UN News Today 21 October 2024 |

Israel still preventing aid missions to northern Gaza: UNRWA chief

Israeli authorities continue to deny humanitarian missions from reaching the north of Gaza with critical supplies including medicine and food for the besieged population, the head of UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA said on Monday on social media.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Philippe Lazzarini said that hospitals have been hit and left without power while injured people are left without care.

He pointed to reports which indicate that people attempting to flee are getting killed, and their bodies left on the street, while missions to rescue people from under the rubble are also being denied.

Mr. Lazzarini stressed that humanitarian agencies, including UNRWA, must get access to the north.

“Denying and weaponizing humanitarian assistance to achieve military purposes is a sign of how low the moral compass is,” he added.

He stressed that “assistance must reach everyone in need in Gaza: civilians, including children and the hostages”, before underlining that “a ceasefire is the beginning to putting an end to this endless nightmare.”

Guterres calls for swift probe into killing of opposition figures in Mozambique

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appealed for calm in Mozambique following the killing of two opposition figures amid a dispute over elections held earlier this month.

Elvino Dias, legal advisor to presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, the legal representative of the political party PODEMOS, were gunned down in the capital, Maputo, on Friday night.

PODEMOS rejected provisional results of the 9 October presidential elections which showed that the FRELIMO party, which has ruled Mozambique for nearly 50 years, was in the lead.

The Secretary-General urged the authorities to swiftly investigate the killings and bring the perpetrators to justice.

He called on all Mozambicans, including political leaders and their supporters, to remain calm, exercise restraint and reject all forms of violence ahead of the official announcement of the electoral results.

He also reaffirmed the UN’s unwavering support to peace and stability in Mozambique during this important phase in the country’s history.

WHO supports South Sudan in the face of severe flooding

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with authorities and partners in South Sudan as the country faces some of the worst flooding in decades, affecting 42 out of 78 counties and impacting some 890,000 people.

Although heavy downpours during the rainy season between April and November often trigger floods, they have become increasingly severe due to climate change, WHO said.

So far, more than 226,000 people have been displaced, and roads and key infrastructure have been submerged. This includes 58 health facilities, while nearly 90 others are inaccessible.

The floods have exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan, which is hosting almost 800,000 refugees and returnees fleeing the war in neighbouring Sudan.

Most refugees and returnees pass through Renk county in Upper Nile state, where two suspected cholera cases have been detected. Meanwhile, malaria is on the rise, with more than 120,000 suspected cases and 31 suspected deaths as of late September.

WHO has distributed about 88 metric tonnes of emergency health kits to Renk and other key locations to assist flood-affected communities. The kits can treat over 870,000 people and they include critical medical supplies such as cholera treatment and antimalarial drugs.

Dianne Penn, UN News.

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