Today's top news: Libya, Niger, Syria

Libya

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Georgette Gagnon, says psychosocial support is urgently needed for thousands of people affected by Storm Daniel. 

Ms. Gagnon met yesterday with families in Benghazi who fled the flooding. 

Meanwhile, teams in Derna say rescue efforts continue, but the window for locating survivors is rapidly closing. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 4,000 fatalities have been confirmed, and more than 8,000 people are still missing. Sadly, these figures are expected to rise. 

More than 43,000 people have been displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

Physical access remains constrained in affected areas, given the scale of damage to infrastructure. Teams on the ground are working nonstop to try and link the two parts of Derna and restore water and sanitation services. 

Despite those challenges, aid is getting into Derna and nearby areas. 

UNICEF has shipped 65 tons of medical and child protection supplies and water, sanitation and hygiene items. The agency has provided emergency medical kits to support 15,000 people for three months, hygiene kits for almost 1,000 people, and 500 clothing kits. Mobile psychosocial support teams are being set up with social welfare authorities and two NGO partners.

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency is distributing blankets, plastic tarpaulins and kitchen equipment to 6,200 displaced families in Derna and Benghazi. And the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided food rations to more than 9,000 people. 

WHO has shipped 28 tons of medical supplies and donated ambulances and medical kits. A WHO team also met with the health authorities in Derna yesterday and agreed to prioritize mental health support for survivors.

IOM has delivered non-food items to nearly 3,000 migrants and displaced people. The agency also provided medicines and supplies for 5,000 people in Derna and 4,000 families in Benghazi.

Niger

OCHA has warned about access constraints in Tillabéri region, in the west of the country, where thousands of displaced people need humanitarian assistance.

The area hosts over 150,000 displaced people who have fled violent attacks by non-State armed groups.

Some progress has been made after discussions with de facto authorities, but we are still experiencing some delays and difficulties, and this could further aggravate the situation of many vulnerable households.

Also on Niger, WFP said yesterday that thousands of children in the country are at risk of severe nutritional crisis as the border closures leave trucks stranded.

As a result of the ongoing political crisis and subsequent border closures, over 9,300 tons of WFP cargo (including specialized foods for the treatment and prevention of malnutrition) destined for Niger and Burkina Faso (through Niger) remain blocked between the port of Lomé in Togo and the border in Benin.

This situation has forced WFP to suspend supplementary feeding to 90,000 moderately malnourished children in Tahoua, Maradi and Zinder starting in early September.

Even before the current crisis, 3.3 million people in Niger – or 13 per cent of the population – already faced acute hunger. This is the second highest level since analysis began in 2012. An additional 7.3 million people - or nearly 30 per cent of the population – are estimated to be moderately food insecure and their situation could worsen.

WFP continues to provide life-saving food and nutrition assistance to communities across Niger, while sustaining critical resilience building and social cohesion activities. WFP has assisted over 1.3 million people since the beginning of August 2023. This includes emergency food assistance, malnutrition treatment and prevention for children under five and adaptive social protection support. Funding permitting, WFP plans to reach 3.6 million people in Niger through emergency assistance and community resilience building in 2023.
 

Syria

Earlier today, five trucks carrying humanitarian aid provided by IOM crossed through the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing from southern Türkiye. Another six trucks crossed the Bab Al-Salam border crossing with IOM supplies. 

Since the resumption of UN operations through Bab al-Hawa on Tuesday, 49 trucks carrying humanitarian assistance provided by UN agencies have arrived in Idleb through this crossing. 

Additional truck movements and missions by UN personnel are planned in the coming days.

The UN cross-border operation remains a lifeline to people in north-west Syria. Each month, we and our partners reach an average of 2.6 million people with critical assistance and protection services.

So far this year, more than 4,000 trucks with UN aid have crossed from Türkiye to north-west Syria using the Bab Al-Hawa, Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ae border crossings. As of today, 224 cross-border missions by UN personnel have also been completed.