UN News Today 27 August 2024 |

In Gaza, evacuation orders threaten to uproot UN’s aid hub once again

In Gaza humanitarian operations are “ongoing, where feasible”, amid repeated evacuation orders from the Israeli military, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Tuesday.

In an update, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke rejected any suggestion of stopping the lifesaving aid operation, despite the multiple challenges linked to the war and ongoing fighting, sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October:

“There’s been no decision made to halt, there never has been, we’ve been there for 10 months, so [it is] ongoing where feasible. I want to remind you that only 11 per cent of the territory of the Gaza Strip is not under evacuation orders…so we’re trying to work with that number and keep the operation going.”

Mr. Laerke noted that 16 evacuation orders have been issued for the month of August alone, creating upheaval for Gazans already uprooted multiple times.

The same orders have also encompassed the UN’s aid hub in the central city of Deir Al-Balah. It was previously based in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, close to Egypt, but had to move in response to the Israeli military operation that began there in early May.

According to OCHA, since last Friday, the Israeli military has issued three new evacuation orders for over 19 neighbourhoods in northern Gaza and in Deir Al- Balah. More than 8,000 people have been sheltering in these areas.

Sudan dam breach threatens communities as far as Port Sudan, say aid teams

In Sudan, UN humanitarians fear that the number of those killed by the collapse of a dam on Sunday could be much higher than the 30 already confirmed.

Early reports from the Sudanese authorities pointed to extensive damage to the Arba’at Dam, amid heavy rains at the site of the barrier.

Around 20 villages downstream of the dam were also impacted, including Khor-Baraka and Tukar, where residents reportedly fled for safety.

Making accurate humanitarian assessments has been complicated by damage caused by the floodwaters to communication networks, water and power supplies along with roads in the impacted areas, said UN aid coordination office, OCHA.

It noted that the dam in Red Sea state was a crucial facility for Port Sudan, some 40 kilometres to the south and that it was a primary source of fresh water for the city.

Afghanistan: Condemnation for Taliban’s new ‘virtue and vice’ order targeting women

To Afghanistan, where the Taliban’s new “virtue and vice” law promises to make everything ‘much, much worse’ for women, the UN human rights office has said.

The basic rights of women and girls have already been seriously compromised since the de facto authorities seized power in August 2021, with girls denied education beyond primary level and women banned from working for international organizations.

The latest restrictive edict contains “a list of repressive provisions…that violate (women’s) fundamental human rights, including their freedom of movement, their freedom of expression, and their right to live free from discrimination, said UN human rights office spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani:

“Now women’s voices are being completely silenced. I mean, when I was in Afghanistan, about two years ago, that this should come as no surprise. we were sitting around the table with several women representatives who were sharing with us the issues that their communities face and solutions; these women were full of solutions; they are in contact with people in the community at a very close level, they understand the issues that are facing the most vulnerable. They have solutions. They need to be given a seat at the table to help implement those solutions.”

Ms. Shamdasani noted that 23.7 million people require humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan this year including women heads of families whose voices “are no longer permissible” because of repressive legislation that should be repealed.

Daniel Johnson, UN News. 

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