President Barack Obama’s second presidential visit to Africa kicks off in Senegal, with stops in South Africa and Tanzania. This is a good regional mix highlighting the development and governance successes that are likely to be main themes of his trip. Senegal’s peaceful political transition is additional incentive.

Obama will also send a message, though, when he flies right over some of the more strategic but controversial US allies on the continent – Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. Despite strong security partnerships, these three countries have dismal human rights records, a tendency to undermine the rule of law, and accountability concerns. Maybe this snub will make a diplomatic point, but Obama needs to do much more on human rights and governance with these key African security partners.

US policy towards Africa is three-pronged – aimed at promoting development, security, and human rights. State Department officials often say they seek a balanced approach, but the truth is, human rights gets the short shrift.

Take Uganda. President Bill Clinton described President Yoweri Museveni in the 1990s as one of Africa’s “new generation” of leaders.” Recent US administrations have bolstered the Ugandan military in their efforts against the Lord’s Resistance Army and their counter-terrorism operations in Somalia, while ignoring that soldiers and police were responsible for killing protesters and other abuses at home.

Museveni, in his 27th year in power, is steadily narrowing the ability of Ugandans to ask critical questions or mount public protests about corruption, state use of land and resources and governance. Twenty activists have been arrested this year for protesting corruption and government expenditure and in May, in a blatant show of contempt for press freedom, Ugandan police closed the Daily Monitor, one of Uganda’s most important independent dailies, and several other outlets, for publishing accounts of internal schisms over Museveni’s successor.

Ethiopia presents an even starker picture. Following disputed elections in 2005, the longtime strongman, the late Meles Zenawi, used draconian laws to stifle most independent human rights work and to crack down on press freedom. Donors have muffled their response in fear of the thin-skinned government’s reaction. Ethiopia’s security partnership with the US has also played a part: the US bases aerial drones in Ethiopia and relies on its support for counterterrorism operations in Somalia.

The US has become increasingly muted on Ethiopia’s human rights record, invoking quiet diplomacy despite clear indications that such a strategy can only fail. The US, the country’s largest bilateral donor, responded only tepidly while Ethiopian civil society has been eviscerated, journalists have been convicted of “terrorism,” and Addis cracks down on peaceful Muslim protests and completely blocks independent media and human rights investigations. As donors increase direct assistance to the government, it reinforces the message that human rights abuses have no consequences.

Omitting Kenya from Obama’s itinerary was perhaps the most difficult choice, given the president’s ancestral connection and its status as a political and economic lynchpin in the region. But Kenya’s recent elections, while peaceful, resulted in victories for two politicians who were indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity after the last election in 2007.

Despite pledges to cooperate with the ICC, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President William Ruto have expended more energy mobilizing political support to squelch the ICC cases than advancing crucial reforms to address the injustices that led to more than 1,300 deaths in 2007-2008. Given that Kenya’s leadership has perfected the art of evading accountability in domestic courts, and that the ICC cases were brought for this very reason, the irony is breathtaking.

In recent years, US policy toward Kenya has been a bit of an outlier on the continent, with an agenda based on the need for rule of law, justice, and accountability. The US has been a strong proponent of the ICC process and tried to craft a nuanced policy to support genuine reform. That kind of thoughtful approach is needed more than ever – and not just in Kenya.

Four years ago in his landmark speech in Ghana, President Obama delivered a statement that was prescient given the ensuing events in the Arab world. He said, “Africa doesn’t need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.” That line captured the concerns and aspirations of millions of Africans who hoped that Washington would use its clout with the many governments on the continent, from Angola to Ethiopia to Zimbabwe, where authoritarian leadership has routinely quashed aspirations for basic civil and political rights.

They’ve been largely disappointed. Obama’s lofty rhetoric has generally failed to translate into meaningful changes with many US allies in Africa. In Accra, he also said that “development depends on good governance,” but since that speech the US has continued to investing in security and economic development with little emphasis on human rights and the rule of law.

Skipping Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda is an important symbolic gesture, but the Obama administration will need to match the president’s words with tangible initiatives that do more to put the rights of African citizens and victims of abuses first, before the strongmen who claim to represent them.

The Commissioner for Human Rights revealed that between October 2011 and December 2012 more than 200 racist attacks were recorded by the racist violence recording network headed by UNHCR and the National Commission for Human Rights.

“This is only the tip of the iceberg. The fatal stabbing of a young Pakistani worker in Athens a fortnight ago by two criminals, one of whom was linked to the neo-nazi party of Golden Dawn, has rightly alarmed the authorities and made them more determined to fight and eliminate the scourge of racist and other hate crimes”.

“Many political leaders in Greece now realise the need to firmly condemn and sideline every person and organisation that promotes hate speech and engages in hate crimes. I welcome the establishment of the 70 anti-racist police units and the appointment of a special prosecutor in Athens to deal with racist crime. Both however need to be reinforced with appropriate staff and systematic human rights training.

“I also urge the Ministry of Public Order to take all necessary measures in order to create an independent and effective police complaints mechanism that would enhance the public’s trust in police forces. Such a mechanism is also necessary for the coast guard.”

The Commissioner added that “anti-racism measures by the government need to be combined with initiatives, such as the Athens city Council for the Integration of Migrants, that promote the political participation and integration of all regular migrants, especially of their children who are born and educated in Greece and consider it their home country. Naturalisation should continue to be possible for these children.

“It is now, more than ever, that Greece needs robust and effective human rights structures, able to support the state in its efforts to overcome shortcomings in areas such as the systematic human rights training of law enforcement officers, judges and prosecutors and the monitoring, recording of and the fight against hate crime.”

“Rocket attacks are unacceptable and must stop at once. Israel must exercise maximum restraint,” he added.

The new wave of violence in Gaza and Israel – which includes rocket attacks against Israel from Gaza, and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza – has resulted in several people being killed or wounded on both sides.

The UN chief’s spokesperson said Mr. Ban’s paramount concern is for the safety and well being of all civilians.

“All sides must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law in this regard,” he said. “A new cycle of bloodshed will make neither Israelis nor Palestinians more secure. Nor will bloodshed open the door to negotiations that could achieve the two-state solution necessary to end such violence permanently.”

The spokesperson noted that Secretary-General Ban has continued to speak with international and regional leaders and officials by telephone and in person as part of his efforts to call for restraint and push for an end to violence.

As part of those efforts, he plans to visit the region shortly.

Earlier this week, Ban spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy about the escalating violence, while the Security Council met in a closed, late-night session on the situation.

“I want to highlight the noble efforts of the Iraqi Government and the people of Iraq to support Syrian refugees,” said the Hollywood actress, who is also a special envoy for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“At this juncture, it is critical that Iraq receives urgent international support and continues to welcome refugees across its borders,” she added.

More than 260,000 Syrian refugees have been registered in neighbouring countries since the conflict began in March 2011, according to UNHCR. Earlier this week, Ms. Jolie visited Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey with High Commissioner António Guterres, with both of them pledging continued support and emphasizing the life-saving importance of maintaining open borders and hosting Syrians in need.

More than 18,000 people, mostly civilians, have died since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began last year. Amidst reports of an escalation in violence in recent weeks in many towns and villages, as well as the country’s two biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo, UN agencies now estimate that some 2.5 million Syrians are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Jolie spent Sunday meeting with Syrian refugees in the Domiz camp in northern Iraq. She also met officials of the Kurdistan Regional Government, including the prime minister, the interior minister and the governor of Dohuk. Many of the officials she met were former refugees.

While in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Saturday, the special envoy met with senior government officials and spent time with Iraqis, until recently refugees in Syria, who have returned to Iraq after fleeing violence in their places of former refuge.

In a statement upon arrival in the capital city’s international airport, Brahimi said no one disagrees with the need to stop the bloodshed and restore harmony among the people in Syria. “We came to Syria for consultation with the brotherly Syrians… There is a crisis and I think it is deteriorating,” he said.

Brahimi met this afternoon with the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Walid Al-Moualem, with whom he had a candid and comprehensive talk about the current situation in the country.We came to Syria for consultation with the brotherly Syrians… There is a crisis and I think it is deteriorating.

According to his spokesperson, Brahimi emphasized during the meeting that he would spare no effort to help find a solution to the crisis and that his primary concern was the welfare of the Syrian people.

While in Syria, Brahimi will also meet with the UN country team, his spokesperson said in a statement.

Brahimi is accompanied by Mokhtar Lamani, who will remain in the Syrian capital to assume his new functions as Head of the Office of the Joint Special Representative for Syria in Damascus.

More than 18,000 people, mostly civilians, have died since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began nearly 18 months ago. Amidst reports of an escalation in violence in recent weeks in many towns and villages, as well as the country’s two biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo, UN agencies now estimate that some 2.5 million Syrians are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

On Monday, Brahimi had reiterated his commitment to the Syrian people during his visit to Cairo, Egypt, where he met with Arab League officials before heading to Syria. “I do know it is a very difficult task, but I believe it is not my right to refuse and to try my best to give as much help as possible to the Syrian people,” Mr. Brahimi said.

An Algerian national who has served the UN in various high-level roles over the past two decades, Brahimi has assumed the peace-facilitation role which had been carried out since February by a former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, with the aim of bringing an end to all violence and human rights violations in Syria, and promoting a peaceful solution to the conflict. Mr. Annan’s mandate ended on 31 August.

“…My message to the Prime Minister and to Palestinians is clear: we have stood by you in this journey and we will continue to do so. In fact the European Union stands as the largest donor to the Palestinian people, including through UNRWA. From 2000 to the end of 2011, the EU has committed nearly EUR 4 billion in assistance through various instruments. So, our commitment is clear… The truth is that through our overall political and financial support we are laying the foundations of a future democratic and viable Palestinian state – its institutions and its infrastructure. And through this we are contributing to a two-state solution. That has and will continue to be our goal: two states living side-by-side in peace and security.

The resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict remains a strategic priority for the EU. We will continue with our efforts, within the Quartet, to facilitate contacts between the parties and to resume substantive talks. In this context, it is important that both sides support confidence-building measures to re-launch the peace process.

Lately, international attention has been focused on other countries in the region. However the momentous change that we are witnessing throughout the Arab World should constitute an incitement and not a deterrent to the resumption of negotiations. The Middle East Peace Process cannot become an orphan of the Arab Spring.

Meanwhile it is important that the two parties do not act in a way that undermines the viability of a two-state solution. In this respect it is with concern that we see the continuous growth of settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

I also welcomed signs of more concrete progress on Palestinian reconciliation. This is a key factor contributing to the unity of a future Palestinian State and to reaching the two-state solution.

In addition, the prospect of elections, which the Prime Minister has supported, would be a significant contribution to Palestinian state-building. It is important that all Palestinian actors take advantage of the positive developments towards democratisation in the region to build a future of democracy, security and prosperity.

I am fully aware of the magnitude of the challenges that the Prime Minister and the Palestinian people still face. But as I said before: we stand by you…”