Central African Republic, DRC, Syria & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (10 July 2023)

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: Central African Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Syria Ukraine Sudan/Griffiths Sudan Yemen Yemen/Safer Tanker Middle East Haiti Nigeria Sri Lanka High-level Political Forum Financial Contribution Noon Briefing Guests CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC The peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) said a peacekeeper from Rwanda was killed this morning when a patrol of his contingent was attacked by members of an unidentified armed group. When they were attacked, the peacekeepers were providing a protective presence around the town of Sam-Ouandja, in the Haute Kotto prefecture. They returned fire, according to initial reports, three assailants were killed. The Head of the peacekeeping mission, Valentine Rugwabiza, strongly condemned the attack. The UN extends the deepest condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper, his colleagues and the people and Government of Rwanda. Today’s incident follows the rapid deployment of peacekeepers to Sam-Ouandja last week in response to an attack on the town by an armed group, which fled after the peacekeepers’ intervention. Over the past five days, the Mission has expanded the security perimeter around the town to protect the community and support the safe delivery of humanitarian aid. The Special Representative has confirmed that the peacekeepers will remain in place in Sam-Ouandja. The Mission is engaging with national authorities for the deployment of national defence and security forces to consolidate State authority in the area. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO The peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) says that the Force Intervention Brigade wrapped up a month-long operation which was conducted jointly with the Congolese armed forces in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, to deter threats against civilians and to prevent further expansion of armed groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The operation began in early June and has covered key areas in both provinces. The Mission reports that peacekeepers will continue to conduct follow-up patrols, which have helped civilians to move freely and deny movement to armed groups in those areas. SYRIA The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that aid deliveries to north-west Syria continued. Today, 79 trucks moved through the Bab Al-Hawa crossing. They were carrying humanitarian supplies from the World Food Programme and the International Organization for Migration. Another 19 trucks loaded with aid went through the Bab Al-Salam crossing. Since the February 6th earthquakes, more than 3,700 trucks carrying aid from seven UN agencies have crossed into north-west Syria through the three available border crossings. As of today, the UN has also completed more than 150 cross-border missions to the north-west, since the first inter-agency visit to Idleb on 14 February. Security Council authorization for cross-border operations under Resolution 2672 expires today. The Secretary-General has called for a 12-month renewal of that authorization. The UN continues to advocate for expanding all avenues to deliver humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need in north-west Syria. Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon...