Today's top news: Myanmar, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ukraine, Colombia
#Myanmar
UN relief chief visits quake-hit Myanmar
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, arrived in Myanmar today.
This morning, he met with humanitarian teams in Yangon. In a social media post, Fletcher said front-line humanitarians and community organizations have been leading the earthquake response with such courage, skill and determination. He added that many have themselves lost everything, yet they keep heading out to support survivors.
In the afternoon, Fletcher travelled to Mandalay, the epicentre of the disaster, where tomorrow he will meet with people affected by the earthquake, as well as with local responders and other humanitarian workers.
More than 25 search-and-rescue teams are working, medical teams and supplies have been deployed, and water and shelter kits have been distributed in Mandalay and beyond. Just yesterday, more than 30 tons of medical supplies arrived in Myanmar, bringing the total to 100 tons since the earthquake struck.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that in the week since the disaster, the agency has deployed stocks that were already in the country, including plastic sheets and kitchen sets, for some 25,000 people in the regions of Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago, as well as the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, and parts of Shan State. UNHCR is also mobilizing supplies from its Myanmar warehouses for an additional 25,000 people, but the agency will need to replenish stocks urgently to meet the massive needs in areas suffering from the impact of the earthquake, on top of four years of conflict and displacement.
Needs continue to outpace available supplies and response capacity. This is largely due to extremely low funding*, compounded by access and logistical challenges, which are severely hampering the ability of humanitarian partners to support those in urgent need.
OCHA is preparing a new appeal to address these urgent needs, aligned with the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which calls for US$1.1 billion. So far, only about 5 per cent of this total has been received.
UNCHR is, for its part, appealing for $16 million to assist 1.2 million people who survived last week’s devastating earthquake in Myanmar. UNHCR will use the funds to expand its emergency relief efforts, manage displacement sites and support vulnerable people in six affected regions until the end of the year.
OCHA reiterates its call for an urgent need to scale up the response. Millions of people in the most affected areas still lack access to life-saving assistance.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Myanmar with urgent support.
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Civilians flee amid new displacement orders and hostilities in Gaza
OCHA reports that thousands more families have fled westward in response to another displacement order issued by Israeli forces and covering parts of Gaza city.
These displacement orders leave civilians exposed to hostilities and deprive them of access to services essential for their survival, OCHA warns.
Meanwhile, all crossings into Gaza continue to be closed for the entry of aid and other life-sustaining supplies. This full ban is now in its second month.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that food stocks in Gaza are running out, and its assistance programmes are gradually shutting down. Earlier this week, WFP-supported bakeries had to close. Now, food parcel distributions are expected to end soon.
Hot meals currently continue, but with dwindling supplies. WFP notes that a single hot meal provides 25 per cent or less of a person’s daily dietary needs.
Meanwhile, sanitation conditions across Gaza are likely exacerbating public health risks. Three makeshift displacement sites in Al Mawasi are now reporting infestations of fleas and mites, causing rashes and other health issues.
Treating these infestations requires chemicals and other items that will only be available once the crossings into Gaza reopen for the entry of supplies.
Criminal looting and general insecurity are again on the rise, linked to the closure and lack of supplies. On Wednesday, a distribution centre run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was looted, along with nearby buildings.
In a social media post, UNRWA said this was not an isolated incident, but rather a symptom of a broader breakdown in civil order.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, OCHA reports that tens of thousands of people remain displaced, unable to return home due to ongoing operations by Israeli forces in the north, mainly in Jenin and Tulkarm. Humanitarian partners are providing urgent aid and psychosocial support to those affected.
UNRWA said it has adapted its essential services, including mobile health clinics and online learning, to address people’s needs.
*OCHA soundbites and B-roll filmed during an assessment of a displacement site in Khan Younis that was struck on 2 April – and again on 3 April just minutes after OCHA’s team left – is available in OCHA’s Media Centre.
#Syria
Civilian casualties reported after strikes in Dar’a governorate
OCHA is concerned by reports that Israeli attacks in Syria have killed and injured civilians.
On 2 April, at least 10 civilians were killed and others wounded by shelling in the west of Dar’a Governorate, according to local authorities.
Last week, attacks in the same governorate reportedly killed and injured civilians. Thousands were temporarily displaced, with most returning within a day. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent provided first aid support to those injured and transferred severe cases to national hospitals.
OCHA urges all sides to avoid attacks that could harm civilians.
Meanwhile, the people of Syria continue to face risks posed by explosive remnants of war. More than 700 people have been killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance since December of last year.
To support the safe movement of civilians and aid workers, partners continue to clear minefields, dispose of explosive items, and conduct awareness session, particularly in the governorates of Deir-ez-Zor, Ar-Raqqa, Idleb, Dar'a and Hama, where contamination is high. Since December last year, more than 2,000 unexploded ordnance items were disposed of in more than 1,400 clearance operations.
Partners working in protection report a dire situation in Deir-ez-Zor in north-east Syria, where mine victims have extremely limited access to trauma care and post-injury rehabilitation. This is due to damaged health facilities and funding cuts affecting our partners who previously provided these critical services.
#Democratic Republic of the Congo
Clashes in eastern DRC hamper humanitarian response
OCHA reports that escalating violence in parts of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to displace civilians, disrupt critical services and hinder lifesaving aid operations.
In North Kivu, renewed hostilities between armed groups yesterday across villages in Rutshuru Territory triggered the displacement of some 7,500 people, according to local civil society sources, with many fleeing for the second or third time.
Separately, in the town of Walikale Centre, also yesterday, armed groups reportedly looted homes, businesses and the premises of the only operational humanitarian organization in the area. While health services continue, this attack has severely disrupted vital nutrition and medical programmes for thousands of vulnerable people.
In South Kivu province, local partners report that armed actors raided the Mukongola General Referral Hospital in Kabare territory yesterday, vandalizing the maternity ward and pharmaceutical supplies and injuring one individual. This marks the second attack on the facility in one month, further crippling its ability to provide essential care.
In the territories of Fizi and Kalehe, clashes between armed groups since 27 March have displaced more than 20,000 people, according to local partners. While some people are sheltering with host families, many remain stranded in open areas without food and water.
The UN and its humanitarian partners are working tirelessly to scale up assistance despite insecurity and access constraints.
However, ongoing military operations continue to impede humanitarian access. OCHA reiterates the call for immediate, safe and sustained access to all affected areas.
#Sudan
UN relief chief demands protection of Sudanese aid workers
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, expressed outrage yesterday over reports of escalating attacks against community kitchens and safe spaces run by local volunteers in the country.
In a social media post, Fletcher stressed that the work of these front-line volunteers is vital to people’s survival after almost two years of war in Sudan. He stressed that humanitarians must be protected and supported, not targeted.
Meanwhile, OCHA is gravely concerned by reports that civilians are fleeing Khartoum due to violence and fears of extrajudicial killings, following the latest shifts in control in the capital. OCHA stresses that civilians must never be targeted.
Over the past week, some 5,000 displaced people – mostly from Khartoum – have arrived in the locality of Jabrat El Sheikh, in North Kordofan state. That’s according to humanitarian partners on the ground, who say these families urgently need food, clean water, shelter and healthcare.
There are also reports of people arriving in Um Dukhun in Central Darfur, having fled Khartoum and other areas where control has changed.
The UN and its humanitarian partners are working to verify these reports. However, ongoing funding constraints have forced a scale-back of some data collection activities, causing delays in reporting new displacements and issuing early warning alerts.
These latest movements are part of a broader trend of conflict-driven displacement affecting multiple regions of Sudan, including the states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The overall situation across the country remains complex and challenging, with civilians fleeing for their safety in some locations and trying to return to their homes in others, often to areas in which basic services have been decimated or where explosive remnants of war may pose additional risks.
OCHA is working to reach people in South Kordofan’s capital Kadugli by facilitating the dispatch of a humanitarian convoy carrying nutrition, health and water purification supplies. However, the convoy remains stalled in Al Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, due the insecurity and bureaucratic impediments.
OCHA reminds all parties that under international humanitarian law, they have a legal obligation to allow and facilitate rapid, unimpeded and impartial humanitarian relief for civilians in need, regardless of location or affiliation.
#Ukraine
Kharkiv struck by deadly drone attacks
OCHA reports that attacks continue to affect densely populated cities across Ukraine, resulting in multiple civilian casualties, including among children.
Last night, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, faced drone attacks for the third consecutive day. According to local authorities, five people were killed and more than 30 others injured, including several children. Many homes were also destroyed or damaged in the attacks.
Immediately after the strikes, first responders, UN agencies, Ukrainian Red Cross emergency teams and partners provided first aid, psychological support, hot meals, blankets and emergency shelter materials.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Mattias Schmale, condemned the deadly attack in Kharkiv, calling for an end to the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
Over the last three days, attacks in the cities of Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih and hostilities in front-line regions have caused scores of civilian casualties and waves of new destruction across the country.
#Colombia
Fighting, mines endanger civilians in Colombia
OCHA says that the continued escalation in armed conflict between non-State armed groups since the start of this year is severely affecting civilians in Colombia.
Due to fighting in the Catatumbo region in the north of the country, more than 92,000 people have faced forced displacements, confinements and restrictions on their movement. Another 60,000 people were similarly impacted in the Cauca region in the south.
With today being the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Colombia is the most mine-affected country in the Americas due to decades of armed conflict involving armed groups. In total, more than 12,500 people have been registered as victims of anti-personnel mines and explosive remnants of war, with some 2,500 people having been killed.
Nearly a fifth of all municipalities in the country are now contaminated by landmines and other explosive devices. This puts civilians’ lives at risk and impedes their access to basic services.
Despite the challenges, humanitarian partners continue their work to reach people in need. This year’s Humanitarian Response Plan aims to reach 13.5 million people. It calls for $342 million, but has received just 12 percent – or $41 million – so far.