UNITED NATIONS, US: The UN’s special envoy for Somalia on Thursday issued a stark warning to the Security Council about a sharp uptick in civilian casualties suffered last year in the violence-wracked Horn of Africa country.
Catriona Laing, a British diplomat who took up the UN post earlier this year, said both the insurgency by jihadist Al-Shabab militants and clashes in the breakaway Somaliland region were to blame.
“Conflicts in Somalia continue to take a heavy toll on civilians. Last year, we saw the largest increase in civilian casualties since 2017,” Laing told the council.
“Sadly, early data indicate a similar trend in 2023, with 1,289 civilian casualties recorded so far.”
Al-Shabab has been waging a violent insurgency against the government of Somalia for more than 15 years.
Flushed out of major cities in 2011-2012, the organization is still present over vast rural areas, mainly in the center and south of the country. It stages attacks regularly against security forces, politicians and civilians.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May last year vowing all-out war against the militants, who have also carried out deadly attacks in neighboring countries including Kenya.
Somaliland has meanwhile seen months of conflict between its troops and a clan militia challenging the authorities of the self-proclaimed republic, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not been internationally recognized.
The African Union maintains a force in Somalia, and the United Nations has a mission there.
UN resolutions call for the AU force (ATMIS) to be reduced to zero by the end of next year, handing over security to the Somali army and police.
Before the Security Council, Laing called on all partners “to consider providing support to fill the funding gap for ATMIS to ensure the mission can deliver its mandate fully, and troops do not go unpaid.”
The US envoy attending the meeting, Robert Wood, said Washington “remains committed to supporting the efforts of Somalia and the AU to build up Somalia’s security sector capacity.”
UN envoy to Somalia warns of ‘heavy’ civilian toll
https://arab.news/2gduw
UN envoy to Somalia warns of ‘heavy’ civilian toll
Louvre Museum closed as workers launch rolling strike
- After the memo, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a massive renovation plan for the museum, expected to cost €700 million to €800 million (up to $940 million)
PARIS: The Louvre closed its doors to thousands of disappointed visitors on Monday as staff launched a rolling strike to protest working conditions at the Paris landmark, two months after a shocking robbery.
Staff assembled outside the museum’s world-famous glass pyramid, blocking the main entrance and holding signs, as security agents turned tourists away.
“The Louvre on strike,” said a banner.
FASTFACTS
• Staff assembled outside the museum’s world-famous glass pyramid, blocking the main entrance and holding signs, as security agents turned tourists away.
• The Louvre has become a symbol of so-called ‘over-tourism,’ with the 30,000 daily visitors facing what unions call an ‘obstacle course’ of hazards. course’ of hazards.
“All together all together,” striking staff shouted. “Who does the Louvre belong to? To us!“
Workers are demanding extra staff and measures to tackle overcrowding, adding to the woes of the world’s most visited museum just as France gears up for the Christmas holidays.
“We are angry,” Elize Muller, a security guard, told reporters. “We disagree with the way the Louvre has been managed.”
The strike comes nearly two months after the museum was victim of an embarrassing daylight heist that saw crown jewels worth $102 million stolen.
A notice in the museum’s courtyard said the Louvre would remain closed on Monday.
At a general meeting, around 400 employees voted unanimously to launch a strike, which can be renewed, to protest the “deterioration” of working conditions, the CGT and CFDT unions said.
Another general meeting was scheduled to take place Wednesday. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
“I’m very disappointed, because the Louvre was the main reason for our visit in Paris, because we wanted to see the ‘Mona Lisa’,” said 37-year-old Minsoo Kim, who had traveled from Seoul with his wife for their honeymoon.
Natalia Brown, a 28-year-old tourist from London, said she understands “why they’re doing it,” but called it “unfortunate timing for us.”
Rachel Adams, a 60-year-old real estate agent from Utah, said she had heard of the plans to strike.
“I think that the Louvre makes a lot of money and they should be handling their finances quite a bit better. They had the big water leak. I mean, this is important stuff.”
Speaking on the eve of the action, Christian Galani, from the hard-left CGT union, said the strike would have broad support across the museum’s 2,200-strong workforce.
“We’re going to have a lot more strikers than usual,” Galani said.
“Normally, it’s front-of-house and security staff. This time, there are scientists, documentarians, collections managers, even curators and colleagues in the workshops telling us they plan to go on strike.”
All have different grievances, adding up to a picture of staff discontent inside the institution, just as it finds itself in a harsh public spotlight following the shocking robbery on Oct. 19.
Reception and security staff complain they are understaffed and required to manage vast flows of people, with the home of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” welcoming several million people beyond its planned capacity each year.
A spontaneous walk-out protest in June led the museum to temporarily close.
The Louvre has become a symbol of so-called “over-tourism,” with the 30,000 daily visitors facing what unions call an “obstacle course” of hazards, long queues, and sub-standard toilets and catering.
Documentarians and curators are increasingly horrified by the state of disrepair inside the former royal palace, with a recent water leak and the closure of a gallery due to structural problems underlining the difficulties.
“The building is not in a good state,” chief Louvre architect Francois Chatillon admitted in front of lawmakers last month.
Under-fire Louvre boss Laurence des Cars, who faces persistent calls to resign, warned the government in January in a widely publicized memo about leaks, overheating and the declining visitor experience.
After the memo, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a massive renovation plan for the museum, expected to cost €700 million to €800 million (up to $940 million).
Questions continue to swirl since the break-in over whether it was avoidable and why the national treasure appeared to be poorly protected.
Two intruders used a portable extendable ladder to access the gallery containing the crown jewels, cutting through a glass door with angle grinders in front of startled visitors before stealing eight priceless items.
Investigations have since revealed that only one security camera was working outside when they struck, that guards in the control room did not have enough screens to watch the coverage in real time, and that police were initially misdirected.
