Sudan ,Security Council, Mali, Ukraine & other…

Update on Sudan, earlier today the Secretary-General spoke with President William Ruto of Kenya to discuss the situation in Sudan. He also spoke to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki. During that discussion it was decided that the Secretary-General will attend a virtual meeting tomorrow on Sudan which is convened and bringing together the Chairperson of the African Union, the Secretary-General of the Arab League and also the Executive Secretary of IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and other relevant organizations.

Nearly one third of the population was already in need of humanitarian aid at the start of the year. Now, our humanitarian colleagues are warning that people in Sudan are running out of food, they are running out of fuel, and they are running out of other vital supplies. Many urgently need medical care.  

Back here the Security Council this morning heard from Huang Xia, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, and he said that despite some improvements in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the risk of renewed fighting remains real.  

Also going on today is yet another dark reminder of the risks that our peacekeeping colleagues in Mali face every day. Today the Mission reported a third attack in less than a week in the country’s central region.  

Turning to Ukraine. Our humanitarian colleagues have reached nearly 2 million people with multi-purpose cash assistance in the first quarter of 2023. This is a continuation of crucial assistance that we, along with our partners, have provided in most regions of Ukraine, but mainly to those people who have been displaced and have lost their jobs and livelihoods because of the war. Last year, we reached 6 million people with cash.

Turning to Kosovo. In a tweet, Caroline Ziadeh, the Special Representative and Head of UNMIK – the United Nations Mission in Kosovo - today condemned the arson incident against the Saint Pantelija Orthodox Church in Prizren, which took place earlier this week.

Quick update from Côte d’Ivoire where Philippe Poinsot, who leads our UN team on the ground is supporting, and his colleagues, are supporting authorities to address the impacts of rising conflicts between farmers and pastoralists in the north-western region. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are supporting national capacities to anticipate and prevent conflicts over crop damage, livestock theft, and water pollution, which are becoming increasingly violent.