Today's top news: Myanmar, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine
#Myanmar
Millions in Myanmar affected by earthquake
The Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Myanmar, Marcoluigi Corsi, today called on the world to step up support for the people of Myanmar.
Briefing journalists in Geneva from Yangon, he stressed that while the full extent of the earthquake's impact remains unclear – and as aftershocks continue – it is already evident that millions have been affected, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis.
Corsi returned from a two-day visit to Nay Pyi Taw territory yesterday, where he witnessed the widespread destruction of infrastructure, including buildings, roads and bridges.
He described how people in the affected areas, including humanitarian workers and first responders, are still sleeping in the open without electricity or running water, enduring extreme heat in the peak of summer. Those whose homes remain standing are afraid to go inside due to ongoing aftershocks, while many others have lost their homes entirely.
The most urgent needs are drinking water, hygiene, shelter, food and medicine.
The UN and its partners, many of whom were in Myanmar already, are actively delivering supplies while conducting assessments to determine the full scale of the needs. Some of these supplies include food, drinking water, shelter and medicine.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has also rushed emergency supplies from Yangon to some 25,000 earthquake survivors in the Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw areas and are mobilizing more relief items from their existing stocks in Myanmar. UNHCR hope these plastic sheets, sleeping mats, blankets, kitchen sets and mosquito nets can provide some relief in these turbulent times.
Meanwhile, telecommunications disruptions, damaged roads and debris continue to hinder the response. There are also reports of severe shortages of medical supplies, including trauma kits, blood bags, anesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines and tents for health workers.
Search-and-rescue operations continue, and first responders are working tirelessly to save those trapped under collapsed buildings. Currently, 25 urban search-and-rescue teams from 13 countries are operating in Myanmar.
The UN remains deeply committed to reaching people in Myanmar who need aid and stresses the need for swift action to provide relief before the upcoming monsoon season, which risks worsening the crisis.
Even before this disaster, Myanmar faced an overwhelming humanitarian crisis, with nearly 20 million people in need due to conflict and climate-induced disasters, including recent severe flooding. Yet, the humanitarian response for 2025 remains critically underfunded, with only US$56 million received so far – just 5 per cent of the $1.1 billion required.
The Myanmar Humanitarian Fund, coordinated by OCHA, is one of the fastest and most efficient ways to support communities in need and help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people with urgent support. Donations made to UN Crisis Relief go directly to the Fund.
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Bombardment of Gaza causes further death and displacement
OCHA reports that intensified hostilities, including air strikes and shelling, continue across the Gaza Strip, with more civilians killed and injured and critical infrastructure damaged.
Meanwhile, Israeli displacement orders continue to force civilians to flee across Gaza and limit the space available for families to shelter.
Between Saturday and this morning, Israeli authorities issued displacement orders covering vast areas of central, southern and northern Gaza. Yesterday’s directive alone covered nearly the entire Rafah governorate, where about 150,000 people were estimated to be staying.
OCHA warns that these displacement orders leave civilians exposed to hostilities and deprive them of access to services essential for their survival.
The suspension of aid entry into Gaza continues, with a devastating impact on people in need.
Today, the 25 bakeries that were supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) during the duration of the ceasefire are all closed, due to the shortage of flour and the unavailability of cooking gas. WFP continues to prioritize food distributions with the remaining stocks, but the situation remains extremely critical since the cargo closure of the crossings almost a month ago.
On Sunday, OCHA reported that a complex, week-long rescue operation had concluded with the recovery of 15 bodies of emergency and aid crews in Tal As Sultan in Rafah. The Israeli ground operation started in Rafah on 23 March, and efforts had been ongoing to reach and extract causalities since then.
The available information indicates that the first team was killed by Israeli forces on 23 March, with other emergency and aid crews struck one after another over several hours as they searched for their missing colleagues. They were buried under the sand, alongside their wrecked emergency vehicles – clearly marked ambulances, a fire truck and a UN car.
In a social media post yesterday, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, expressed condolences to the colleagues’ families.
“They were killed by Israeli forces while trying to save lives,” Mr. Fletcher said. “We demand answers and justice.”
Since October 2023, at least 408 aid workers have been killed in Gaza. OCHA stresses once again that emergency responders and aid workers must be able to operate safely. Like all other civilians, they must always be protected.
#Sudan
Fighting rages in North Darfur amid ongoing famine
OCHA is gravely alarmed by reports of intensified hostilities in and around El Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur state, including attacks in the past two days that resulted in civilian casualties.
Yesterday, shelling reportedly hit the Abu Shouk displacement camp, north of El Fasher, killing nine civilians and injuring 15 others.
OCHA reiterates that civilians and civilian infrastructure must never be a target. All parties must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and take utmost care to spare civilians and civilian objects from the effects of hostilities.
Meanwhile, OCHA calls for urgent action to prevent the spread of famine in Sudan, particularly ahead of the lean and rainy season starting in just two months’ time. It is critical that aid organizations have safe and unimpeded access to people in need, wherever they are.
Some 25 million people in Sudan are acutely food insecure, with the number of people facing hunger typically peaking during the lean and rainy season between June and September. About 639,000 people in parts of North Darfur – including in and around El Fasher – and in the Nuba Mountains already face famine conditions.
In addition to food and nutrition support, agricultural assistance is urgently needed to boost local food production and keep famine from spreading further.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and its partners require more than $82 million to assist 7.5 million farmers and their families with seeds and other critical support this year, especially ahead of the planting season in June. With the rainy season starting soon, and flooding along key routes likely to compound access challenges, time is of the essence.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has shattered agricultural livelihoods – a lifeline for two thirds of the population – disrupted market access, and left millions of farming families unable to plant or harvest.
It has also destroyed critical infrastructure, forced families to flee their homes and land, and severely limited access to seeds, tools and veterinary services.
These challenges, compounded by economic decline and trade restrictions, have driven up food prices sharply, further reducing families’ access to food and basic services.
OCHA stresses that timely support to Sudan’s farmers is essential – not only to avert famine, particularly in the most at-risk areas, but also to restore livelihoods and build resilience among some of the country’s most vulnerable communities.
#Democratic Republic of the Congo
Hostilities exacerbate needs in eastern DRC
OCHA reports that clashes in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces continue to displace people and cripple their access to essential services in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In North Kivu on 30 March, local civil society groups report that intense clashes between the M23 armed group and local factions in the town of Walikale caused widespread panic and casualties.
According to health authorities, since 19 March, approximately 70 per cent of the town’s population – or an estimated 80,000 people – have sought refuge in surrounding forests, where they live in precarious conditions.
The surge in violence has forced the closure of half of the 18 healthcare facilities in Walikale territory. More than 480 schools also remain closed, depriving over 128,000 children of access to education, according to local media, citing school officials.
Telephone networks have been down in the town since 28 March due to fuel shortages for generators, with the security situation preventing the resupply of fuel.
In North Kivu’s provincial capital Goma, the International Organization for Migration distributed kitchen utensils, mats and lamps to some 15,000 people in more than 40 collective shelters across the city between 26 and 29 March. Many families, who are reluctant to return home after January’s camp closures, are still in Goma, living in repurposed schools and churches.
The UN and its partners are engaging with de facto authorities so that these families can access services and return voluntarily, safely and sustainably to their communities.
In South Kivu province, clashes continued this morning in several villages in Walungu territory, approximately 13 kilometres from the provincial capital Bukavu, causing new displacement.
In the town of Minova in the Kalehe territory, WFP and its partners delivered food to more than 85,000 people on 30 March.
In Maniema, another province increasingly affected by ongoing insecurity in the east, local authorities report that the province is confronting a dire nutrition emergency, with 13 out of its 18 health zones now classified as being in crisis.
The situation is aggravated by a critical lack of adequate nutrition assistance, insufficient humanitarian response capacity and worsening food insecurity. According to the latest report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), nearly a quarter of the country’s population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, classified as IPC Phase 3 or above.
Authorities warn that without urgent action, the situation could deteriorate further, particularly in hard-hit areas such as Kabambare, where access to basic services remains severely constrained due to the ongoing insecurity.
#Ukraine
Ukrainian cities face intense strikes
OCHA reports that aid workers continue to provide emergency assistance following massive drone attacks in recent days on the densely populated cities of Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine.
Working alongside first responders and municipal services, partners, with the support of UN agencies, provided medical aid and psychosocial support. Humanitarian organizations also organized hot meals and distributed warm blankets and shelter materials.
According to authorities, the attacks in Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih killed seven civilians and injured over 50 others, including several children. Multiple residential buildings and several nurseries and schools were also damaged in the attacks.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attacks, adding that hostilities continue to inflict suffering on the people of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, hostilities in the regions of Kherson, Dnipro, Donetsk and Sumy continue to damage homes, education facilities and other civilian infrastructure in front-line areas. More than 90 civilian casualties have been recorded in the last four days, according to the authorities.
Humanitarian organizations visited the front-line Kherson City on 27 and 28 March to provide psychological and legal assistance and support emergency repairs of homes to help the most vulnerable people in the city, facing nearly daily attacks.