SUDAN
Update on Sudan, earlier today the Secretary-General spoke with President William Ruto of Kenya to discuss the situation in Sudan. He also spoke to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki. During that discussion it was decided that the Secretary-General will attend a virtual meeting tomorrow on Sudan which is convened and bringing together the Chairperson of the African Union, the Secretary-General of the Arab League and also the Executive Secretary of IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and other relevant organizations.
Obviously, today he will continue to be fully engaged, making phone calls, trying to secure a 24-hour ceasefire, which will enable a much needed reprieve to all affected civilians in Khartoum.
Meanwhile on the ground his representative in Sudan, Volker Perthes, continues to engage with the parties, with key Sudanese leaders and Member States in trying to secure an immediate de-escalation of the fighting and obviously working in concert with the Secretary-General on the 24-hour ceasefire.
As you can well imagine the continued heavy fighting in Sudan is having devastating consequences for Sudanese civilians as well as our staff and other members of the international community, who are caught in the crossfire.
We reiterate to the parties to the conflict that they must respect international law. They are obliged to protect civilians and ensure the safety and security of all United Nations and associated personnel as well as their premises, our assets, and trapped civilians must be able to receive assistance, access essential supplies and evacuate to safer zones as needed.
SUDAN HUMANITARIAN
Nearly one third of the population was already in need of humanitarian aid at the start of the year.
Now, our humanitarian colleagues are warning that people in Sudan are running out of food, they are running out of fuel, and they are running out of other vital supplies. Many urgently need medical care.
We desperately need a humanitarian pause so that wounded and sick civilians can reach hospitals. People in Khartoum have been unable to safely leave their homes to buy food and other essential items for days.
The humanitarian response in Sudan remains severely hampered. Attacks against aid workers and looting of humanitarian facilities must stop now. Humanitarians must be able to safely carry out their work. Aid agencies must be able to safely move staff and replenish critical supplies.
Meanwhile, we are worried that Sudan’s health care system could completely collapse. Hospitals need additional staff, they need additional supplies, and they need additional blood supplies.
The World Health Organization says that 16 hospitals across the country have been forced to shut down because of the violence and the attacks on hospitals. Nine of them are in Khartoum. A further 16 hospitals, including in Darfur States, could close soon due to staff fatigue and lack of supplies.
It goes without saying that we condemn all attacks on health personnel, on facilities and ambulances – which is putting more lives at risk. These are flagrant violations of international law, and they must stop.
SECURITY COUNCIL
Back here the Security Council this morning heard from Huang Xia, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, and he said that despite some improvements in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the risk of renewed fighting remains real.
Local and foreign armed groups continue to feed instability, with disastrous social and humanitarian consequences for people there.
In this context, the Special Envoy said that the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Great Lakes region remains relevant, adding that a high-level summit of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Framework planned in early May in Burundi will be an important opportunity to continue the dialogue between the region’s Heads of State, and to accelerate the implementation of ongoing political processes.
MALI
Also going on today is yet another dark reminder of the risks that our peacekeeping colleagues in Mali face every day. Today the Mission reported a third attack in less than a week in the country’s central region.
This time, an explosion targeted an empty fuel tank belonging to a UN contractor. No injuries were reported.
Yesterday, an improvised explosive device (IED) was used to target a logistics convoy travelling from Sevare in the Mopti region to Bore in the Douentza region.
Two peacekeepers from Bangladesh this time were injured and are currently receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Mopti. They are both in stable condition. And we wish them of course a very prompt recovery.
Following the attack, an explosive ordnance disposal team conducted an investigation, allowing the convoy to resume movement towards Bore.
The stretches of road between Sevare and Douentza, as well as between Douentza and Timbuktu, are known to be high-risk areas with a high number of security incidents, particularly IEDs and attacks on villages but we’re doing our best to continue to operate in those areas.
UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine. Our humanitarian colleagues have reached nearly 2 million people with multi-purpose cash assistance in the first quarter of 2023. This is a continuation of crucial assistance that we, along with our partners, have provided in most regions of Ukraine, but mainly to those people who have been displaced and have lost their jobs and livelihoods because of the war. Last year, we reached 6 million people with cash.
This year, more than $200 million has been transferred to people of Ukraine to help them to meet their basic needs. This was made possible through the coordinated efforts of [more than] 20 partners, including UN agencies, national non-governmental organizations and international non-governmental organizations as well.
This work will continue, and the target is to provide multipurpose cash assistance to 4.4 million people in Ukraine, transferring close to $1 billion.
And overall, humanitarians are targeting more than 11 million people of the nearly 18 million who need humanitarian assistance in Ukraine.
To this end, we and our partners requested $3.9 billion for the response. So far, we received a total of $900 million so we count on the international community to sustain its support to the humanitarian response in the country, as the war continues to drive a grave humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly in the east and the south.
KOSOVO
Turning to Kosovo. In a tweet, Caroline Ziadeh, the Special Representative and Head of UNMIK – the United Nations Mission in Kosovo - today condemned the arson incident against the Saint Pantelija Orthodox Church in Prizren, which took place earlier this week.
She noted that attacks against religious and cultural sites undermine interethnic and interreligious relations.
Ms. Ziadeh stressed that perpetrators must be held to account, and freedom of religion upheld.
CÔTE D’IVOIRE
Quick update from Côte d’Ivoire where Philippe Poinsot, who leads our UN team on the ground is supporting, and his colleagues, are supporting authorities to address the impacts of rising conflicts between farmers and pastoralists in the north-western region. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are supporting national capacities to anticipate and prevent conflicts over crop damage, livestock theft, and water pollution, which are becoming increasingly violent. IOM is helping to track livestock movements and is establishing early warning systems in about 20 villages. Our FAO colleagues have started restoring cattle parks, water points, and a cross-border cattle market. They’re also investing half a million dollars on training for women and youth to boost their livelihoods, that will benefit about 10,000 people in one of the poorest parts of the country.
HYBRID BRIEFING
At 3 p.m., there will be a briefing sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Canada on the priorities of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Speakers will be Rose Anne Archibald, Assembly of First Nations National Chief and Aly Bear, Vice Chief of Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. James and then Dezhi.
