In Rwanda, the UN has trained nearly 200 community health officers on infection and prevention and control, early detection and risk communication to help the Government prepare for a potential Ebola outbreak. Rwanda is at high risk due to its proximity to heavily impacted areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)reports encouraging signs of a gradual return to normal life in Am-Dafock, near the border with Sudan, after an attack by armed groups killed 29 people and displaced over 17,000. MINUSCA has increased patrols to help protect civilians; over 5,000 have returned home.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is deeply concerned by news of a boat carrying migrants adrift off the Canary Islands for almost a month before it was found. Spanish authorities recovered 44 survivors. More than 80 people are believed to have died or gone missing. Monitoring and rescue capacity along the West Africa Atlantic route remain limited.
A new World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report that shows that the El Niño phenomenon is firmly established and will intensify into a very strong event in the coming months. WMO noted that this will have big impacts on rainfall and temperature patterns, associated risks of floods, drought and extreme heat.
Attacks across Ukraine in recent days have caused significant civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including in Kyiv and Odesa. Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale cited a growing pattern of strikes on shopping malls, warehouses, railway and energy infrastructure, stressing that such attacks should never be normalized.
In Ukraine, nearly 60 civilians were killed and 240 injured in attacks over the weekend, according to authorities. Kyiv and its surrounding region, were the hardest hit, with drone strike on an ammunition depot triggering an explosion that killed 38 people, including residents of an elder care facility.
In Nepal, over 500 people have been confirmed dead due to mass flooding, hundreds remain missing and over 3,700 have so far been rescued. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said the UN and its aid partners are moving at speed, helping national authorities to deliver urgent, life-saving support.
In Djibouti, drier-than-normal, El Niño-driven conditions have left 256,000 people, a quarter of the population, acutely food insecure through December. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $2 million from the Central Emergency Response to support over 53,000 of the most vulnerable people.
In Nepal and China, the UN and humanitarian partners are supporting relief efforts following severe flooding that has killed people, left others missing and caused widespread destruction. Teams are deploying medical supplies, food, shelter and personnel and using satellite imagery to assess the disaster’s scale.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council on conflict and food security — “Food under Fire: the Security Council’s role in mitigating global and local food crises”, today in New York:
