Today's top news: Sudan, Occupied Palestinian Territory, South Sudan
Sudan
As we mentioned yesterday, the fighting is having a devastating impact on the health care sector in the country.
According to UN agencies, six newborn babies died at a hospital in the city of Eld’aeen in East Darfur in just one week alone recently due to problems including lack of oxygen amid electricity blackouts. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 30 newborns have died at the hospital since the start of the fighting. WHO is in touch with health care providers to see how it can support.
The humanitarian community in Sudan is mobilizing to reach as many people as it can while the ceasefire is in place and respected.
In a statement yesterday, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Abdou Dieng, urged the relevant authorities to take all steps possible to ensure a safe environment and ease bureaucratic impediments so that aid workers can quickly reach those in need.
Some 20 trucks carrying supplies from UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration are on their way to different parts of Sudan today.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has reached more than half a million people in nine states with food and nutrition support since restarting distributions three weeks ago. WFP is also planning distributions in Central Darfur and Northern State. Yesterday, trucks loaded with food aid arrived in Wadi Halfa, and today in Port Sudan, WFP started providing food to some 4,000 new arrivals.
Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Acting Humanitarian Coordinator there, Yvonne Helle, today warned of repeated demolitions, settlement expansion and settler violence following the dismantling of a Palestinian herding community in the West Bank.
On 22 May, the Palestinian herding community of Ein Samiya close to Ramallah in the West Bank, home to 178 people, including 78 children, began dismantling and leaving their homes citing settler violence as the main reason. Settlement expansion is also limiting the land available for livestock grazing.
Several communities have recently been displaced in similar circumstances.
We and our partners are assessing their needs and will continue to provide them with assistance.
South Sudan
The Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim there, Peter Van der Auweraert, condemned a new attack on humanitarian supplies in Jonglei State.
On 23 May, a large armed group on motorbikes attacked five trucks carrying 100 tons of food supplies from WFP just outside of the UN compound in Bor.
Nearly 7 tons were looted during the attack. Following this new incident, and for the third time this year, WFP had no choice but to pause operations out of Bor.
This will impact more than a million people in Jonglei and Pibor who rely on WFP assistance.
At least 9.4 million people, or 76 per cent of the population of South Sudan, needs humanitarian assistance in 2023.