Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees is gravely concerned by the rapidly increasing number of Sudanese refugees crossing into eastern Chad due to escalating violence in Sudan’s North Darfur region, with nearly 20,000 people — mostly women and children — arriving in the past two weeks alone.

In Afghanistan, the United Nations today released a record $16.6 million to help vulnerable communities mitigate the effects of drought in the north and north-east of that country. This new financing includes $6.6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund and $10 million from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund.

In the Central African Republic, the Special Representative there welcomed the decision by the leaders of the two armed groups, Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation (3R) and UPC — Unité pour la Paix en Centrafrique — to rejoin the Political Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation, signed in 2019.

In Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that gang activities continue to fuel violence, displace families and disrupt humanitarian operations. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 200,000 people were living in displacement sites across the country.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is deeply concerned by reports of clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in Opposition in Morobo and Yei Counties, Central Equatoria State, which have led to civilian displacement and casualties.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that there’s been an increase in the number of vulnerable individuals among those deported from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, particularly women — including pregnant and lactating women.

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.