UN News Today July 23 |

Where do I go now, ask Gazans uprooted by new Israeli evacuation orders

Gazans uprooted by the Israeli military’s latest evacuation orders have abandoned shelters and homes “running for their lives”, with barely any belongings and little idea where they will end up, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

In Khan Younis, the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) reported seeing “thousands of people fleeing” westwards, as part of the exodus from the city, amid ongoing hostilities.

“Children were visibly traumatized and crying uncontrollably, while elderly and disabled people were being pulled along on the back of donkey carts or being pushed in wheelchairs through the sand,” said Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Senior Communications Officer.

Meanwhile, the UN health agency expressed renewed concerns about the impact of a possible polio outbreak in Gaza, amid disastrous sanitary conditions and a lack of access to healthcare.

Dr. Ayadil Saparbekov, Team Lead for Health Emergencies at the UN World Health Organization (WHO) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, warned that polio and other communicable diseases could cause more deaths than the fighting:

“There are different outbreaks of communicable diseases that may happen in Gaza, we had hepatitis A confirmed last year, and now we may have polio…This is going to be a very bad situation that we may face in Gaza and we may have more people dying of different communicable diseases than from injury.”

Attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso force thousands into neighbouring Niger

Attacks on civilians in eastern Burkina Faso by non-State armed groups have forced thousands to flee to neighbouring Niger in search of safety, the latest chapter in a deepening emergency, UN humanitarians have warned.

In an alert, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said that previous attacks in recent weeks along Burkina Faso’s border with Niger had already led to a “surge” of displaced people into the Nigerien city of Téra in Tillabéri region, despite the “already dire” humanitarian situation there.

Tillabéri has already been targeted by attacks from non-State armed groups and UNHCR warned that asylum seekers faced accusations of being linked to the violence – and of being forcibly returned if their status as refugees is not recognized by the Government.

According to UNHCR, Tillabéri is now home to at least 223,400 internally displaced people from Niger and at least 36,500 Burkinabé asylum seekers.

The development follows years of insecurity in Burkina Faso where more than a third of the country operates outside the control of the country’s military, which seized power in 2022.

More widely, the stability of the Sahel region has been threatened for years by a proliferation of armed groups. Beginning in northern Mali, jihadist-linked insurgents pushed south, bringing lawlessness to northern Burkina Faso and western Niger – with attacks likely to expand and continue.

Olympic spirit of peace inspires UN Secretary-General’s truce call

Finally to Paris, where the Olympic Games are due to start on Friday – and where UN Secretary-General António Guterres will issue a call for “peace for all”.

In a message highlighting the power of sport “to bring hope, to transcend cultures and to unite people”, Mr. Guterres will insist that “these are also the ideals of the UN”.

And just as the kings of ancient Greece agreed to stop fighting to allow their athletes and spectators to participate in the Games, the Secretary-General urged all those at war today to respect “the spirit of the Olympic Truce to lay down their arms”.

Instead of conflict, countries and people should “build bridges, foster solidarity and strive for the ultimate goal: (which is) peace for all”, Mr. Guterres said, as he hailed the Olympians and Paralympians taking part in the 2024 celebration of sport.