Sudan

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that ongoing hostilities in Gaza, the destruction of roads and the prevalence of unexploded ordnance continue to pose significant risks for humanitarian workers. These challenges are also impeding the movement of aid supplies across the Gaza Strip.

One year after fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group brutally interrupted Sudan’s democratic political transition, the outlook for its people is bleak, as conflict continues to rage, and the risk of famine is imminent, a senior United Nations official today told the Security Council, urging scaled-up action by the parties to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian access.

In Cameroon, the United Nations and its partners today launched the Humanitarian Response Plan jointly with the Government, seeking $371 million to assist 2.3 million people. Last year, the appeal was less than one third funded.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and its Neighbours, in Paris today:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN peacekeepers there responded to an alert this morning about shots fired by CODECO combatants near the area of Tata Hill, in Ituri province. The peacekeepers established a presence in the area, including between a hospital, the local church and market, to deter further threats.

Conflict between warring parties in Sudan is driving a hunger crisis dangerously approaching famine for millions of people, senior United Nations officials warned the Security Council today, calling for an urgent cessation of hostilities before an entire generation is destroyed and the wider region is destabilized.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today issued new legal guidance to ensure that international refugee protection is provided for Haitians who need it. UNHCR’s new guidance aims to assist States with their assessment of asylum claims considering the stark realities facing Haitians today.

Violence against civilians and violations of the arms embargo continue to increase in Sudan, the senior United Nations official of that file warned the Security Council today — while Khartoum’s representative stressed that sanctions imposed in 2005 are no longer relevant and hamper its Armed Forces’ efforts to defeat the Rapid Support Forces and bring peace to the country.

In Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs reports that an attack earlier today hit residential areas of Odesa, a city with a population of some 1 million people, causing destruction and multiple civilian casualties.