World News in Brief: Famine in Sudan, 400,000 now in Syria from Lebanon, women in the military, olive farmers in Palestine

“Never in modern history have so many people faced starvation and famine as in Sudan today,” the UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts said.

Zamzam camp in North Darfur, home to half a million IDPs, faces some of the direst conditions. Other IDP camps in El Fasher are also at risk of famine.

“In order for the starvation and famine in Sudan to end, is for RSF and SAF to stop immediately obstructing aid delivery in Sudan through bureaucratic – administrative barriers, attacks against local respondents and for foreign governments to halt financial and military support,” the experts stressed.

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“It is critical for humanitarian organisations to utilise all available channels for humanitarian deliveries, including lesser-used routes, to ensure aid reaches the most vulnerable populations”.

The experts – who receive no salary from the UN and do not represent any government or organisation – said that along with their foreign supporters, the rival militaries who’ve been fighting a civil war for the past 18 months are “responsible for what is an apparent deliberate use of starvation, constituting crimes against humanity and war crimes under international law.”

More than 400,000 have fled into Syria from Lebanon

More than 260,000 Lebanese and refugees are being assisted with some type of cash assistance in Lebanon the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Thursday.

Access to safe shelter continues to be a pressing need for those displaced inside the country by fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants.

So far, around 405,000 people – both Lebanese and Syrian – are estimated to have crossed from Lebanon to Syria, according to UNHCR. Approximately 60 per cent of total new arrivals are under the age of 18.

The majority of those fleeing into Syria are struggling to meet their basic needs, said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, briefing reporters on Thursday in New York.

“People are arriving exhausted, scared, in desperate need of help, arriving in a country that has been suffering from its own crisis and violence for more than 13 years”, he added. “UNHCR and partner organizations continue to have a presence at the Syrian crossing points and provide assistance to new arrivals.

The UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, has distributed 2,520 dignity kits through its partner, the Syrian Arab Red Cross, to women and girls at four newly established Border Health-Protection Support Points.

Women’s participation in defence sector growing – but gender gap remains

The UN has released its first-ever report on women in the traditionally male-dominated defence sector, based on analysis provided by 55 Member States.

While their participation is increasing, with the number of women in armed forces rising by 27 per cent between 2016 and 2022, the gender gap is still significant.

On average, women make up 12 per cent of personnel in the army, 15 per cent in the air force, 14 per cent in the navy, and 16 per cent in the gendarmerie.

Male bastion

Women’s representation is particularly low in leadership roles. More than 97 per cent of generals and admirals are men, while women account for less than one in 10 senior officers and only around one in six junior officers.

Furthermore, few women fill combat roles. Women working in the armed forces are often concentrated in logistics, administration, combat support, and medical positions, and they are also strongly represented in legal, personnel and public affairs roles.

Where women are permitted to join combat units, their participation averages around 10 per cent.

Palestinian olive farmers face ‘most dangerous season ever’: UN experts

Palestinian farmers in Israeli-occupied West Bank are facing the “most dangerous olive season ever,” according to UN independent rights experts.

The olive harvest, central to Palestinian life and culture, is under severe threat from escalating violence and restrictions.

“The Palestinian people’s relationship to olive trees, dates back hundreds of years, is also about their relationship with their ancestors and to their future,” experts said.

They stressed that by “restricting olive harvests, destroying orchards and banning access to water sources is an attempt by Israel to expand its illegal settlements.”

“In 2023, the harvest was marred by a sharp increase in movement restrictions and violence by Israeli forces and settlers” the independent experts reported.

They noted that last year saw “the highest level of Israeli settler violence” in the occupied West Bank, including “physical assaults, setting fire and damaging property, stealing sheep and blocking them from accessing their land, water and grazing areas”.

As a result, it has caused a “record number of Palestinians to be displaced,” the group of experts said.

The restrictions have also led to significant economic losses. In 2023, over 96,000 dunums of olive-cultivated land remained unharvested due to Israeli-imposed restrictions, resulting in a loss of 1,200 metric tons of olive oil, valued at $10 million.