HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 3 MAY 2024
SUDAN
In Sudan, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, has stressed that the killing of aid workers is unconscionable, following reports that two drivers from the International Committee of the Red Cross were killed by gunmen yesterday in South Darfur. ICRC said that three other staff were injured.
For the first time since the conflict began a year ago, a UN Refugee Agency team reached Omdurman in Khartoum on a two-day mission. The agency witnessed massive destruction in the city and met displaced families who told them of their struggles to get enough food as prices soared. They also lack adequate shelter, enough medicines, and education for their children.
Our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warn that each day the conflict in Sudan continues, humanitarian needs increase.
SUDAN/POLITICAL
In response to questions about the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, the Deputy Spokesman said he is continuing his engagement with the parties in Sudan, urging them to de-escalate tensions.
Mr. Lamamra called on the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese authorities to refrain from fighting in El Fasher and stressed that an attack on the city would likely have devastating consequences for the civilian population.
Since his participation in the Paris conference in April, Mr. Lamamra has travelled to Chad, Ethiopia and Eritrea for discussions with the African Union and regional leaders on the way forward.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
Today, is the last day of the biannual session of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), which is taking place in Santiago, Chile.
Yesterday, in a bilateral meeting, the Secretary-General and the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, exchanged views on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and on the situation in Haiti.
In the meeting, the Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for the strong commitment of Chile to multilateralism and to the UN. He underlined the excellent results of the Chilean presidency of the UN Economic and Social Council, as well as the leading role of Chile in climate action and protection of biodiversity and the oceans.
Following the meeting, in a joint press encounter, the Secretary-General said that the CEB had discussed the Summit of the Future, to be held in September. The Summit, he added, represents an opportunity for the world to reshape multilateralism in order to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.
On the conflict in Gaza, the Secretary-General reiterated that a military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.
His remarks were shared with you.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report that on Wednesday, a convoy carrying humanitarian supplies from Jordan entered Gaza via back-to-back transfer at Erez crossing, following inspection by Israeli authorities only at Allenby Bridge. It included food parcels, sugar, rice, supplementary food, and milk powder.
Going through the West Bank, Israeli civilians offloaded and vandalized a limited amount of goods from the convoy.
Once inside Gaza, local trucks carrying the assistance were rerouted by armed men toward UN premises undesignated for offloading the aid.
The UN has clarified the misunderstanding with local authorities who reiterated their commitment to respect humanitarian assistance. As of yesterday, all trucks have reached the two designated UN premises in northern Gaza and distribution is ongoing.
And turning to the situation in Rafah, our colleagues from UNICEF warn that a ground operation there would bring “catastrophe on top of catastrophe” for some 600,000 children. The agency’s Executive Director, Catherine Russell, said that nearly all of the children living in Rafah are “either injured, sick, malnourished, traumatized or living with disabilities.”
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that of the 12 hospitals in Gaza that are still partially functioning, three are in Rafah.
WHO says that those facilities will quickly become nonfunctional if there is a military incursion into Rafah and that a full-scale military operation in Rafah could lead to a bloodbath.
Meanwhile, our OCHA colleagues say that there has been incremental progress in access to water and sanitation in Gaza. OCHA reports that renewed water pumping has benefited four neighbourhoods in Gaza City, according to municipal authorities. This comes after the Palestinian Water Authority announced the resumption of water pumping through the Al Muntar water line earlier this week, after 200 days of complete shutdown and extensive repairs. It is the third Israeli water line to restart operations since October – and can potentially serve some 300,000 people in Gaza city.
However, as of this Tuesday, 30 April, water production across Gaza was still just 20 per cent of the total prior to the recent hostilities.
UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that, yesterday, an airstrike in the Kharkiv region on a training facility where children attended sports classes caused civilian casualties, mostly of children. That’s according to local authorities.
The number of child casualties in Ukraine continues to increase amid ongoing attacks. According to UNICEF, 25 children were killed in the first quarter of 2024. This represents a 40 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, in the front-line Donetsk region, local authorities report several civilian casualties and damage to multi-storey residential buildings following attacks in several towns today.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, yesterday visited the Kharkiv region, which has been heavily affected by recent attacks. She met with local authorities to discuss the humanitarian response, support for evacuees, and demining.
In the first quarter of 2024, more than 190 humanitarian partners reached nearly 580,000 people in the Kharkiv Region with humanitarian assistance.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Our colleagues from the peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -MONUSCO- are telling us that sites hosting displaced people in Lac Vert and Mugunga, near Goma, were victims of shelling by members of the M23 armed groups, causing casualties among the displaced.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that, according to medical and security sources, 12 civilians were killed and another 31 injured.
As we have mentioned over the weeks, the situation around Goma is very tense. In February and March, humanitarian sources report at least 10 incidents involving explosions, resulting in 14 fatalities and 28 injuries. In April, another explosion near a site for displaced people resulted in five deaths.
Despite the volatile situation and insecurity, we and our partners continue to provide assistance.
The escalating violence in North Kivu, in the east of the country has triggered a massive displacement of people to Goma, which now hosts over 500,000 displaced people.
The Head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita – condemned the violence against civilians in North Kivu and we urge all parties to the conflict to adhere to international humanitarian law and to protect civilians.
As a reminder, the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan seeking $2.6 billion is nearly 17 per cent funded at $430 million.
HAITI
On Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that recent gang attacks in Port-au-Prince have driven more people from their homes.
On 1 May, a coordinated attack by several gangs occurred in Solino, a neighbourhood in the south of the capital. According to local sources, several houses were burned, and some 10,000 people fled the area.
The International Organization for Migration has activated its emergency track tool to monitor the number of displaced. Food distributions to affected people are being organised. And humanitarian organizations continue to deliver lifesaving assistance to people affected by the violence.
Heavy rains have caused flooding in several areas of Port-au-Prince, raising concerns about the potential spread of cholera and other water-borne diseases.
According to our partners, thousands of homes as well as public infrastructure have been damaged. Livestock has also been impacted, further aggravating food security and impacting the livelihoods of families who are dependent on agriculture.
The most urgent needs include temporary shelters, hygiene kits, and the provision of clean drinking water.
UN STAFF
At least 11 United Nations personnel – seven military and four civilians – were killed in deliberate attacks in 2023, the United Nations Staff Union Standing Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service said today.
For the tenth year in a row, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali -MINUSMA- was the deadliest for peacekeepers, with five fatalities. There are more details in a press release from the UN Staff Union.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today is World Press Freedom Day.
In his message, the Secretary-General says that media workers are risking their lives trying to bring us news on everything from war to democracy. He calls on governments, the private sector and civil society to reaffirm their commitment to safeguarding press freedom.
And just to note that this year, Palestinian journalists covering Gaza have been named as laureates of the 2024 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, which honours an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.
Also, this year UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is spotlighting journalism and Press Freedom in the face of the environmental crisis. UNESCO reports that in the past 15 years, there have been some 750 attacks on journalists and news outlets reporting on environmental issues. And the frequency of such attacks is rising.
And this coming Sunday we will also mark World Portuguese Language Day.
But first, I salute all of you for your work in promoting press freedom.
GUESTS TODAY AND MONDAY
Leni Kinzli, the World Food Programme’s Spokesperson in Sudan, briefed reporters on the situation in El Fasher in North Darfur and about how the conflict and limited access have resulted in devastating levels of hunger there.
Then on Monday, the noon briefing guests will be Cristina Duarte, the Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, along with Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations. They will brief on the 2024 Africa Dialogue Series, which takes place from 6 to 30 May.
