Between the 1 and 11 January, only 5 of 24 planned aid deliveries of food, medicines, water, and other lifesaving supplies to the north of Wadi Gaza have proceeded. OCHA continues to call for rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access to northern Gaza. Requests for all planned humanitarian convoys should be immediately granted.
In southern Gaza, new evacuation orders were issued yesterday to residents of the Al Mawasi area and several blocks near Salah Ad Deen Road, covering an estimated 4.6 square km. The Israeli military stated that it is preparing to operate in the area and ordered those affected to move to Deir al Balah. More than 18,000 people and nine shelters, accommodating an unknown number of internally displaced people, are expected to be affected by this latest round of orders.
The Human Rights Office expressed concern that Israeli forces have placed civilian lives at serious risk by ordering residents from various parts of Middle Gaza to relocate to Deir Al Balah while continuing to conduct airstrikes on the city. Israel Defense Forces must take immediate measures to protect civilians in line with its obligations under international law, the Human Rights Office said.
On 10 January, the Electricity Generation Company’s generators were struck, north of An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, and all four of its generators caught on fire. This plant hosts four major generators that used to supply electricity throughout the Gaza Strip. Casualties and damage to the plant’s functions are unconfirmed, but there is concern for the plant’s ability to supply electricity in the future.
The Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Martin Griffiths, is appealing for major improvements to humanitarian access in the country.
In a post on X, Mr. Griffiths said far too few of the millions of people in Sudan who need humanitarian aid now are getting that assistance, calling the long list of reasons why “outrageous.”
Those impediments include layers of red tape for humanitarian supplies arriving in Port Sudan, such as customs clearances and inspections that can take several weeks.
Loaded trucks can’t move due to fierce fighting, including in the humanitarian hub of Wad Medani, which has been looted and paralyzed by violence.
Aid workers in Sudan have been detained and killed, and drivers have been beaten and extorted for money.
Mr. Griffiths stressed that humanitarian workers in Sudan need access, civilians need protection, and the fighting needs to stop.
Nearly half of the country’s provinces, including Kinshasa, have been affected by floods and landslides due to heavy rains over the past two weeks.
The Government estimates that hundreds of people have lost their lives, and more than 300,000 households have been affected. Efforts are underway to relocate affected people to safer areas.
Today, OCHA and humanitarian partners met with DRC’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Modeste Mutinga to discuss the response plan and field visit to affected areas in Kinshasa.
A national disaster response plan prepared by the Government is being finalized, in coordination with the UN and partners.
A joint field visit to flood-affected areas in Kinshasa is planned for tomorrow, 13 January.
Our humanitarian partners are supporting emergency relief activities in some areas, mainly South Kivu and Tanganyika, including on health, water, hygiene, and sanitation. But in many provinces, response efforts are hampered by scarce resources, a lack of assessment, and the limited presence of aid workers.
Significant pressing needs are for food, water, shelter, latrines, protection services, health care, and malaria prevention.
Meanwhile, humanitarian personnel continue to come under attack in eastern DRC. On 4 January, armed men attacked a truck carrying WFP food that broke down and stuck on the road and was attacked by armed group elements in Djugu territory, in the eastern province of Ituri. The truck was burned, and food that was being transported to Bunia was looted.
Yesterday, the Government of Syria extended its consent for the UN to deliver humanitarian assistance from Türkiye through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for an additional six months, until 13 July, 2024.
extension is essential because the UN cross-border operation remains a lifeline to people in north-west Syria. Every month, we and our partners reach an average of 2.5 million people with critical assistance and protection services.
‘Since February of 2023, nearly 5,000 trucks carrying UN aid have crossed from Türkiye to north-west Syria using the Bab Al-Hawa, Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ae border crossings. More than 300 cross-border missions by UN personnel have also been completed.
The multiple crises gripping the region are driving humanitarian needs and threatening to reverse development gains.
That’s according to a new statement issued today by the heads of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which brings together UN humanitarian agencies and NGOs.
This year, some 17 million people in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger will need humanitarian aid and protection. This is one-fifth of the population of these three countries.
Despite risks and limited resources, our humanitarian partners – working with local organizations – continue to deliver. In 2023, they helped some 6.3 million people across the Central Sahel.
But last year, humanitarian appeals for the three Central Sahel countries received just one third of the funds required – or about $781 million. In 2024, we’ll need $2.2 billion to help 10.4 million people across the region.
Next week in Geneva, OCHA and the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Refugees or UNHCR are launching this year’s humanitarian and refugee response plans.
USG Griffiths and High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi will co-host Monday’s event. Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Iryna Vereshuchuk will also participate.
Nearly two years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, 14.6 million people need humanitarian assistance in the country – about 40 per cent of the population. More than 6 million people have fled outside the country.
This year’s response plans will require a combined US $4.2 billion to support some 10.8 million people in Ukraine and the region.
Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Central Sahel … – OCHA
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