely affects both civilians and frontline workers, forcing the suspension of the response for several days in late September.

It said this raised the risk that the virus would continue to spread.

No fewer than 20 civilians in Beni were killed in the incident that provoked the suspension, which came on the heels of multiple attacks in previous weeks.

It was estimated by the UN that more than a million civilians under threat from armed groups are internally-displaced in North Kivu, and around 500,000 in 2018 so far.

WHO continued to warn that the recent spike in violent incidents in the areas was making response more difficult.

It added that it was also increasing the risk of the outbreak spreading within DRC, and to neighbouring countries, especially Rwanda and Uganda.

The agency reported that it has continued to work with all nine neighbouring countries to increase their preparedness.

Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund reported that one month after the beginning of the school year, 80 per cent of school-aged children have returned to school.

This was in the Beni and Mabalako health zones, the two epicentres of the Ebola outbreak.

The UN children agency said it had identified more than 1,500 schools in the areas affected by the epidemic.

The post Ebola death rate has risen to 135 in DRC, WHO says appeared first on NEWSVERGE.