The United Nations has appointed Anita Kokui Gbeho, a Ghanaian, as Deputy Joint Special Representative for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). Her appointment was announced Tuesday by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki. Ms. Gbeho brings to the position a wealth of experience from her … Read more
International donors must step up to prevent a cholera epidemic in war-torn Yemen from producing full-blown famine among hundreds of thousands of people, a UN official said Tuesday. More than 313,000 suspected cases and 1,732 deaths are attributable to the outbreak since it erupted in April, said Jamie McGoldrick, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Yemen. … Read more
Iraqi security forces are clearing the final pockets of resistance by Islamic State militants in the city of Mosul. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi went to Mosul on Sunday to congratulate his troops on “liberating” the city, but he stopped short of declaring victory. The militants were said to hold an area about 180m (590ft) long … Read more
A cholera outbreak in Yemen has now surpassed 300,000 suspected cases, the Red Cross said Monday as the war-torn country reels from disease as well as the threat of famine. The International Committee of the Red Cross said the cholera epidemic “continues to spiral out of control” since it erupted in April. “Today, over 300,000 … Read more
Iraqi forces fought to eliminate the last pockets of Islamic State group resistance in Mosul on Monday after the premier visited the devastated city to congratulate troops on securing victory. With the jihadists surrounded in a sliver of territory in Mosul’s Old City, attention was turning to the huge task of rebuilding the city and … Read more
Aid groups have pulled resources from the fight against malnutrition to battle cholera in Yemen, raising the risk of famine as they struggle to find funds, a UN official said Thursday. More than two years of war between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and Shiite rebels who control the capital has pushed the Arab world’s poorest country … Read more
Iraqi forces on Thursday battled the last remaining Islamic State group fighters in Mosul’s Old City, where the UN said up to 20,000 civilians are trapped and in “extreme danger”. In neighbouring Syria, US-backed forces are facing fierce resistance from IS as they wage a parallel offensive to recapture the city of Raqa from the … Read more
Up to 20,000 civilians are trapped in the last Islamic State group-held areas in Mosul’s Old City, which Iraqi forces are battling to retake, a senior UN official said Thursday. More than eight months since the start of the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group, the jihadists have gone from fully controlling … Read more
“Heavy gunfire in Zemio. Impossible to go out. They have cut the phones and we can’t go out — it’s just too dangerous. So I am posting on Facebook.” The sense of fear and urgency is palpable as Jean-Alain Zembi, a priest in Zemio, a southeastern parish in the Central African Republic (CAR), sends a … Read more
The United Nations said Wednesday that Gazans were being held hostage to Palestinian political infighting, warning that longer blackouts triggered by president Mahmud Abbas threatened a “total collapse” of basic services. Gazans currently receive only three to four hours of mains electricity a day, delivered from the territory’s own power station and others in Israel … Read more
The United Nations said Wednesday that Gazans were being held hostage to Palestinian political infighting, warning that longer blackouts triggered by president Mahmud Abbas threatened a “total collapse” of basic services. Gazans currently receive only three to four hours of mains electricity a day, delivered from the territory’s own power station and others in Israel … Read more
Israeli and international NGOS joined the UN on Wednesday in warning of a “total collapse” in Gaza if Israel goes ahead with plans to further cut power supplies to the enclave. A joint statement of 16 groups, among them Israel’s B´Tselem, Peace Now and Rabbis for Human Rights along with Amnesty International, said they has … Read more
Israeli and international NGOS joined the UN on Wednesday in warning of a “total collapse” in Gaza if Israel goes ahead with plans to further cut power supplies to the enclave. A joint statement of 16 groups, among them Israel’s B´Tselem, Peace Now and Rabbis for Human Rights along with Amnesty International, said they has … Read more
A dire lack of aid funds in the strife-torn Central African Republic risks leaving a vacuum that armed groups will fill, dashing hopes of peace, the UN said Thursday. Aid workers have already been forced to scale down their activities and food rations have been cut in half, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in the … Read more
Two bombings killed at least 27 people and wounded more than 100 in Baghdad, officials said Tuesday, as Iraqi forces fight to retake the last Islamic State group-held areas of Mosul. In the deadliest of the two attacks, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at a popular ice cream shop around midnight (2100 GMT … Read more
Up to 200,000 civilians caught between fanatical jihadists and advancing Iraqi forces are in grave danger in the final stages of the battle for Mosul, a senior UN official said Monday. More than seven months into the massive operation to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State group, Iraqi forces have retaken the city’s east and … Read more
The exodus of civilians from the battleground city of Mosul has reached an unprecedented level, leaving aid agencies struggling to cope, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq said on Thursday. “The numbers of people fleeing their homes in western Mosul are overwhelming,” Lise Grande said in a statement. “We are talking about very large numbers … Read more
Rebel authorities in Yemen’s capital have sounded the alarm over a spreading cholera outbreak that has killed dozens in the war-torn country, calling for urgent international assistance. Yemen is witnessing a devastating war between the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels and the Saudi-supported government, and less than half of the country’s health facilities are functioning two years … Read more
In the battle against jihadists in northern Iraq, the village of Sayramun was recaptured in February but remains as isolated as ever and crucially still has no drinking water. “There’s no water in the area,” Said Ahmed Fathi, a resident of the village nestled in a picturesque meander of the Tigris River but marooned in … Read more
The United Nations called Thursday on the Saudi-led coalition intervening in Yemen not to bomb the rebel-held port of Hodeida, a key entry point for aid to the war-torn country. Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said Hodeida on the Red Sea, which is under the control of Iran-backed Huthi rebels, is a … Read more