United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has summoned major regional organizations to join the United Nations in helping the new Libyan authorities deliver immediate emergency aid and provide a democratic transition after the ouster of Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi's regime.

He said the Security Council, which makes the decisions on such matters, had assured him of their support for the rapid deployment of a UN mission in Libya, adding that its decision on August 25 to release to the authorities Transitional National Council $1.5 billion in Qadhafi regime assets that it had frozen under sanctions a welcome step.

"At this moment of great transition, we must come together with an effective, well-coordinated programme of international action," he told the heads of the African Union, Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the European Union in a video conference from UN headquarters in New York on August 26. "All of us now must work together and respond rapidly to requests from the Libyan transitional authorities for assistance."

"As do other international leaders we have consulted in recent days, they expect the United Nations to play an 'essential, pivotal role' in the country's future," he said. "In addition to immediate humanitarian assistance, particularly as it relates to medical help, they placed special emphasis on early support for elections, transitional justice and policing, as well as longer-term assistance in socio-economic recovery, rule of law and institution-building."  

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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the August 26 attack on the United Nations building in Abuja, in which a number of people have been killed or wounded, and said he is dispatching top officials to the Nigerian capital to respond to the emergency.

August 26, 2011, United Nations, New York - A wide view of the Security Council as members observe a moment of silence for those who lost their lives in the tragic attack on the UN House in Abuja, Nigeria. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

The compound in Abuja, a series of buildings that house the offices of 26 UN humanitarian and development agencies, was struck by a car bomb at around 11 a.m. local time. Hundreds of UN staff members were working in the compound at the time of the attack.

"This was an assault on those who devote their lives to helping others," Mr. Ban told reporters at UN headquarters in New York. "We condemn this terrible act, utterly."

"On this very sad occasion, I extend my deepest sympathies to the victims and their families," he said. "The UN will undertake every possible effort to assist them during this difficult time."  

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Fewer people have been fleeing their homes in famine-wracked Somalia this month, with insecurity, restrictions by Al-Shabaab Islamic militants and delivery of on-site aid all apparently playing a role in the decrease, the United Nations reported on August 26.

August 25, 2011 - Somali refugee children share a meal inside a tent in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

There was a significant drop in the number of people arriving in Mogadishu, the capital, which peaked in July, when nearly 28,000 fled to the city in search of aid after fleeing famine, drought and conflict in the countryside of the Horn of Africa nation, where tens of thousands of people have already died and some 3.2 million others are thought to be on the brink of starvation.

"Since the beginning of this month, just over 5,000 displacements into the city have been recorded," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in Geneva. "The average daily arrival rate in the city dropped from more than 1,000 per day last month to an estimated 200 in August."

Due to insecurity, almost no movements were recorded in districts of Mogadishu held by Al-Shabaab until earlier this month. African Union (AU) peacekeepers have also imposed restrictions on civilian movement to areas previously controlled by Al Shabaab, which is reportedly restricting movements, particularly of men, in areas still under its control in the south, Mr. Edwards said.  

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