Noon Briefings

In Sudan, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Clementine Nkweta-Salami, today condemned the relentless and intensifying shelling and air and drone strikes against civilians in Darfur, Kordofan and other conflict-affected areas as “a ruthless assault on human life”.

In Colombia, the Emergency Relief Coordinator released $3.8 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help more than 42,000 people in the north-east of the country. The new funding will support displaced people and host communities in the region of Catatumbo.

In Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that clashes this week between security forces and armed groups on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince resulted in a wave of people trying to flee. The International Organization for Migration says more than 1,600 people have now been displaced.

In Ukraine, local authorities and humanitarians on the ground report that an attack in the residential area of Sumy City overnight resulted in a number of fatalities. Humanitarian partners mobilized an emergency response, complementing the efforts of first responders and the authorities.

Nearly half the population in Myanmar lives below the poverty line and less than 48 per cent had access to electricity last year — the lowest access rate in Asia, according to a UN Development Programme report released today highlighting the severe challenges dramatically reshaping the country.

In Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that humanitarian needs across the country remain massive. The UN and its humanitarian partners will need $1.2 billion to reach 6.7 million of the most vulnerable people through March 2025.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated $17 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund for an urgent response to new displacement in North and South Kivu Provinces in the eastern part of the country.

In Nigeria, the United Nations and our humanitarian partners today launched the 2025 response plan in Abuja, calling for $910 million. This year’s plan aims to reach 3.6 million people in the north-east with health services, food, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition for children, protection, education and other vital support.

In Sudan, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports the first cross-border barge convoy from South Sudan to Sudan via the White Nile on 22 January, in Kosti. The four-barge convoy of WFP food assistance travelled from Renk in South Sudan, carrying 1,000 metric tons — enough to feed 80,000 people for one month.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the M23 armed group reportedly seized Minova in North Kivu province yesterday. Minova is a critical hub along the supply route to Goma. Since Saturday, the armed group has captured other localities in South Kivu, where UN peacekeepers are no longer present, resulting in casualties and the displacement of over 250,000 people.