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Japan donates over US $1,468,000 to Mine Action in South Sudan
The Government of Japan has contributed US $1,468,374 to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), for the mine action project “Enabling Humanitarian Operations and Enhancing National Institutional Capacity for Sustainable Mine Action in South Sudan.” Since 2011, Japan has contributed more than US $15 million to mine action operations in South Sudan, enabling the clearance of over 3.2 million sqm of land (equivalent to approximately 458 football pitches with the potential to produce an estimated 350 tonnes of maize annually), the removal of 20,626 items of explosive ordnance, 341,608 bullets, and the delivery of Mine Risk Education to 213,148 people, including 136,349 children.
The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution on the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signals a new era in South Sudan, however, the humanitarian crisis remains dire as an estimated 7.1 million people are reportedly in need of emergency and life-saving assistance. Currently 361 separate and distinct sites across the country are thought to be contaminated by landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosive hazards, threatening the safety and security of civilians, including nearly 1.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees. Explosive hazards pose a direct threat to the physical safety of the South Sudanese and erode people’s coping mechanisms by restricting access to basic infrastructure, social services, and livelihood activities, as well as hindering socioeconomic development. However, with the enhanced capacity of national mine action institutions, it is now realistic to envisage a transfer of responsibility from UNMAS to the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) in the next three to five years.
Continued funding from the people of Japan will support two Mine Action Teams (MATs) to mitigate the impact of explosive hazards, through survey and clearance as well as the provision of Mine Risk Education for conflict-affected populations, while simultaneously enhancing national institutional capacity for sustainable mine action through the provision of a series of capacity building trainings and support for the NMAA in generating advocacy opportunities.
The Ambassador of Japan to South Sudan, H.E. Mr. Seiji Okada stated, “The Government of Japan has been supporting UNMAS as one of the largest donors, because of the importance of its work. In South Sudan, assuming the successful implementation of the Peace Process and with the expectation that many refugees and IDPs will go back to their own villages, the UNMAS project is very timely. UNMAS ensures safety for returnees from refugee camps, POCs and collective centers to their own villages, and also clears land nearby the villages for agriculture sites. This is one of the important preconditions for returns to happen.”
Mr. Richard Boulter, the Programme Manager of UNMAS in South Sudan, stressed the importance of the support from the Government of Japan, saying, “UNMAS appreciates Japan’s strong initiative as a steady, reliable, and encouraging partner for humanitarian mine action in South Sudan. Japan has continued to support risk mitigation of explosive hazards through survey, clearance, and risk education, and enabling UNMAS to work with the Government of South Sudan, through the NMAA. This year’s increased support will maintain mine action as a critical enabler of humanitarian aid and a strong promoter of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
The US $8.298 million contribution from the people of Japan to UNMAS for this year will benefit mine action programmes in six countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, and Syria as well as South Sudan.
Twelve inmates have escaped from the Federal Correctional Centre in Kotonkarfe, Kogi State, following an early morning jailbreak on Monday.
Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, described it as “unfortunate” and assured the public that the government, in collaboration with security agencies, was taking measures to prevent a recurrence.
According to Fanwo, law enforcement officers have already re-arrested one of the escapees.
“The theory that the inmates escaped through the tower without causing any structural damage raises serious concerns. This calls for a thorough investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the escape, arrest the fleeing inmates, and identify possible saboteurs within the system,” he stated.
The commissioner further disclosed that Governor Usman Ododo has directed security agencies to ensure that such breaches do not happen again.
“We call on the public to report any suspicious individuals in their communities. Anyone found harbouring an escaped inmate will be held accountable,” Fanwo warned.
Reassuring residents, he added: “There is no cause for panic. We encourage citizens to go about their daily activities as normal, knowing that the security of lives and property remains our top priority.”
Authorities have yet to disclose further details about the escapees or ongoing efforts to apprehend them.
The United States has announced the termination of legal status for over 500,000 immigrants, ordering them to leave the country within weeks, as President Donald Trump pushes forward with what he calls the largest deportation campaign in American history.
The sweeping directive, issued on Friday, affects approximately 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who arrived under a programme launched by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, in October 2022 and later expanded in January 2023.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the affected immigrants will lose their legal protections 30 days after the order is published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. This means they must leave the United States by 24 April, unless they secure another immigration status permitting them to stay.
Welcome.US, an organisation that supports asylum seekers, has urged those impacted to “immediately” seek legal counsel regarding their options.
A Reversal of Biden’s Immigration Policy
The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) programme, introduced in January 2023, allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month from these nations to enter the United States for two years. The initiative was designed to offer a “safe and humane” alternative to the dangerous crossings at the US-Mexico border, which had seen a surge in arrivals.
However, the DHS reiterated on Friday that the programme was never meant to provide permanent residency.
“Parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status, nor does it constitute an admission to the United States,” the agency stated.
Mass Deportations Under Trump
Trump, who has made immigration control a cornerstone of his presidency, has vowed to crack down on migrants—particularly those from Latin America.
Last week, he invoked rare wartime legislation to deport more than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, a country that has controversially offered to imprison both migrants and U.S. citizens at a discounted rate.
The latest order signals Trump’s intent to follow through on his hardline immigration policies, raising concerns among human rights advocates about the humanitarian impact of such mass deportations.
Tens of thousands of malnourished Nigerian children face a dire future as lifesaving food supplies are set to run dry, the United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF) warned on Friday, attributing the crisis to a funding shortfall exacerbated by U.S. foreign aid cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The agency said that within the next two months, 80,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Nigeria could lose access to vital treatment, while a total of 1.3 million children under five in Nigeria and Ethiopia remain at risk of starvation this year.
“Without new funding, we will run out of our supply chain of Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic-Food by May, and that means that 70,000 children in Ethiopia that depend on this type of treatment cannot be served,” UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Kitty Van der Heijden, said in a video press briefing from Abuja. “Interruption to continuous treatment is life-threatening.”
The situation in Nigeria is even more urgent, with UNICEF warning that food supplies for malnourished children could be exhausted as early as the end of this month. Van der Heijden recounted a harrowing experience at a hospital in Maiduguri, where she saw a child so severely malnourished that her skin was peeling off.
U.S. Aid Suspension Escalates Crisis
UNICEF’s funding crisis follows a significant drop in international donor contributions in recent years, compounded by the U.S. government’s decision to halt all foreign aid for 90 days upon Trump’s return to the White House in January.
According to Reuters, the U.S., a major donor to UNICEF, implemented sweeping suspensions on USAID programmes worldwide, disrupting the delivery of essential food and medical aid. The impact has been catastrophic, with global humanitarian efforts thrown into disarray.
“This funding crisis will become a child survival crisis,” Van der Heijden warned, adding that the abrupt nature of the cuts left UNICEF unable to cushion the impact.
Health Services Crippled in Ethiopia
Beyond food shortages, UNICEF highlighted the devastating effects of the funding crunch on health services in Ethiopia. Programmes providing nutrition and malaria care for pregnant women and children have suffered, with 23 mobile health clinics shut down in Afar, leaving only seven operational.
As the crisis unfolds, humanitarian organisations continue to urge global donors to step in and prevent a full-blown catastrophe. Without urgent intervention, tens of thousands of children in Nigeria and Ethiopia may not survive the coming months.
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