Record aid worker deaths in 2024 in “era of impunity”, UN says
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters More aid workers have been killed this year than in any year since tallies began, the UN humanitarian office said on Friday, with most of them killed in the Gaza conflict. So far this year there have been 281 aid worker victims, according to the Aid Worker Security database which has recorded […]
At least 17 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike in central Gaza, health officials say
Cairo, Egypt/Gaza Reuters At least 17 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike in the central Gaza town of Zawayda on Saturday, health officials said, as Israel issued new evacuation orders, citing Hamas rocket fire nearby. The strikes came before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to land in Israel […]
Haiti: Rampaging gangs leave country at risk as hurricane season starts
JOSEPH GUYLER DELVA and ANATASIA MOLONEY, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, report that with gangs running amok, politics in limbo and food scarce, Haiti is ill-prepared for “extraordinary” hurricane season…
UN agencies prepare for Rafah incursion, warn of “slaughter”, while Hamas, CIA director to hold truce talks in Cairo
Geneva. Switzerland Reuters An Israeli incursion in Rafah would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gazans at risk and be a huge blow to the aid operations of the entire enclave, the UN humanitarian office said on Friday, as the World Health Organization announced contingency plans for an incursion. Israel has repeatedly warned […]
UN raises over $US600 million to boost aid to Ethiopia
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The United Nations on Tuesday received financial pledges for about two-thirds of the $US1 billion it was seeking to raise to boost humanitarian aid to Ethiopia, which has been hit by conflict, drought and floods. A UN-hosted pledging event, organised along with the governments of Ethiopia and the United Kingdom and held […]
UN says war-torn Sudan must not be forgotten, calls for aid funding
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The United Nations on Wednesday urged countries not to forget the civilians caught up in the war in Sudan, appealing for $US4.1 billion to meet their humanitarian needs and support those who have fled to neighbouring countries. A ten-month war in Sudan between its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces […]
UN raises concerns over Syria aid route from Turkey, cites “unacceptable issues”
United Nations Reuters The United Nations raised concerns on Friday with a letter from Syria that allows it to resume using a shuttered border crossing to deliver aid to northwest Syria from Turkey after UN Security Council approval of that route expired on Monday. In a note to the Security Council, seen by Reuters, the […]
Aid agencies in Sudan grapple with looting, bureaucracy to deliver relief
Cairo, Egypt Reuters Aid workers in Sudan say fierce fighting, rampant looting and reams of red tape are hampering efforts to deliver vital humanitarian supplies to the millions of people who now rely on a relief effort since a conflict erupted in mid-April. The United Nations estimates 25 million people, or more than half the […]
Almost 250,000 flee floods in Somali city that “became like an ocean”
Mogadishu, SomaliaReuters Floods have caused almost a quarter of a million people to flee their homes after the Shabelle River in central Somalia broke its banks and submerged the town of Beledweyne, even as the country faces its most severe drought in four decades, according to the government. Aid agencies and scientists have warned climate […]
UN seeks $US3 billion for Sudan as fighting rages in Khartoum
Khartoum, Sudan/Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The United Nations said on Wednesday more than half Sudan’s population now needed aid and protection, as civilians sought shelter from air strikes and sporadic clashes between rival military factions in the Khartoum area. Residents said power had been cut, food was in short supply, and drinking water scarce due to […]