Sudan

The World Food Programme (WFP) today called for support for Haiti as it issued a new report that shows that 5.8 million Haitians — 52 per cent of the population — continue to face acute food insecurity. WFP needs $332 million to maintain its crucial operations over the next 12 months.

In Djugu territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Organization Stabilization Mission reports that its rescue operation secured the release of four civilians held hostage by the Convention pour la Révolution Populaire (CRP) armed group since 27 January. They have been reunited with their families.

Today marks three years since the war began in Sudan, a tragic milestone in what has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Nearly 34 million people inside Sudan need humanitarian assistance; more than 4.5 million have been forced to flee across borders.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan, in Berlin today:

The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is monitoring the situation in the Pyla plateau, where peacekeepers have stepped up patrols and are maintaining a visible presence on the ground, following the observation of unauthorized entry by Turkish Cypriot security personnel into the United Nations buffer zone.

In Afghanistan, the UN and aid partners have delivered assistance to over 8,000 people so far, including food, cash, health services, emergency shelter and other critical support, after a 5.9-magnitude deadly earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region Sunday, deepening the country’s humanitarian crisis.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $48 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to maintain aid operations of the UN Humanitarian Air Service, run by the World Food Programme, in Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Syria.

In Abyei, leaders from the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities have signed a Declaration of Intent with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to curb the spread of weapons in the disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan. UNISFA stresses that dialogue remains the only viable path to end disputes.

In Lebanon, over 1.1 million people are now registered as displaced. In the past month, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has supplied over 280,000 litres of fuel to some 45 pumping stations and wastewater stations nationwide, and the UN and its aid partners have distributed over 3 million meals and over 65,000 food parcels.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report today that maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has come to a near halt, with a 95 per cent drop in daily ship transits over the past month, according to UNCTAD report released today. UNCTAD forecasts a drop in world GDP to about 2.6 per cent by the end of the year.