Democratic Republic of the Congo

In Somalia, flash floods have impacted nearly 30,000 people in different parts of the country. Authorities say at least four people have been killed in the past week. Humanitarian officials note that the rains come after months of dry conditions that decimated water sources and grazing land.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that escalating violence continue to harm civilians there. In North Kivu province, partners estimate that more than 2,300 people fled clashes between armed groups in the Kibua area of Walikale Territory on 15 April.

In Sudan, a World Food Programme team successfully arrived today in greater Khartoum, where they are coordinating with local authorities to scale up assistance. WFP aims to expand aid deliveries to nearly 1 million people over the coming month, amid high risk of famine in many areas.

Consensus has been reached on a draft pandemic agreement after more than three years of intensive negotiations. By that, Member States of the World Health Organization took a major step forward in efforts to make the world safer from pandemics.

As eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo remains gripped by violence, mass displacement and grave human rights violations, especially of women and children, the United Nations top official for the Great Lakes region urged the Security Council to support and encourage peace efforts — “messages of hope” — to end the decade-long conflict.

The horrific war in Sudan today entered its third year. Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator Clementine Nkweta-Salami called for protecting civilians and aid workers. Demand for life-saving support after sexual violence is up 288 per cent; the number of children needing aid has doubled since 2023 to over 15 million.

In Ecuador, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team reports at least 150,000 people have been impacted by the massive oil spill in Esmeraldas in March and need humanitarian assistance.

In Myanmar, two weeks after the country was hit by two earthquakes, pushing 2 million more people into critical need of support, the UN and partners have launched a $275 million appeal, which is an addendum to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan to reach 1.1 million people with urgent assistance.

UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Security Council this morning that there have been hundreds of reported Israeli air strikes across Syria since 8 December 2024. He said Syria’s opportunity to stabilize after 14 years of conflict must be supported and protected, for Syrians and for Israelis.

In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that hostilities across the Strip continue to exact a devastating toll on civilians, causing further death, further displacement and further destruction of critical infrastructure.