Today's top news: Mozambqiue, Syria and Türkiye

March 25, 2023: Celia Lacedo, along with her three children: Calimo Jonito (2), Susana Jonito (3), Santos Jonito (5). Cyclone Freddy destroyed their house located in the Icidua neighborhood of the city of Quelimane. AFP/UNICEF/Zúniga

Mozambique

Our humanitarian colleagues are appealing for additional funding to help some 815,000 people affected by a triple crisis: cholera, floods and Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

An extra $138 million is urgently needed to complement the Government’s response in southern and central areas of the country. This is in addition to the existing 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Mozambique which calls for $513 million and is just over 12 percent funded.

The humanitarian team in Mozambique urges donors to step up their funding to provide food, shelter, health, hygiene, water and sanitation services, and other life-saving assistance.

The money, if received, will also help fight cholera, which has spread to eight of Mozambique’s 11 provinces. Nearly 20,000 cases have been reported.

Syria

Since last month, we and our partners have provided shelter support, including tents, to nearly 100,000 people.

Partners have also distributed more than 850,000 ready-to-eat food rations and over 1 million hot meals to people across affected areas.

In the northwest, 1,177 UN relief trucks have entered from Türkiye since the earthquake, and UN agencies have completed 45 cross-border mission to meet affected people, assess their needs and coordinate the response.

Still in the north-west, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that yesterday a windstorm killed two people, including a child and damaged at least 500 tents. The same areas had already been affected by flooding earlier in the month.

The $4.8 billion appeal for Syria this year is currently 5.6 percent funded. We urgently need additional resources to support over 15 million people across the country who were already in dire needs before the earthquakes.

Türkiye

We and our partners have provided shelter support to over 700,000 people and over 4 million people have received basic household items such as clothing and cooking and sleeping items.

Some 3 million people have received emergency food assistance.

The $1 billion Türkiye earthquake appeal has so far received $259.6 million and is 25.8 percent funded.