Global civil society statement on Myanmar
Format
We, the undersigned organizations, call on the United Nations Security Council to urgently impose a comprehensive global arms embargo on Myanmar to help prevent further violations of human rights against peaceful protesters and others opposing military rule. In recent weeks, Myanmar security forces have killed hundreds of people, including dozens of children, merely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Since the February 1, 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military junta has responded with increasing brutality to nationwide protests calling for the restoration of democratic civilian rule. As of May 4, security forces have killed at least 769 people, including 51 children as young as 6, and arbitrarily detained several thousand activists, journalists, civil servants, and politicians. Hundreds have been forcibly disappeared, the authorities unwilling to provide information on their well-being or where they
SOUTH AFRICA: Archbishop Tlhagale Appointed to the UNHCR Multi-Religious Council of Leaders
By CISA
JOHANNESBURG, APRIL 23, 2021 (CISA)-Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of the Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg, has been appointed a member of Multi-Religious Council of Leaders by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
“His Grace was invited by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to be a member of Multi-Religious Council of Leaders and the UNHCR’s high level supporter. The invitation came after a constructive collaboration and networking of the Catholic Church through different stakeholders to the UNHCR,” reported Sr Maria de Lurdes Lodi Rissini
Africa s Response to COVID-19 | Council on Foreign Relations cfr.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cfr.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The unified call and day of action, co-sponsored by over 120 religious groups representing more than 100 million members, come as countries pour money into coronavirus relief and recovery efforts.
“A far better future is possible if our collective response to the pandemic and the climate crisis is guided by compassion, love, and justice at a scale that meets this moment,” says the multi-faith statement directed at governments and financial institutions. “We must not only provide the relief that so many need to survive. We must create a new culture, politics, and economy of life that heals people and planet.”
“Together, we are building resilient, caring communities and economies that meet everyone’s needs and protect the planet,” the statement adds. “The era of conquest, extraction, and exploitation has given way to cooperation and community. The good life is one of connectedness with each other and all of nature.”
Christians & Muslims in Central African Republic Share Shelter as Renewed Fighting Displaces Thousands
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Christians and Muslims in the besieged Central African Republic have taken shelter together in houses of worship in the country as renewed rebel violence forces thousands out of their homes.
“With the fighting, many people found refuge in the churches,” Bishop Nestor-Desire Nongo-Aziagbia, president of the Central Africa Catholic Bishops Conference, told
Religion News Service.
Nongo-Aziagbia estimates that in the city of Bangassou there are about 500 Muslims sheltering alongside Christians in Catholic churches. In the city of Grimri, he said, about 1,500 Muslims and Christians are sheltering in churches, and five churches are hosting people in the town of Bouar.