Humanitarian issues

In Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that more than 670,000 people have been displaced since November 2024, while over 1 million people have returned to their areas of origin. Meanwhile, the UN and its partners continue to deliver aid across the country despite reduced funding.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

In Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that air strikes on 6 May and today resulted in further civilian casualties across the country. The attacks, in the cities of Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv, killed 6 civilians and injured nearly 30 others, including 10 children, and damaged homes.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees is gravely concerned by the rapidly increasing number of Sudanese refugees crossing into eastern Chad due to escalating violence in Sudan’s North Darfur region, with nearly 20,000 people — mostly women and children — arriving in the past two weeks alone.

In South Sudan, Acting Humanitarian Coordinator Marie-Helene Verney deplored the deadly air strike Saturday on a hospital in Old Fangak in Jonglei State that led to the suspension of critical medical care for over 100,000 people and destruction of medical supplies. The UN is airlifting vital medical supplies to replenish stocks.

In Somalia, flash floods have impacted nearly 30,000 people in different parts of the country. Authorities say at least four people have been killed in the past week. Humanitarian officials note that the rains come after months of dry conditions that decimated water sources and grazing land.

In Sudan, a World Food Programme team successfully arrived today in greater Khartoum, where they are coordinating with local authorities to scale up assistance. WFP aims to expand aid deliveries to nearly 1 million people over the coming month, amid high risk of famine in many areas.

The horrific war in Sudan today entered its third year. Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator Clementine Nkweta-Salami called for protecting civilians and aid workers. Demand for life-saving support after sexual violence is up 288 per cent; the number of children needing aid has doubled since 2023 to over 15 million.

In Ecuador, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team reports at least 150,000 people have been impacted by the massive oil spill in Esmeraldas in March and need humanitarian assistance.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres: