In the mountainous regions of Yemen, the population can only reach hospitals by walking or riding a camel. Top news of the day | Monday: Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, veto UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: shelling of Ukraine continues, the evacuation from Rafah will lead to even greater suffering in Gaza, insufficient funding for humanitarian aid in Yemen, Russia’s veto of a resolution on weapons of mass destruction in space.
Strike on Kharkov
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that on Sunday, when many families were celebrating Orthodox Easter, Kharkov was struck. According to local authorities, residential areas were damaged, killing and injuring civilians. Humanitarian organizations provided food, construction materials, and psychological support to the local population. On Monday, civilians were killed and wounded as a result of strikes in the Zolochevsky district of the Kharkov region and the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Attacks on energy facilities also continue, including in the Donetsk and Sumy regions. Thousands of people were left without electricity.
War in Gaza
The UN Secretary-General on Monday urged both the Israeli government and the Hamas leadership to do everything possible to ensure that the ceasefire agreement becomes a reality and ends the suffering of the population. Earlier, a number of media reported that the Hamas group announced its agreement with the terms of the truce in the Gaza Strip. According to other information, the Israeli military is preparing to enter Rafah. The Secretary-General is concerned that a large-scale military operation in Rafah may be inevitable, his spokesman said on behalf of the UN chief. The UN reminds the parties to the conflict of the need to protect civilians. Humanitarian organizations, meanwhile, said they would continue to work in Rafah no matter what.
Yemen Crisis
More than 190 organizations, including UN agencies, issued a joint statement today calling on the international community to support the 18 million people in need in Yemen. $2.7 billion is needed to provide humanitarian aid to Yemen this year, but only 16 percent of the required funding is currently available, the UN has warned. Despite access restrictions and lack of funds, humanitarian organizations continue to support the country’s population. The sixth meeting of senior officials on Yemen will take place in Brussels on Tuesday, in what should be an opportunity to mobilize efforts to resolve the country’s deepening crisis.
Weapons in space
The General Assembly discussed the use of the veto by a permanent member of the Security Council. On April 24, Russia voted against the American draft resolution on the non-placement of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in space. During the debate, Permanent Representative of Russia Vasily Nebenzya stated that the draft resolution did not solve the declared problem, since it had already been solved by other international agreements. In turn, US Representative Robert Wood emphasized that the draft resolution was aimed at confirming specific obligations under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.