The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Matthias Schmale, strongly condemned the attack. “Today, an inter-agency convoy of four humanitarian trucks, clearly marked as belonging to the UN, carrying aid, came under attack by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation when delivering aid to Bilozerka Town in the Kherson...
Substations, power plants and oil depots were damaged in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and Donetsk, temporarily cutting off electricity for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in those regions. “As colder weather sets in, strikes on critical infrastructure are deepening humanitarian needs,” warned Mr. Dujarric. “Despite growing challenges, we, along...
All this, while aid convoys remain blocked from reaching hundreds of thousands trapped close to the frontlines and as the military government and their rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia battle for control of Sudan. Speaking from Tawila, 50 kilometres (about 31 miles) from El Fasher in North Darfur, Humanitarian...
Multiple strikes overnight into Friday were reported in the Jabalya Al Balad and An Nazla neighbourhoods, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update. As a result, around 900 people reportedly fled towards the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood and western Gaza City. Safe passage,...
The first eight months of 2025 show no sign of a reversal of this disturbing trend, with 265 humanitarian workers killed as of 14 August, according to figures released on World Humanitarian Day. Attacks on humanitarian workers, assets and operations violate international law and undermine the lifelines that sustain millions...
Speaking to UN News from the wartorn enclave to mark World Humanitarian Day, Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that exhausted aid workers continue to show up for work “day in and day out”. Approaching two years since the start of the war in Gaza, Ms....
So far this year, cholera has killed more than 4,300 people across 31 countries. These figures are underestimates and there is particular concern for those impacted by war in Sudan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Yemen. In Sudan, the disease has already claimed over 1,000...
After a successful career that lasted 43 years, during which he worked in Saudi Arabia, for the Palestinian Ministry of Health and then the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr. Awadallah decided to retire at the end of 2021. But, that was short-lived. As the crisis in Gaza escalated and polio...
But as starvation tightens its grip and “children are dying before our eyes,” UN officials and aid workers warn that the measures fall far short of the much-needed ceasefire and unfettered aid access that could help stem the spiralling humanitarian catastrophe. “Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow...
The situation is particularly dire in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, which has witnessed some of the worst episodes of the ongoing conflict between rival militaries. Those remaining in El Fasher are facing “extreme shortages” of food and clean water, with markets repeatedly disrupted, UN Spokesperson Stéphane...
Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters ahead of his departure to Spain for the International Conference on Financing for Development, the Secretary-General said that while the Israel-Iran conflict had dominated recent headlines, the plight of civilians in Gaza remained urgent and dire. “Families have been displaced again and again –...
No aid has entered the enclave since Israel implemented a ban on 2 March and the entire population, more than two million people, is at risk of famine. “As we demonstrated during the ceasefire this year – and every time we’ve been granted access – the United Nations and our...