Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti
Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, said today it is critical to act swiftly and decisively to pull Gaza and its people back from the abyss.
Speaking during the “Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza” hosted by Jordan, Egypt and the UN, Griffiths said all crossings into Gaza must be open and functioning at full capacity and stressed that entry requirements for humanitarian supplies and personnel must be streamlined.
The Under-Secretary-General said safe, conducive and enabling conditions for humanitarian aid workers have to be ensured for the effective reception and provision of aid to civilians in need throughout Gaza, adding that the UN Flash Appeal for Gaza must also be fully funded.
He reiterated that the only way to fully and effectively address humanitarian needs in Gaza is an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
Sudan
UNICEF has received harrowing reports that at least six children have been killed and many more injured since 7 June, as fighting continues to escalate in Al Fasher, Sudan's North Darfur state. Thousands of children, including those living in large displacement camps are trapped in the middle of the increased fighting and are not able to reach safety.
UNICEF urges all parties to immediately deescalate the situation, allow the safe and voluntary movement of civilians, and ensure the protection of civilians, including children and women, and civilian objects.
OCHA warns that the ongoing clashes in and around Al Fasher are taking a grim toll on humanitarian workers and operations. Yesterday, an aid worker for the NGO Relief International in Darfur died due to complications from a bullet wound sustained on 1 June. The staff member was shot while returning to the Zamzam displacement camp, after transporting a patient to El Fasher Maternity Hospital.
He was the sixth aid worker killed in Sudan in the past six weeks. OCHA underscores yet again that in Sudan and in conflicts everywhere else in the world, humanitarians must be protected.
Despite these dangers, humanitarians continue to deliver life-saving assistance to people in need. UNHCR tells us that three trucks carrying core relief items have reached North Darfur from Chad via the Tine crossing. Those supplies are being distributed to more than 1,100 families in two localities near the border.
Elsewhere in Sudan, the World Health Organization distributed nearly 20 metric tonnes of emergency health supplies to 18 health facilities and 5 stabilization centers in North Kordofan State. This vital assistance will meet the emergency and primary health-care needs of displaced people and host communities. WHO has also managed to reach South Kordofan’s Abu Jubayhah Region for the first time this year to deliver emergency health supplies.
The humanitarian community in Sudan is working against the clock to stave off famine and mitigate the most pressing humanitarian needs in Sudan. But this is challenging given current funding shortfalls – as of today, this year’s humanitarian appeal for Sudan is just 16 per cent funded, with less than US$441 million received of the $2.7 billion required.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) Humanitarian Coordinator, Bruno Lemarquis, said he is concerned about the persistence of violence and the alarming deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the east of the country.
In a statement issued yesterday, Lemarquis condemned the deadly attacks by non-state armed groups, which have targeted civilians in the territory of Beni, in North Kivu province, killing at least 41 civilians on 7 June, according to the national authorities. This brings the death toll to at least 57 since 3 June.
Still in the east, violence targeting civilians also continues in Ituri Province, with an average of 100 people killed monthly between January and May by armed groups in Djugu, Irumu and Mambasa territories.
Over the past two weeks, the violence in the east of the country has forced more than 67,000 people to flee to safer areas in Beni in North Kivu. Humanitarian partners have deployed teams to assess needs.
Lemarquis called on all armed groups and their supporters to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights, protect civilians, ensure unhindered humanitarian access and enable humanitarian operations.
Between January and April, more than 900,000 newly displaced people were registered in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, bringing the total number of displaced people in the eastern DRC to more than 7.3 million.
The 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan for DRC is currently less than a quarter funded, with $590 million received of the $2.6 billion requested.
Despite these constraints, more than 3.5 million people in DRC received humanitarian assistance between January and April of this year.
Haiti
The volatile situation in Haiti continues to displace thousands of people across the country.
According to the International Organization for Migration, between March and June this year, the number of displaced people across the country increased by 60 per cent, from 362,000 to more than 578,000 people. The Ouest Department, which includes the capital Port-au-Prince, accounts for more than a third of all displaced people. More than half of all people uprooted from their homes are children.
People continued to flee Port-au-Prince towards the provinces, increasing the humanitarian burden for already vulnerable communities.
Meanwhile, the UN and humanitarian partners continue to support people in the capital and across the country.
Last week, the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed more than 43,000 hot meals to nearly 13,500 displaced people in nine sites in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. Since March, WFP has provided more than one million hot meals.
On 7 June, a cargo flight operated by WFP landed in the northern city of Cape-Haïtien, carrying more than 11 tons of products for water, hygiene and sanitation activities, as well as educational materials for our partner Save the Children.
The Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization continues to support health care in Haiti, recently distributing nearly 4 tons of medicine and supplies to health centers in the Port-au-Prince area.