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…
Sudan faces unprecedented hunger and displacement as war enters third year
As the war enters its third year, UN humanitarians warn that immediate action is essential. “This is a manmade crisis, driven by conflict – not by drought or floods or earthquakes and because of the obstruction of access to humanitarian…
Sudan war: UNHCR chief stresses need to help refugee hosts in Chad
Chad hosts 1.3 million forcibly displaced people, according to the UN agency, UNHCR despite it being one of the world’s poorest countries. More than half of these vulnerable individuals are Sudanese who’ve fled the fighting between rival militaries which erupted in…
South Sudan: Conflict and hunger push millions to the brink
The situation is especially dire for returnees fleeing violence in Sudan, who now account for nearly half of those experiencing catastrophic hunger levels. The influx of over 1.1 million displaced people into already fragile communities has overwhelmed resources and relief…
Fear and uncertainty are daily staples for Gaza’s most vulnerable
That’s the message from the UN World Health Organization, WHO, which said on Wednesday that mothers are going into labour amid dire conditions, putting their health and their babies’ lives at risk. It is now five weeks since Israeli authorities…