Gaza: UN rights office condemns Israeli buffer zone plan
Hostilities in the Gaza Strip resumed mid-March following the collapse of the ceasefire and Israel’s border closure. As it enters its sixth week, the denial of aid into the enclave has left more than 2.1 million Gazans trapped without access…
Myanmar: Military strikes persist amid earthquake response efforts
“At a moment when the sole focus should be on ensuring humanitarian aid gets to disaster zones, the military is instead launching attacks,” spokesperson Ravini Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva. Since the 28 March disaster, military forces have reportedly carried…
Sudan war has created suffering of ‘industrial proportions’, aid agencies warn
“With no viable peace in sight, the Sudanese are trapped in a humanitarian crisis of industrial proportions,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. “Two out of three people need aid, that’s 30 million people…This, of…
DR Congo crisis: Children subjected to deliberate, systemic sexual violence
Spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva via video link from Goma that children could account for up to 45 per cent of the nearly 10,000 cases of rape and sexual violence documented in January and February, amid heightened tensions…
UN refugee agency calls for greater investment in Syrian returnees
The estimates are from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, which on Friday called for increased funding to support Syrian returnees as needs intensify at a time when aid budgets globally are being slashed. “Since the fall of the Assad regime,…
Bombardment, deprivation and displacement continue in Gaza
OCHA said dozens of people, including at least eight children, were killed in Gaza City on Wednesday after an Israeli strike hit a residential building. Many others are still missing under the rubble. The agency stressed that civilians must be protected…
Myanmar: UN seeks additional $240 million to bolster earthquake relief
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake – which struck on March 28 – has claimed over 3,600 lives, injured a further 4,800 people and left 184 still missing. The disaster has affected more than nine million people across 58 townships, with thousands…
Preventable ‘meningitis belt’ deaths targeted in health agency action plan
People anywhere, at any age can be infected with meningitis, which is transmitted through respiratory secretions or droplets in close human contact. Low and middle-income nations are worst-affected. The so-called “meningitis belt” in sub-Saharan Africa sees most cases and…
World Court begins hearing Sudan’s case accusing United Arab Emirates of ‘complicity in genocide’
The hearings in The Hague, focus on Sudan’s request for the court – the UN’s principal judicial organ – to impose provisional measures to prevent further alleged grave human rights violations. Brutal civil war Sudan’s military Government is alleging that…
Syria’s political transition at risk due to Israeli military action, Security Council hears
“Syria’s opportunity to stabilise after 14 years of conflict must be supported and protected, for Syrians and for Israelis,” said Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. “This is the only way regional peace and security can be…