UN raises over $US600 million to boost aid to Ethiopia
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The United Nations on Tuesday received financial pledges for about two-thirds of the $US1 billion it was seeking to raise to boost humanitarian aid to Ethiopia, which has been hit by conflict, drought and floods. A UN-hosted pledging event, organised along with the governments of Ethiopia and the United Kingdom and held […]
UN says war-torn Sudan must not be forgotten, calls for aid funding
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The United Nations on Wednesday urged countries not to forget the civilians caught up in the war in Sudan, appealing for $US4.1 billion to meet their humanitarian needs and support those who have fled to neighbouring countries. A ten-month war in Sudan between its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces […]
UN raises concerns over Syria aid route from Turkey, cites “unacceptable issues”
United NationsReuters The United Nations raised concerns on Friday with a letter from Syria that allows it to resume using a shuttered border crossing to deliver aid to northwest Syria from Turkey after UN Security Council approval of that route expired on Monday. In a note to the Security Council, seen by Reuters, the UN […]
Aid agencies in Sudan grapple with looting, bureaucracy to deliver relief
Cairo, EgyptReuters Aid workers in Sudan say fierce fighting, rampant looting and reams of red tape are hampering efforts to deliver vital humanitarian supplies to the millions of people who now rely on a relief effort since a conflict erupted in mid-April. The United Nations estimates 25 million people, or more than half the population, […]
Almost 250,000 flee floods in Somali city that “became like an ocean”
Mogadishu, SomaliaReuters Floods have caused almost a quarter of a million people to flee their homes after the Shabelle River in central Somalia broke its banks and submerged the town of Beledweyne, even as the country faces its most severe drought in four decades, according to the government. Aid agencies and scientists have warned climate […]
UN seeks $US3 billion for Sudan as fighting rages in Khartoum
Khartoum, Sudan/Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The United Nations said on Wednesday more than half Sudan’s population now needed aid and protection, as civilians sought shelter from air strikes and sporadic clashes between rival military factions in the Khartoum area. Residents said power had been cut, food was in short supply, and drinking water scarce due to the […]
West Africa faces acute food shortages with thousands near famine, say UN agencies
Dakar, Senegal Reuters Forty-eight million people in West and Central Africa face acute food insecurity in the coming months, a 10-year high spurred by insecurity, climate shocks, COVID-19 and high prices, United Nations humanitarian agencies warned on Tuesday. West and Central Africa has faced increasing risks caused by higher temperatures and erratic rainfall. War in […]
Hungry and malnourished, north-east Nigeria endures humanitarian crisis
Damaturu, Nigeria Reuters Lying on a small bed next to her mother, 14-month-old Aisha Usman stares blankly, her eyes sunk in their sockets and rib cage visible. She is the latest arrival at a treatment centre for severely malnourished children in Nigeria’s northeast, where a long running Islamist insurgency has uprooted millions, forcing farmers to […]
Pakistan appeals for international assistance after floods
Karachi, Pakistan Reuters Pakistan has urged the international community to help with relief efforts as it struggles to cope with the aftermath of torrential rains that triggered massive floods last month, killing more than 800 people, officials said. Funding and reconstruction efforts will be a challenge for cash-strapped Pakistan, which is having to cut spending […]
An uncertain future: Uprooted again, Nigerians who fled Boko Haram face new dangers
PHILIP OBAJI, JR, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on aid workers’ claims that as camps for the displaced close in Borno state, thousands of people are now at risk of extreme poverty and labour exploitation…