Amid escalating violence in Syria, aid teams work to reach civilians in danger
In Syria, humanitarians reiterated deep concerns on Monday that hundreds of people have been killed in the former regional stronghold of former President Bashar Al Assad.
The UN’s emergency relief chief, Tom Fletcher, said that the Organization’s aid teams are working hard to reach civilians in danger on Syria’s west coast, after fighting near the cities of Baniyas, Jabla and Latakia.
Media reports over the weekend indicated that security forces allied with Syria’s caretaker authority allegedly killed hundreds of people from the Alawite religious minority who were loyal to the former President, during heavy fighting with armed Assad supporters.
In an online message, the UN’s Mr. Fletcher said that the clashes had left even more Syrians displaced, without access to basic aid and fearing further attacks.
According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, 16.5 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance today.
Gazans face substantial drop in drinking water access from Israel power cut
To Gaza, where UN aid teams warned that the decision by Israel to cut power to the enclave will “substantially reduce” drinking water availability in the Strip.
The development follows Israel’s move last weekend to block aid deliveries into the enclave, following the end of the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas.
The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said that only one in 10 people have direct access to safe water in Gaza.
The Israeli decision affects crucial water desalination operations in the south of the enclave that resumed when power was reactivated:
Here’s UNICEF’s Rosalia Bollen in Gaza now:
“Since November 2024, when that line had been switched on, 600,000 people were benefiting from the production of drinking water. It’s important to remember that there hasn’t been any electricity in in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, except for the water that that was produced since November 2024, when that one feeder line was switched on. So, it’s really vital for thousands of families and children to restore this connection.”
UNICEF says that 1.8 million people require some form of help getting water, sanitation and hygiene assistance; children make up more than half that number.
DR Congo crisis: mpox centre in Goma looted amid ongoing violence
Staying with UNICEF, which has condemned the ransacking of an mpox treatment centre in Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, amid ongoing violence linked to Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
Pictures from the mpox isolation centre showed emptied wards and even doors missing from the critical facility.
Some patients have returned for treatment but others have disappeared, raising the risk of disease transmission.
UNICEF’s John James said that about 30 different health centres around Goma have been looted amid destruction during fighting, along with humanitarian warehouses, while aid workers have also been killed.
The UN Children’s Fund supports another mpox treatment centre on the west side of Goma, but Mr. James said that with so many people fleeing, it’s hard to trace those who are receiving treatment.
Goma’s main airport also remains closed, which has increased the difficulty of delivering essential humanitarian aid, the UNICEF official said.
Daniel Johnson, UN News
Music composed and produced by Joachim Harris. All rights reserved.
Source of original article: United Nations (news.un.org). Photo credit: UN. The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views or opinion of Global Diaspora News (www.globaldiasporanews.com).
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