News in Brief 20 February 2024 |

This is the News in Brief from the United Nations

WFP halts food aid delivery to northern Gaza

Insecurity has forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to pause lifesaving aid delivery to northern Gaza amid the ongoing war, the UN agency announced on Tuesday.

WFP said the decision was not taken lightly as it means the situation there will deteriorate further and more people will be at risk dying of hunger.

Food aid deliveries to northern Gaza resumed on Sunday following a three-week suspension after a truck belonging to the UN agency that assists Palestinians, UNRWA, was hit in a strike, and due to the absence of a functioning humanitarian notification system.

WFP said the plan was to send 10 trucks to the north for seven consecutive days. However, a convoy that set off on Sunday was surrounded by crowds of hungry people at the Wadi Gaza checkpoint. People tried to climb on board the trucks, which then faced gunfire as they entered Gaza City.

A second convoy on Monday “faced complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order”, WFP said. Several trucks were looted, and a driver was beaten.

WFP said it will look for ways to resume deliveries to northern Gaza as soon as possible, stressing that a large-scale expansion of aid flows to the region is urgently needed.

Ukraine: Ongoing war prolongs uncertainty among displaced people

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine enters a third year this week, prolonging uncertainty and exile for millions who have been displaced, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned on Tuesday.

Almost 6.5 million Ukrainians are now refugees globally, while some 3.7 million remain forcibly displaced inside the country.

UNHCR recently surveyed some 9,900 of these people.

Preliminary findings revealed that the majority still expressed a desire to return home one day. However, the proportion has declined, with more expressing uncertainty due to the ongoing war. 

Displaced people cited the prevailing insecurity in Ukraine as the main factor inhibiting their return, while other concerns included a lack of economic opportunities and housing.

UNHCR is seeking $993 million to support people both inside Ukraine and those living as refugees in host countries. The appeal is currently just 13 per cent funded.

Humanitarians and Government launch $2.6 billion appeal for DR Congo

Finally, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where humanitarians and the Government have launched a $2.6 billion appeal to provide life-saving assistance and protection to more than eight million people.

New outbreaks of violence, particularly in the volatile east of the country, are forcing affected populations to be repeatedly displaced.

There are currently some 6.7 million internally displaced people in the DRC – which is also facing serious flooding and a resurgence of measles and cholera epidemics, thus increasing the vulnerability of people affected by more than three decades of armed conflict.

Beyond the immediate crises, chronic needs and vulnerabilities persist in the DRC. 

Estimates indicate that nearly 25.4 million people will be food insecure this year, while 8.4 million will be affected by acute malnutrition. Additionally, more than a million children no longer go to school due to armed conflicts.

Dianne Penn, UN News.