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[1/3] Smoke rises from the tarmac of Khartoum International Airport as a fire burns, in Khartoum, Sudan April 17, 2023 in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said an immediate ceasefire was needed, saying that view was shared by the international community. By Sunday it appeared that the army was gaining the upper hand in the fighting in Khartoum, using air strikes to pound RSF bases. Sudan has been affected by rising levels of hunger in recent years as an economic crisis has deepened. The WFP says it reached 9.3 million people in Sudan, one of its largest operations globally.

☆ World Food Programme halts Sudan operations, 3 workers killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO,April 16 (Reuters) - The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) said on Sunday it had temporarily halted all operations in Sudan after three of its employees were killed in clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a day earlier. "While we review the evolving security situation, we are forced to temporarily halt all operations in Sudan," WFP executive director Cindy McCain said in a statement. The incident has seriously impacted the organisation's ability to move humanitarian workers and aid in Sudan, he said. Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations condemned the killing of the WFP employees, saying they died while carrying out their duties. The fighting broke out on Saturday between army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

☆ Aid shortage leaves refugees in Uganda reliant on kitchen gardens
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Justin Dralaze | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People who fled fighting in South Sudan are seen walking at sunset on arrival at Bidi Bidi refugee’s resettlement camp near the border with South Sudan, in Yumbe district, northern Uganda December 7, 2016. REUTERS/James AkenaBIDI BIDI, Uganda, April 6 (Reuters) - Watering the neat lines of green salad leaves outside her thatched home, Susan Konga, a South Sudanese woman living in a refugee camp in northern Uganda, is preparing her kitchen garden for the next harvest. Global crises like the war in Ukraine, the earthquake in Turkey and the drought in East Africa, mean there's less food aid for people like Konga. After six years in Uganda, Konga, a single mother, must now rely entirely on the maize, cassava and salad leaves grown in her small vegetable patch. "Donors are having to make very difficult decisions because the needs are enormous globally," said Marcus Prior, country director at WFP Uganda.

☆ Malawians search for relatives buried under the mud as death toll jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While the storm had dissipated, rain continued to hamper rescue efforts as vehicles struggled on flooded roads. Lieutenant Colonel Dickens Kamisa, who participated in the search, said local authorities identified about eight areas where dead bodies should be buried and were using sniffer dogs to find trapped Malawians. Chifundo Chilimba, a local resident, told Reuters he could not find his family members as the depth of the mud was too deep. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said it was providing food assistance by distributing partially pre-cooked food called corn-soya blend to displaced people. The storm had already killed about 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique before it lashed Mozambique a second time.

☆ U.N. food-agency chief tells of 'apocalyptic' scenes in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The head of the United Nation's World Food Programme (WFP) said on Saturday he was confronted with "apocalyptic" scenes as he visited earthquake-stricken areas in southern Turkey. Strong earthquakes, which began on Feb. 6, have struck both Turkey and neighbouring Syria, killing more than 50,000 people according to the latest figures released on Friday. "There is only one way to describe what I saw today: apocalyptic," WFP Executive Director David Beasley said after visiting the city of Antakya in Turkey's Hatay province. The WFP said Beasley visited a U.N. logistics hub where trucks are loaded with food and other emergency supplies before crossing over into northwest Syria. He stressed the urgency of scaling up food deliveries to Syria "through all routes - without any restrictions", and called for "all parties to facilitate access".

[1/7] Destroyed buildings are seen at night in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Antakya, Turkey February 19, 2023. REUTERS/Maxim ShemetovSummary Rescue work winds down in TurkeyPregnant women need helpTurkey death toll risesANTAKYA, Turkey, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Turkey stepped up work to clear away rubble from collapsed buildings on Monday, as rescue work wound down two weeks after major earthquakes killed more than 46,000 people in southern Turkey and northwest Syria. The women include 226,000 in Turkey and 130,000 in Syria, about 38,800 of whom will deliver in the next month. In Syria, already shattered by more than a decade of civil war, the bulk of fatalities have been in the northwest. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday announced further aid to Turkey and said the United States would provide longer term help to Turkey Ankara as it seeks to rebuild following this month's earthquake.

☆ WFP boss criticises northwestern Syrian authorities for slowing quake aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Emirates Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent distribute boxes of humanitarian aid in response to a deadly earthquake in Jableh, Syria, February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Amr AlfikyMUNICH, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) on Saturday pressured authorities in northwestern Syria to stop blocking access to the area as it seeks to help hundreds of thousands of people ravaged by earthquakes. "The problems we are running into is the cross-line operations into northwest Syria where the northwestern Syrian authorities are not giving us the access we need," Beasley told Reuters. Our operation is about $50 million a month for our earthquake response alone so unless Europe wants a new wave of refugees, we need get the support we need," Beasley said. I will call them out and will not be silent about this," Beasley said, referring to the authorities in northwestern Syria.

☆ Renewing Black Sea grain deal critical for Africa, WFP boss says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Negotiations will start in a week on extending the trade agreement, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday. "It's critical," World Food Programme (WFP) Director David Beasley told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Forum. "With all the crises we are facing around the world with climate change, droughts, flash floods, we can't afford the Black Sea Grain initiative to fall through at all," Beasley added. The grain deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July allowed exports from three Ukrainian ports. He warned Moscow that shutting down the ports would be catastrophic, notably in Africa, where millions of people are facing famine.

☆ Earthquake death toll passes 46,000 amid desperation for signs of life
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The mother and father survived but the child died later of dehydration, the rescue team said. When we find people who are alive we are always happy," Atay Osmanov, a member of the rescue team, told Reuters. As rescue efforts continued one worker yelled into the rubble: "Take a deep breath if you can hear my voice." The death toll in Turkey stands at 40,642 from the quake while neighboring Syria has reported more than 5,800 deaths, a toll that has not changed for days. In Syria, already shattered by more than a decade of civil war, the bulk of fatalities have been in the northwest.

☆ North Korean food shortage seems to be worsening, South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, Feb 15 (Reuters) - A North Korean food crisis appears to have deteriorated, South Korea said on Wednesday, as a newspaper reported that North Korea has cut rations to its soldiers for the first time in more than two decades. North Korea has effectively acknowledged serious food shortages, South Korea's unification ministry said, referring to a North Korean state media report this month about plans for an "urgent" ruling party meeting on agriculture. "Its food situation seems to have deteriorated," the South's unification ministry, which handles relations with North Korea, said in a statement. South Korea's DongA Ilbo newspaper said on Wednesday that North Korea has reduced daily food rations to its soldiers for the first time since 2000, citing an unidentified senior South Korean official. The WFP, which has helped North Korea over the years, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

☆ World Food Programme warns of stock shortage in quake-hit northwest Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The World Food Programme (WFP) is running out of stocks in northwest Syria and called to open more border crossings from Turkey after both countries were ravaged by earthquakes, the U.N. food aid organisation said on Friday. "Northwest Syria, where 90% of the population depends on humanitarian assistance, is a big concern. The border crossing is open now, but we need to get new border crossings open." Currently, there is only one open crossing, at Bab al-Hawa, between Turkey and the opposition-held northwest Syria. Fleischer stressed that opening a second border crossing was essential to getting aid to northwest Syria.

☆ Some UN Afghan aid delivered by men only, donors voice alarm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

PRECEDENT TO REGRETAny potential change to the U.N. approach to food aid following the ban has alarmed some donor nations and aid groups. Ambassador to the United Nations, Lisa Carty, said on Wednesday during a briefing by Griffiths to U.N. member states. Griffiths stressed that Afghan women need to work in food aid distribution to ensure supplies reached the most vulnerable - women and girls. The United Nations has appealed for $4.6 billion to fund the aid operation in Afghanistan in 2023. Griffiths and the heads of some international aid groups met Taliban officials last week to push for more, including in the areas of cash and food aid distribution.

☆ World Trade Organization head wants to 'double or triple' Africa's share of global trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The World Trade Organization (WTO) projected in October that after growing by 3.5% in 2022, trade volumes will increase by just 1% in 2023. Either way, Africa may start to reap the benefits of a free trade deal that came into effect in 2021. The landmark African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement created the world’s largest new free trade area since the establishment of the WTO. What do they need and what are they telling you in terms of doing cross-border trade on the African continent? What we’ve seen during the pandemic is that Africa needs to get its own manufacturing capacity, and this falls right back into what can make the continental free trade area work.

☆ Afghan malnutrition rates at record high, U.N. food agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Malnutrition rates in Afghanistan are at record highs — with half the country enduring severe hunger year-round — a spokesman for the U.N.'s World Food Program said. “Half of Afghanistan endures severe hunger throughout the year, regardless of the season, and malnutrition rates are at a record high for Afghanistan,” said Phillipe Kropf, a spokesman for the United Nations food agency in Kabul. The Taliban takeover in August 2021 drove millions into poverty and hunger after foreign aid stopped almost overnight. Ebrahim Noroozi / APAid agencies have been providing food, education and healthcare support to Afghans, including heating, cash for fuel and warm clothes. “Since the Taliban have come, the economic condition is so bad and people don’t have food to eat.

The United Nations warned at the beginning of September that two districts were projected to face famine between October and December, with more than half a million children in Somalia at risk of dying from malnutrition. A previous screening in June and July found 28.6% of children in the camps were suffering from acute malnutrition, including 10.2% with severe cases. The last four rainy seasons in the Horn of Africa region have failed, making this the worst drought in 40 years. An IPC Famine Review Committee of four to six independent experts is responsible for approving any famine declaration. In Somalia's last famine in 2011, half of the more than 250,000 victims were later determined to have died before the famine was officially declared.

☆ Haiti looting caused loss of some $6 million in relief supplies, WFP says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 26 (Reuters) - Looting in Haiti this month led to the loss of at least $6 million of relief assistance including 2,000 tonnes of food, a World Food Programme official said on Monday, as the Caribbean nation struggles with civil unrest and chronic gang violence. Protests flared across Haiti following Prime Minister Ariel Henry's Sept. 11 announcement of a fuel price increase, triggering protests and street violence that included the sacking of WFP warehouses. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"We estimate that at least six million dollars worth of relief supplies were lost," said Guarnieri, adding that the looting affected other non-profit organizations and UN agencies. Haiti's government this month moved to cut fuel subsidies, citing their high cost, triggering outrage in a nation already struggling with record-high inflation. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analyst APK-Inform raises Ukraine's 2022 grain crop forecast
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA pile of grain bags with relief that was sent from Ukraine is seen at the World Food Program (WFP) warehouse in Adama town, Ethiopia, September 8, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa NegeriKYIV, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Ukraine's 2022 grain harvest could total between 54.1 to 55.7 million tonnes compared with a record 86 million tonnes due to the Russian invasion which has reduced the harvested area, analyst APK-Inform said on Saturday. The consultancy said in a report that the harvest could include 19 million tonnes of wheat, 30 million tonnes of corn and 5.5 million tonnes of barley. It said a smaller harvest and logistical difficulties could cut 2022/23 July-June exports to between 22.6 and 38.8 million tonnes. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by David ClarkeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Deadly childhood diseases rise in Ethiopia's Tigray as war hampers vaccinations
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The percentage of children in Tigray receiving routine vaccines has fallen below 10% this year, data from the Tigray Health Bureau shows, undoing years of government efforts to boost immunisation rates. read moreMEASLES OUTBREAKSHealth Minister Lia Tadesse said vaccines had been provided to Tigray this year and that more were ready to be delivered once conditions allowed. The rate across Ethiopia was 65% in 2021, according to data from the U.N. children's agency UNICEF. Ethiopia's health minister Lia said 860,000 doses of measles vaccines were delivered to Tigray last December and additional doses were delivered on April 2. WFP spokesperson Claire Nevill, however, said the agency was waiting on clearances from Ethiopia's government.

În scrisoarea deschisă în sprijinul apelului ONU pentru a evita foametea în 2021, publicată de Guardian, organizațiile umanitare scriu că „oamenii nu se înfometează, sunt lăsați să moară de foame”. Mai mult de 34 de milioane de oameni sunt pe punctul de a deveni victime ale foametei dacă nu se iau măsuri urgente, mai scriu semnatarii scrisorii. Responsabilitatea de a lua aceste măsuri este a statelor”. Statele trebuie să oprească creșterea inegalităților și să ia măsuri politice pentru stoparea conflictelor, principala cauză a foemetei și o barieră pentru asigurarea necesităților de bază, afirmă ONG-urile umanitare. „Este imperativ să ne unim vocile pentru a obține atenția internațională pe care o merită această cauză, înainte de a fi prea târziu”.

Persons: Guardian, Foamete, David Beasley Organizations: ONU, World Food Locations: Yemen, Afganistan, Etiopia, Sudanul de Sud, Burkina Faso, RD Congo, Honduras, Venezuela, Nigeria, Haiti, Republica Central Africană, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Food, flămânzi, Statele

☆ Sute de organizații umanitare au întocmit o scrisoare deschisă către liderii lumii: „Oamenii nu se înfometează, sunt lăsați să moară de foame”
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-21 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +4 min

Sute de organizații umanitare au întocmit o scrisoare deschisă către liderii lumii: „Oamenii nu se înfometează, sunt lăsați să moară de foame”scrisoare deschisă în care susțin un apel ONU la acțiune, spunând că pandemia de coronavirus a exacerbat conflictele, criza climatică și inegalitățile la nivel mondial. Liderii politici sunt chemați să ia măsuri pentru a pune capăt foametei care izbucnește în mai multe părți ale lumii, ca urmare a multiplelor crize declanșate de pandemie. În scrisoarea deschisă în sprijinul apelului ONU pentru a evita foametea în 2021, publicată de Guardian, citată de Digi24, organizațiile umanitare scriu că „oamenii nu se înfometează, sunt lăsați să moară de foame”. Statele trebuie să oprească creșterea inegalităților și să ia măsuri politice pentru stoparea conflictelor, principala cauză a foemetei și o barieră pentru asigurarea necesităților de bază, afirmă ONG-urile umanitare. „Este imperativ să ne unim vocile pentru a obține atenția internațională pe care o merită această cauză, înainte de a fi prea târziu”.

☆ ONU: Peste 30 de milioane de oameni din întreaga lume sunt „la un pas de foamete”
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-24 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Un raport recent al Organizația Națiunilor Unite (ONU) atenționează asupra faptului că foamea acută va afecta în următoarele luni peste 20 de țări, iar cel puțin 34 de milioane de oameni se află „la un pas de foamete”, potrivit The Guardian, transmite digi24.ro. ONU estimează că 34 de milioane de oameni sunt „la un pas de foamete” din cauze precum conflictele armate, șocurile climatice și pandemia de Covid-19, care au contribuit la o creștere „alarmantă” a foametei la nivel global. „Amploarea suferinței este alarmantă”, a declarat directorul general al Organizaţia Naţiunilor Unite pentru Alimentaţie și Agricultură (FAO), Qu Dongyu. Secretarul general ONU: Dacă nu hrăniţi oamenii, veți hrăni conflictele''Foametea şi foamea nu mai sunt o chestiune de lipsă de alimente. Secretarul general al ONU a reamintit că ''la sfârşitul anului 2020, peste 88 de milioane de oameni sufereau de foame acută din cauza conflictelor şi a instabilităţii - o creştere de 20% într-un an''.

Persons: Antonio Guterres Organizations: Organizația Națiunilor Unite, ONU Locations: Yemen, Sudanul, Sud, Nigeriei, Sudanul de Sud, Africa, Afganistan, Siria, Liban, Haiti, Caraibe

☆ ONU: peste 30 de milioane de oameni din întreaga lume sunt „la un pas de foamete”
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-24 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +2 min

ONU: peste 30 de milioane de oameni din întreaga lume sunt „la un pas de foamete”Un raport recent al Organizația Națiunilor Unite (ONU) atenționează asupra faptului că foamea acută va afecta în următoarele luni peste 20 de țări, iar cel puțin 34 de milioane de oameni se află „la un pas de foamete”. ONU estimează că 34 de milioane de oameni sunt „la un pas de foamete” din cauze precum conflictele armate, șocurile climatice și pandemia de Covid-19, care au contribuit la o creștere „alarmantă” a foametei la nivel global. Nordul Nigeriei, Yemen și Sudanul de Sud ocupă prima poziție pe lista locurilor care se confruntă cu niveluri „catastrofale” de foamete. La începutul acestei luni, Organizaţia Naţiunilor Unite pentru Alimentaţie și Agricultură (FAO) și Programul Alimentar Mondial al ONU (WFP) au solicitat 5,5 miliarde de dolari pentru a evita foametea, prin asistență alimentară umanitară. Acesta a reamintit că „la sfârşitul anului 2020, peste 88 de milioane de oameni sufereau de foame acută din cauza conflictelor şi a instabilităţii – o creştere de 20% într-un an”.

Persons: Antonio Guterres Organizations: ONU, Organizația Națiunilor Unite Locations: Yemen, Sudanul, Sud, Nigeriei, Sudanul de Sud, Africa, Afganistan, Siria, Liban, Haiti, Caraibe

☆ Peste 30 de milioane de oameni din întreaga lume sunt „la un pas de foamete”, avertizează ONU
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-24 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +2 min

Sursa foto: Getty ImagesPeste 30 de milioane de oameni din întreaga lume sunt „la un pas de foamete”, avertizează ONUUn raport recent al Organizația Națiunilor Unite (ONU) atenționează asupra faptului că foamea acută va afecta în următoarele luni peste 20 de țări, iar cel puțin 34 de milioane de oameni se află „la un pas de foamete”, potrivit The Guardian. ONU estimează că 34 de milioane de oameni sunt „la un pas de foamete” din cauze precum conflictele armate, șocurile climatice și pandemia de Covid-19, care au contribuit la o creștere „alarmantă” a foametei la nivel global. „Amploarea suferinței este alarmantă”, a declarat directorul general al Organizaţia Naţiunilor Unite pentru Alimentaţie și Agricultură (FAO), Qu Dongyu. Secretarul general ONU: Dacă nu hrăniţi oamenii, veți hrăni conflictele„Foametea şi foamea nu mai sunt o chestiune de lipsă de alimente. Secretarul general al ONU a reamintit că „la sfârşitul anului 2020, peste 88 de milioane de oameni sufereau de foame acută din cauza conflictelor şi a instabilităţii - o creştere de 20% într-un an”.

Persons: Antonio Guterres Organizations: ONU, Organizația Națiunilor Unite Locations: Yemen, Sudanul, Sud, Nigeriei, Sudanul de Sud, Africa, Afganistan, Siria, Liban, Haiti, Caraibe

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