The United Nations is concerned about civilians in Aleppo as fighting continues in the entire city. According to local partners, more than 40,000 people have left besieged areas for Kudish-held Sheikh Magsoud, among other areas. The United Nations has called urgently for a pause in the fighting.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Acting Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa told the Security Council today that the Government had made progress engaging with armed groups through a formal framework, and that Lake Chad Basin countries had achieved substantial military and security successes against Boko Haram.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to halve food rations for some 434,000 refugees in Kenya’s Dadaab and Kakuma camps and in the new Kalobeyei settlement amid a severe funding shortage. Supplies are expected to last only until the end of February unless WFP receives more funding quickly.
In Geneva today, Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien launched the highest consolidated humanitarian appeal for $22.2 billion. With humanitarian crises greater than at any time since the United Nations was founded, the funding would support vital operations for nearly 93 million vulnerable people in 33 countries.
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in Aleppo City, where an estimated 31,500 people are displaced from areas in eastern Aleppo retaken by the Government of Syria. The UN and partners are scaling up their humanitarian response in Aleppo and responding to the needs of the newly displaced.
The United Nations Mission in Colombia today welcomed the ratification of the Peace Agreement between the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) by that country’s upper and lower houses of Parliament, opening the way for a comprehensive agreement and a new era of peace.
The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator briefed the Security Council, saying scores of people were killed in a single airstrike in Aleppo today, with some 20,000 people being displaced in recent days. He said thousands more were expected to flee if fighting further spread and intensified over the coming days.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien is extremely concerned about the fate of civilians in Aleppo city, where intense attacks in the past few days has forced over 20,000 people to flee, many into uncertain, precarious situations. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent and local partners have begun an immediate aid response.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reports that it has observed Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) forces firing upon opposition troops at the Nassir airstrip in Upper Nile, and directing rocket-propelled grenades towards opposition positions in Kedbek.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic reports that tensions remain high in Bria following clashes between the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique and the Union de la paix en Centrafrique. The Mission confirms that at least 16 civilians have been killed and 52 wounded.