In response to the escalating fighting in North Darfur, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has treated over 100 war wounded patients – including 11 children, many with gunshot wounds – at South Hospital, El Fasher, over the past two weeks, but is simultaneously scaling-up its response to the major malnutrition crisis in Zamzam camp, where the situation is becoming even more critical. As it does so, MSF is calling on the warring parties to ensure the protection of civilians, health care structures and staff, so that vital assistance for the tens of thousands of people whose lives are at-risk can be effectively provided before it is too late.

Following the devastating results of a rapid nutrition and mortality assessment conducted by MSF in early January, a mass screening of more than 63,000 children under-five, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, was conducted in March and April and confirms that there is a catastrophic and life-threatening malnutrition crisis in Zamzam camp, North Darfur. Despite having called urgently for support in February when the results of the rapid assessment were published, nearly three months later, MSF remains almost the only international aid agency responding to this enormous crisis – and, as a result, one of the very few able to respond to mass casualty events in El Fasher.

Of the 46,000+ children who were screened, a staggering 30 per cent were found to be suffering from acute malnutrition – with eight per cent having severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Similar figures were found among the 16,000+ pregnant and breastfeeding women who were screened: 33 per cent were acutely malnourished, with 10 per cent having SAM. For both population groups these figures are double the emergency threshold of 15 per cent, indicating that there is a massive, life-threatening emergency in Zamzam camp.

“In Zamzam camp, there is an acute disaster on a catastrophic scale,” says Claire Nicolet, head of MSF’s emergency response in Sudan. “The situation is critical, the level of suffering is immense, but despite this being known about for nearly three months, nowhere near enough has been done to help those who are struggling to survive. With the fighting escalating, we are extremely worried that it will make it even more difficult for the much-needed international support we have been calling for to arrive. And, with the lean season approaching, we are also worried that there is going to be a rapid deterioration in this already drastic malnutrition crisis over the coming weeks. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people were already in jeopardy – and now, with the current fighting, even more are at-risk. There is an urgent need for the humanitarian response to be rapidly scaled-up so that this malnutrition crisis can be pulled back from the brink, and for this to happen, it is vital that the warring parties take action to enable safe humanitarian access and the protection of civilians.”

MSF has already scaled-up its response by opening a second health clinic, enrolling over 11,000 children in its nutrition programme, and opening a 35-bed field hospital to treat the most critical cases. Currently, all beds are fully occupied and among the patients are 19 children with severe acute malnutrition and three with suspected measles. MSF is planning to start a vaccination campaign against measles and to expand its activities to provide support for pregnant women. However, this is not enough to meet the needs. Additional health care is not being provided in the camp and it is vital that it is restored as a matter of urgency.

“There is no doubt that there are enormous challenges when it comes to providing humanitarian assistance in Sudan, but it is possible to do it,” says Nicolet. “Restrictions on humanitarian access – including deliberate obstructions on the delivery of aid by the warring parties – have significantly hampered the ability of aid agencies to scale-up the response. Insecurity has as well. But the situation is too critical for these issues to continue being used as excuses. The UN and the wider humanitarian community must do more to negotiate access for UN agencies and international NGOs to come and assist with the response in Zamzam.”

The conditions people in Zamzam are living in are deplorable. There have been no official food distributions in the camp since May 2023. Although a handful of UN trucks reached El Fasher two weeks ago, nothing reached Zamzam until Monday 29 April. On this date, community leaders were handed food that they were then expected to distribute among the population. However, even before the start of the war, people in the camp received very little support. Food rations were much lower than international standards, there was insufficient clean water and there were only two other health clinics in the vast camp before MSF opened its first one in 2022, both of which are now barely functional.

“The situation is dire for all residents of the camp and over the past year, it has significantly deteriorated. For the thousands of people who have become newly displaced from Nyala, Tawila and other locations where intense fighting has taken place, the situation is especially bad. Many arrived in Zamzam with nothing and are living in overcrowded schools with no access to food or water. Everyone in Zamzam camp needs support, but the recent arrivals are especially vulnerable. With the violence escalating in North Darfur once again, additional people are becoming displaced meaning that there may soon be even more competition for the already very limited resources in the camp.”

Reliable distributions of food, that provide people with sufficient rations, are the only thing that will prevent the situation from falling even further into catastrophe. With the rainy season approaching, and no tarmac on the roads, it will become difficult for aid trucks to reach Zamzam, making the swift delivery of aid even more imperative. Despite being aware of the severity of the situation, and despite famine alerts coming from UN agencies themselves, the UN are doing far too little to prevent the malnutrition crisis in Zamzam from falling further into catastrophe.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

The UAE has strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Mandera County, in northern Kenya, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of a number of innocent people. 

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability in contravention of international law.

The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the government and people of Kenya, and to the families of the victims of this heinous crime, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs&International Cooperation.

Escalating conflict is driving record levels of gender-based violence, displacement and hunger in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), threatening to push the country to the brink of catastrophe without urgent international action.

Decades of conflict and the resulting humanitarian emergency have already exhausted and traumatized millions of civilians. In the last few months alone, more than 700,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, bringing the total number of displaced people to an all-time high of 7.2 million.

Ensuring that sufficient aid reaches civilians in need swiftly and without impediment is critical. But this year’s Humanitarian Response Plan is woefully underfunded, with just 16 per cent of the $2.6 billion needed having been received. The gap between rapidly rising needs and sufficient resources means millions of people are left without the lifesaving support they need.

This lack of resources is compounding the crisis by forcing humanitarian organizations to curb their assistance, with women and girls paying a devastatingly high price. Minimal protection and security in crowded displacement camps means many are forced to exchange sex for survival and support for their families. When they venture outside to collect firewood, water or for work, they are also exposed to appalling levels of sexual violence.

Gender-based violence has surged to unprecedented levels, with recorded cases surging between 2022 and 2023. Stigma and the fear of retaliation prevent many survivors from coming forward. In addition to sexual violence, children are also at risk of other threats, including abduction, killing, maiming and recruitment by armed groups.

Perpetrators of human rights violations must be held accountable for their crimes. Under international humanitarian law, civilians must be protected.

More than 25 million people – a quarter of the population – continue to face crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity in the DRC, a country facing one of the world’s largest food crises. Cholera and measles are also spreading rapidly as the health sector continues to deteriorate. Climate extremes worsened by El Niño are yet another threat for already struggling families.

Bringing an end to the escalating humanitarian crisis in the DRC requires addressing its root causes: conflict, the exploitation of natural resources, illicit financial flows, prevailing gender inequality and development deficits.

We must step up our support to the Congolese people, including to women and girls who are bearing the brunt of this conflict, as they work to rebuild their lives and livelihoods and return to their homes. The international community must mobilize additional resources for the humanitarian response and support for civil society organizations – as well as the political will to end the violence once and for all.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Parliament has approved a government request to borrow up to Euro 110,543,947.52 (about Shs 450 billion) from Standard Chartered Bank to finance the Kitgum-Kidepo Road upgrading project.

The 115 km Kitgum-Kidepo Road in North Eastern Uganda, connects the Kitgum and Kaabong districts.

The motion for the approval was presented by the Minister of State for Finance (General Duties), Hon. Henry Musasizi, during the plenary sitting presided over by Speaker Anita Among on Tuesday, 30 April 2024.

Musasizi said that upgrading the road has been prioritised to promote tourism by facilitating movement of tourists visiting Kidepo Valley National Park.

“This sub region has the lowest road density of 5.9Kms of paved national roads per 1,000km2 land area,” he said. 

He added that this will also contribute to regional development of Karamoja-sub-region, which is one of the highest poverty stricken sub regions in the country.

Minister Musasizi said that upgrading the road will not only ease movement to South Sudan and Kenya, but will also improve and promote trade with the two countries.

He further pointed out that although tourism remains one of the best performing sectors of the economy, its potential has not been adequately exploited due to inadequate tourism infrastructure such as roads making tourists to travel through poor gravel to reach the national parks.

Legislators were however unhappy that the House Committee on National Economy, to which the loan request had been referred for scrutiny, had not done so and had not reported on the motion.

The Government Chief Whip, Hon. Denis Hamson Obua, moved a motion to waive the requirement, paving way for the debate without the report.

The MPs, led by the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Senyonyi, Hon. Jonathan Odur (UPC, Erute County South) and Hon. Ssemujju Nganda (FDC, Kira Municipality) among others argued that proceeding without a report would set a bad precedent.

“Many times government enters into problematic agreements. The matter was sent to the Committee but the committee has not produced a report,” said Ssenyonyi.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.