Today's top news: Southeast Asia Earthquake, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo
#Southeast Asia Earthquake
UN mobilizes response after major earthquake hits Myanmar
Initial reports indicate significant damage in central Myanmar, in Mandalay City – near the epicentre of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck today – as well as across Nay Pyi Taw territory; the regions of Bago, Magway and Sagaing; Shan state; and potentially other areas.
The UN continues to gather information on the number of people affected, damage to infrastructure, and immediate humanitarian needs to guide the response.
The State Administration Council has requested that the international community support the response efforts, and the UN is mobilizing teams and support.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has made an initial allocation of US$5 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support life-saving assistance after the earthquake.
The earthquake compounds an already dire humanitarian situation in Myanmar, where nearly 20 million people need assistance across the country, including more than 3.5 million people displaced from their homes.
Beyond Myanmar, the impact of the earthquake appears to be greatest in Thailand. Reports indicate that a high-rise building in Bangkok collapsed, resulting in casualties. A state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok, and the Government is scaling up its response.
China’s Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, also recorded strong tremors. Initial reports indicate limited disruptions and damage in the province.
The tremors also reportedly caused panic in several cities in Bangladesh, including Dhaka and Chattogram. While there were no immediate reports of casualties in Bangladesh, authorities remained on alert for potential aftershocks.
The UN will continue to closely monitor the situation and provide support and assistance as required.
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Civilians trapped or forced to flee deadly fighting in Gaza
OCHA reports that intensified hostilities continue across the Gaza Strip, with more civilians killed and injured and critical infrastructure damaged. Many people are reportedly trapped under the rubble or in the streets, and ambulances and civil defense teams are unable to reach them.
In southern Gaza, OCHA reports that efforts continue to extract any casualties and recover ambulances in the Tal as Sultan area of Rafah, where a ground operation started on Sunday and military activities are ongoing.
Today, the Israeli forces dropped leaflets to announce a three-hour window for people who have been trapped by the fighting in Tal as Sultan to leave the area on foot. The displacement order for Tal as Sultan was issued on Sunday.
OCHA reiterates that civilians must be protected under international law. Civilians fleeing fighting must be allowed to do so safely, and they must be able to voluntarily return when the situation allows.
OCHA reports that the space for families to survive in Gaza is shrinking. Displacement orders issued last week by the Israeli military – combined with the “no-go” zones, where the Israeli authorities require humanitarian movement to be coordinated with them – account for more than half of Gaza’s territory, about 52 per cent.
Meanwhile, thousands of pallets – mostly containing food items – are waiting to enter Gaza. Humanitarian partners warn that subsidized bakeries will run out of flour very soon.
The UN and its partners are attempting to coordinate access to Kerem Shalom to conduct an inventory of the remaining cargo at the platform there. However, so far Israeli authorities have denied the UN’s attempts to reach the crossings and collect supplies that entered prior to the cargo closure on 2 March.
Broader efforts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza also continue to be routinely denied. OCHA reports that of six such attempts today, four were rejected.
Meanwhile, partners in Gaza warn that temporary dumping sites are full, and people are disposing of waste in inhabited areas, at times just metres away from where they live. This raises public health concerns, with partners reporting an increase in cases of skin diseases.
UN provides support to displaced families in the West Bank
OCHA notes that Israeli operations in the West Bank have continued for more than nine weeks, driving displacement and humanitarian needs. The UN and its partners continue to support displaced families, including by providing water, food parcels, hygiene kits and other essential items.
Partners are also highlighting the growing toll on the mental health of those affected, with many suffering from stress, anxiety and depression.
The ongoing Israeli operation has severely disrupted access to education for thousands of students. There are currently some three dozen public schools in Tulkarm and Jenin that have switched to remote learning. This is due to insecurity and because schools are serving as shelters for the displaced.
#Lebanon
Displacement order uproots residents in southern Beirut
OCHA reports that the Israeli army today issued a displacement order in Lebanon for the first time since the cessation of hostilities entered into effect on 27 November 2024. The directive targeted a building near two schools in a densely populated area in the southern suburbs of Beirut, triggering widespread panic and displacement in the area.
The Ministry of Education announced the closure of all public schools in South Lebanon and the southern suburbs in the wake of the displacement order.
A wave of Israeli air strikes and shelling in southern Lebanon caused further destruction, resulting in additional casualties – including women and children – with at least one person killed and 18 injured, including three children, in Kfar Tebnit, where a residential building was struck, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Since the ceasefire, more than 965,000 people have returned to their communities, but over 93,000 remain displaced. The hostilities have already claimed more than 4,200 lives, and today’s developments represent a worrying escalation, risking new displacement and worsening an already fragile humanitarian situation.
The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to support people affected by the conflict, including those who are still uprooted, as well as host communities.
OCHA calls on all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
#South Sudan
Escalation in South Sudan threatens to push humanitarian needs higher
OCHA is deeply concerned about the risk of the humanitarian situation in South Sudan worsening, at a time when three out of every four people in the country already need life-saving assistance – about 9.3 million in total.
The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan is being driven by violence, food insecurity, political instability, climate shocks, disease outbreaks and the spillover from the conflict in neighbouring Sudan.
Due to the ongoing violence in South Sudan in recent weeks, dozens of casualties have been reported, with up to 120,000 people having fled their homes.
Meanwhile, levels of acute hunger remain high, with some 7.7 million people who are severely food insecure and 650,000 children under the age of five at risk of severe acute malnutrition.
Regarding disease outbreaks – a cholera outbreak in South Sudan is yet to be contained, with more than 42,000 cases reported and nearly 800 deaths.
At this critical juncture, OCHA appeals to Member States to swiftly supply the resources needed to stem the growing humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, particularly as there are severe funding cuts.
This year’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan calls for nearly $1.7 billion to reach 5.4 million people. But nearly a third of the way into 2025, the humanitarian community has received just over 10 per cent of the funds – about $174 million and anticipates funding will be halved this year due to freezes.
#Democratic Republic of the Congo
Violence in eastern DRC drives displacement
OCHA reports that clashes in parts of the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri continue to harm civilians and force people to flee their homes in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In just weeks, nearly 67,000 people have sought safety across the border in neighbouring Burundi. Today, the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, allocated $2.5 million from CERF to provide immediate assistance to new arrivals.
Fighting also continues to displace people inside eastern DRC. In South Kivu, nearly 11,000 people have fled violence between armed groups in the territories of Uvira and Mwenga since 9 March, according to local humanitarian sources.
OCHA is working with community leaders in the area to facilitate humanitarian access to assess needs and provide aid. However, relief efforts are being impeded by insecurity and logistical constraints, leaving displaced communities in urgent need of shelter, food, water and healthcare.
In North Kivu, local civil society actors report a fragile calm in the town of Walikale, where clashes over the last week forced thousands of families to flee. Displaced families remain reluctant to return to the area, with schools and markets still closed and access to farmland blocked.
Amid escalating tensions and violence in Ituri, an armed group destroyed dozens of homes in Djugu territory on 26 March, displacing local residents.
In Maniema province, west of South Kivu, local civil society groups warn that armed men have been occupying a school in the provincial capital Kindu since 23 March, depriving more than 1,000 children of education. OCHA calls on all parties to ensure the school’s immediate release.