Today's top news: Ukraine, Mozambique, DRC, Syria, Türkiye

Ukraine 

The escalation of hostilities in the Donetsk region continues to take a heavy toll on civilians, particularly in the areas of Avdiivka and Bakhmut.

The front-line town of Avdiivka has been under constant bombardment in recent days. Ukrainian authorities are calling on the 2,000 people who remain there to urgently leave to safer areas.

The situation has drastically worsened over the past months. Most of the 32,000 civilians who used to live there before February 2022 have already fled. Those who remain are face shelling that is reportedly destroying houses, hospitals and schools. The town has no adequate access to water, electricity and gas supplies, with health services having been decimated, markets disrupted and access for aid workers and even volunteers being extremely challenging.

In Bakhmut, fighting has also intensified over the past few days. The town had already been under constant bombardment since mid-February.

Most of the 3,000 civilians who remain in the town reportedly spend their time in basements, with almost no access to essential services. They have limited supplies of food or hygiene items, according to humanitarian organizations. There is no piped water or electricity, and schools, hospital and markets are not funding, leaving the people remaining in the town – including around 30 children – dependent on aid to survive.

Despite tremendous challenges, local authorities, volunteer groups, the UN and humanitarian partners are making every effort to support people in front-line communities across the Donetsk region.

This year, 11 humanitarian convoys have reached communities in areas controlled by Ukraine’s Government in the Donetsk region, providing assistance to more than 100,000 people, however reaching people in the areas under Russian control remains challenging.
 

Mozambique

The number of people affected by the second landfall of Tropical Cyclone Freddy has risen to more than 886,000, according to the latest Government figures. At least 165 deaths have been recorded across eight provinces – mostly in Zambezia.

More than 100,000 houses have been destroyed and 348,000 hectares of land affected.

In addition, more than 1,000 schools have also been damaged. UNICEF is supporting Government efforts to provide school kits and temporary learning spaces.

The spread of cholera and other waterborne diseases remains concerning – particularly in the city of Quelimane, where the water supply has been disrupted.

OCHA and humanitarian partners in Mozambique will be appealing for more funding to reach people in need.
 

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Humanitarian partners are warning about the rising level of violence against civilians in the eastern province of Ituri.

Over the weekend, more than 30 civilians were killed and at least 20 others were injured in attacks by armed groups in the Mahagi territory, according to local sources. More than 30,000 people fled to safer areas in the province, according to humanitarian sources.

This area has already been the scene of numerous attacks resulting from intercommunal tensions. In November and December of last year, 30 civilians were killed and more than 100,000 were displaced.

OCHA and its partners are providing life-saving aid, including food, medicines, and protection services in Ituri, where violence has increased the vulnerability of more than one million people.
More than 6 million people are currently displaced across the DRC, the vast majority of whom are in the eastern provinces where there has been a resurgence of violence since March of last year.  
 

Syria

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, is in Damascus today, where he met with President Bashar Al-Assad and Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad.

Mr. Griffiths emphasized the need for continued expanded humanitarian access and scaled-up aid operations to address the growing needs throughout Syria, where the impact of the 6 February earthquakes has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation.

Earlier today, Mr. Griffiths was in Jordan, where he met with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to discuss the current humanitarian and refugee situation in the region.

Tomorrow, Mr. Griffiths will continue his visit to Syria, where he will meet with national and international NGOs.

This is Mr. Griffiths’ second trip to the region following the February earthquakes. He visited Ankara, Gaziantep, Aleppo and Damascus last month.
 

Türkiye

In Türkiye, the UN and its partners are reaching 1.25 million people every day with hot meals, as we continue to support of the Government-led response to last month’s earthquakes. Nearly 623,000 people have received water, sanitation and hygiene support.

OCHA and its partners continue to provide emergency aid, including more than 46,000 tents and hundreds of thousands of tarpaulins, blankets, bedsheets, mattresses, cooking equipment and hygiene kits. Yet, the flash appeal for Türkiye is less than 19 percent funded.

The death toll from the earthquakes has risen to more than 50,000, according to Turkish authorities. More than 107,000 others were injured.

Meanwhile, the deadly flash floods that hit southern Türkiye could heighten the risk of disease outbreaks in temporary settlements.

According to the Turkish Government, the earthquakes caused more than $103 billion in damages.