Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, where armed attacks continue to affect parts of the north and east, some 30,000 people have been displaced every month since the start of 2019.  July alone saw a nearly 35 per cent surge in the number of health centres closed due to insecurity, depriving 625,000 people of access to basic care.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today said that the Myanmar has conveyed to Bangladesh’s Government the names of 3,450 Rohingya refugees who have been cleared for return to Myanmar’s Rakhine State.  UNHCR called Myanmar’s engagement a positive step in affirmation of the right to return of Rohingya refugees.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

A humanitarian emergency in Burkina Faso is worsening as recurrent armed attacks and insecurity continue to force people to flee their homes.  Nearly 220,000 people are now displaced - 50,000 more than in May - and rains are impeding access to basic services.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that the number of attacks on schools in eastern Ukraine increased four-fold during the first four months of 2019, versus the same period in 2018, with schools attacked 12 times between January and April.

The first day for redeploying Ansar Allah forces from Yemen’s three ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras-Issa went according to established plans on Saturday, Lieutenant General Michael Lollesgaard, Chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee, said yesterday.  Formal verification is expected on Tuesday.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The World Health Statistics 2019 — disaggregated by sex for the first time — found that women outlive men everywhere, particularly in wealthy countries.  The gap in life expectancy is narrowest where women lack access to health services.  WHO published the report to coincide with World Health Day on 7 April.

Helsinki, Finland, hosted the inaugural International Symposium on Youth Participation in Peace Processes today, with the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth in attendance.  It aims to boost young people ’s participation in efforts to build and sustain peace, even as their contributions remain undervalued.

An estimated 30,000 refugees have returned to the north-eastern Nigerian town of Rann from Cameroon since Wednesday and are in dire need of aid, according to humanitarian colleagues.  International and national humanitarian organizations have not returned to Rann since 17 January due to ongoing insecurity.