Ethiopia

United Nations humanitarian personnel in Yemen report escalating clashes in recent weeks, with more than 10,000 people displaced in Marib Governorate in September.  They warned of devastating impacts on civilians and expressed particular concern over the situation in Al Abdiyah district, home to an estimated 35,000 people.

In Afghanistan, the World Health Organization reports that since 30 August, nine flights have arrived with health‑care supplies for 2.5 million people.  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is also scaling up emergency aid due to the conflict, supporting nearly 4,500 internally displaced people.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council meeting on the situation in Ethiopia, today:

Ethiopia is violating international law by expelling United Nations staff, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council today, as the country’s representative vehemently rebutted the claim, stressing that the ousted individuals compromised their impartiality and integrity to the detriment of the host State.

Matthew Hollingworth, Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in South Sudan condemned a letter, reportedly from a youth group in Pibor, demanding that at least 30 humanitarian workers leave the area within 72 hours.  More than 80 humanitarian workers were relocated and non-life-saving aid activities suspended for 48 hours.

In northern Syria, a reported 5 million people lack reliable access to and suffer from insufficient levels of safe water due to low water levels and disruptions to water systems.  The United Nations and aid partners have released a plan to target 3.4 million of those most affected by the water crisis in the next six months.

The Secretary-General spoke at the opening ceremony of the fifteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 15) in Barbados and repeated his call to donors and multilateral development banks to allocate at least 50 per cent of their climate support towards adaptation and resilience.

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

In Afghanistan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that its first aircraft carrying life‑saving medical supplies arrived yesterday in Kabul through the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Airbridge.  It will cover the needs of 100,000 children and women for the next three months.

The humanitarian crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia is spiralling out of control, with 5.3 million people requiring food aid and 400,000 in famine-like conditions, according to United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths.  In the past week, 79 trucks carrying aid arrived in Tigray, but 100 truckloads are needed daily.