Humanitarian organizations warn of grave situation in war-torn Sudan. Top news of the day | Friday: Russia, Belarus, Gaza, Sudan UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: a drone shot down at the Kursk NPP, discrimination against migrants and minorities in Belarus, the first confirmed case of polio in Gaza, the spread of cholera in Sudan.
The situation at the Kursk NPP
The Russian Federation informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) yesterday about the discovery of fragments of a drone on the territory of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. According to the information provided, the remains of the drone were found approximately 100 meters from the nuclear storage facility for spent fuel at the plant. In this regard, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed his intention to personally assess the situation at the scene during his visit next week.
Discrimination at the Border
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has published its conclusions on the situation in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and Venezuela. The authors of the report stressed their concern about the conditions of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees at the border of Belarus with the European Union. The Committee called on Belarus to take measures to protect the lives and safety of people at the border. The experts also expressed concern about reports that representatives of national and other minorities in Belarus face restrictions on their religious, linguistic and cultural rights.
Polio in Gaza
First case of polio recorded in Gaza in 25 years. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the 10-month-old girl had developed paralysis in her lower left leg but was now in a stable condition. Tedros added that WHO experts had confirmed that the infection was linked to a variant of poliovirus type 2 detected in wastewater in Gaza in June. Palestinian health authorities, together with WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will begin polio vaccination campaigns in the coming weeks.
Sudan humanitarian crisis
Humanitarian organizations have warned of a grave situation in war-torn Sudan as a new cholera outbreak combines with floods, fighting and access restrictions. The WHO noted that at least 12 of the country’s 18 states are currently experiencing at least three diseases simultaneously: cholera, malaria, measles or dengue. However, resources to detect and respond to outbreaks remain limited, especially in hard-to-reach areas such as Darfur and Kordofan states.