Today's top news: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Türkiye, Syria

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Humanitarian partners report that a string of attacks on civilians in North Kivu have displaced more than 100,000 people and claimed dozens of lives in the last week. More than 50,000 people displaced from Rutshuru found safety in Kibirizi, while some 55,000 people from Masisi fled to neighboring villages including in Goma, in North Kivu, and towards Minova in South Kivu.

Three schools in the Karuba area in Masisi were destroyed by shelling, leaving more than 1,000 children without access to education. In total, since March 2022, the education of more than 600,000 children has been impacted by the ongoing violence in North Kivu.

OCHA and its partners are providing health support, education, food, water and sanitation among other much-needed services to thousands of people in Beni and surrounding areas, including working on scaling up our response.

Over the past year, renewed violence in the region has caused the displacement of more than 800, 000 people, bringing the total number of internally displaced people in the country to more than 6 million people.
 

Tropical Cyclone Freddy

Humanitarian partners continue to track the devastating effects of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, after the storm’s second landfall.

In Malawi, according to the authorities, at least 225 people have been killed and 700 others injured. The cyclone has displaced 88,000 people and affected 186,000 in total.

The UN and its humanitarian partners are ramping up the response in support of the Government-led relief effort. Authorities say there’s a risk of further flooding, and many people are still stranded.

The Government’s immediate priority is search and rescue. OCHA is coordinating with authorities to mobilize additional teams, but difficult weather conditions have hampered rescue efforts. In the past two days, at least 178 people have been rescued, including with the support of boats from the World Food Programme.

Despite inclement weather, OCHA is moving vital supplies to the second largest city of Blantyre and toward the hardest-hit districts. These supplies include food, shelter, bedding, kitchen sets, mobile latrines, medical supplies, and dignity and hygiene kits. We are looking to expand operations as soon as the rains clear.

Humanitarian workers are supporting Malawi’s Emergency Operations Centre on coordination and assessments, and UNOSAT experts are examining the storm’s impact.

In Mozambique, according to the authorities, the cyclone’s second landfall has affected nearly 94,000 people in five provinces – that’s in addition to more than 239,000 people affected by flooding in southern and central Mozambique when the storm first struck the country.

The impact of heavy rains and flooding is concerning, particularly as cholera spreads to more areas of the country. The number of cases is rising. As of yesterday, 54 deaths and nearly 8,700 cases had been reported.

In Zambezia province, more than 9,000 homes have been partially or completely destroyed. Large swathes of land are under water, and roads are not passable – making it difficult for aid workers to carry out assessments.

Still, humanitarian partners there have dispatched enough medical kits for 150,000 people for three months, as well as rapid cholera tests, and tents and fuel to support the General Hospital in Quelimane. In Inhambane province, they have distributed hygiene kits, as well as enough food for 245 people.

While the full humanitarian impact of the crisis will only be known in the coming days, it is clear that investments in Government-led early warning and early action initiatives have resulted in fewer fatalities. However, the immediate humanitarian impact and longer-term economic implications for Mozambique are enormous.

Türkiye/Syria

In Türkiye, heavy storms and flooding have hit areas already devastated by last month’s earthquakes.

In impacted areas, people living in displacement camps due to the earthquakes are still being evacuated, after their tents were inundated by the floodwaters. They have been relocated to schools, mosques, sports centres and other sites. OCHA and its partners continue to respond to the needs of the people who have been affected by the floods as part of the response to help everyone whose been impacted by the earthquakes and in support of the Government-led response.

Today 46 trucks crossed into northwest Syria from southern Türkiye – 12 through Bab al Salam, 12 thorugh Al Raee and 22 through Bab al Hawa. Since the earthquakes, a total of 833 trucks filled with aid supplies have gone into northwest Syria via the three crossing points. We are also continuing our operations in government-held areas.