Aid operations stretched to the limit in Burundi by ongoing DR Congo crisis
The UN agency has swiftly mobilized additional resources to address but the sharp rise in refugee numbers has put immense pressure on all assistance operations in the region. Since the beginning of the year nearly 70,000 individuals – primarily women,…
South Sudan on the brink of civil war, top UN official warns
Briefing journalists at UN Headquarters in New York via videolink from Juba, Nicholas Haysom described indiscriminate attacks on civilians, mass displacement and rising ethnic tensions. He urged all parties to pull back from the brink and commit to peace before…
UNICEF condemns looting of lifesaving supplies for children in Sudan
The attack on one of the last operational hospitals in the area further deepened the ongoing humanitarian crisis sparked by the civil war between rival militaries, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which started…
Sudan: Civilians targeted as hostilities intensify in the capital
The office has condemned the escalating violence as the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their former ally, the paramilitary group – Rapid Support Forces (RSF) –continues to impact civilians. Credible reports indicate that RSF fighters and allied militias…
Africa faces diabetes crisis, study finds
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — Researchers warn that type 2 diabetes could affect millions more people in the coming decades after a study published this month revealed the disease is rising far faster among people in sub-Saharan Africa than previously thought….
Sudan war: Children facing ‘unimaginable suffering’, warns UNICEF chief
“This is not just a crisis, it is a poly-crisis affecting every sector, from health and nutrition to water, education and protection,” Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, told ambassadors in the Security Council. Since war erupted between the former allies-turned-rivals,…
WHO injects fresh support into DR Congo vaccination drive
The initiative aims to curb the spread of preventable diseases such as polio, measles and yellow fever which remain a persistent threat in hard-to-reach areas. Speedy response WHO delivered 79 outboard motors, two speedboats, 14 motorcycles and other essential equipment…
Women, girls bear brunt of cyberbullying against persons with disabilities
Recalling the mantra “nothing about us, without us”, which was coined by the disability rights movement, UN rights chief Volker Türk insisted that the international community was failing to uphold a fundamental tenet of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with…
Cholera killed nearly 100 in Sudan over 2 weeks, aid group says
CAIRO — Nearly 100 people died of cholera in two weeks since the waterborne disease outbreak began in Sudan’s White Nile State, an international aid group said. Doctors Without Borders — also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF —…
Scores killed in ‘abhorrent attack’ on UN helicopter in South Sudan
More than two dozen members of the South Sudanese military, including an injured General, were also reportedly killed when the UN mission (UNMISS) helicopter came under fire in Nasir, Upper Nile State. According to news reports, the helicopter later landed…