WHO steps up response to Ebola outbreak in Uganda. Top stories of the day | Thursday: DRC, UNRWA, Ebola, US plane crash UN
Top news in the UN and around the world: the situation in the DRC remains extremely unstable, the Israeli Knesset laws banning the activities of the UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA) came into force on Thursday, the Ugandan government declared an Ebola outbreak, the UN is saddened by reports of deaths in a US plane crash.
Situation in the DRC
The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains extremely volatile, with the M23 armed group rapidly advancing towards the city of Bukavu, in the province of South Kivu. In addition, the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo reports cross-border movements of the Rwandan Defense Forces in this direction. Clashes between the M23 and Congolese armed forces continue to be reported near Minova, also in South Kivu. According to UN officials, the humanitarian situation in the previously captured city of Goma is extremely dire.
UNRWA continues its work
On Thursday, the Israeli Knesset passed laws banning the activities of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Their implementation will bring fundamental changes to the agency’s work in the occupied Palestinian territory: Israeli authorities are now prohibited from cooperating with UNRWA, and the agency itself is prohibited from working in war-torn Gaza, as well as in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. At the moment, UNRWA continues its work, the agency reports, although international staff have left its headquarters in East Jerusalem.
Ebola Outbreak in Uganda
The Ugandan government has declared an outbreak of the disease caused by the Sudanese strain of the Ebola virus. As a result of the infection, a 32-year-old nurse has died. The Ugandan authorities and their partners have launched a full-scale response to the outbreak. WHO is supporting the government through its country office and emergency program, including a million dollars from its Contingency Fund.
Plane crash in the United States
The UN is saddened by the news that dozens of people have died in the collision of a civilian plane and a military helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. In addition to American citizens, the dead include citizens of other countries, including the Russian Federation. A UN spokesman expressed condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the crash.