This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

UN expresses solidarity with Kenya following deadly floods

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated the UN’s continued commitment to Kenya on Monday, in the wake of deadly floods caused by weeks of heavy rains.

Mr. Guterres said that he had been saddened by the loss of life and damage caused by flash flooding in the capital, Nairobi, and other parts of the country, his spokesperson said.

The Secretary-General also extended his condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims and to the people and Government of Kenya.

Reports indicate that rescue teams have searched for survivors after a dam burst in Mai Mahiu in western Kenya, killing at least 35 people.

The heavy rains began in March, killing more than 100 people across the country to date. This season's flash-flooding follows similarly heavy rains that began late last year, affecting almost 600,000 people.   

Gaza at ‘most dangerous’ stage amid huge unexploded weapons risk, warns demining expert

Gaza is now at its “most dangerous period”, demining experts warned on Monday, in a call for a ceasefire and greater efforts to clear unexploded weapons from the worst-affected areas.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of mine action national directors in Geneva, here’s Mungo Birch, Chief of the UN Mine Action Programme (UNMAS) in the State of Palestine:

“This is the most dangerous period; once people start returning to the north, that's when most accidents will occur, because they won't be familiar with where your unexploded ordnance is located. It's important that once the returns start, we're poised and ready to be able to provide the risk education they need.”

Mr. Birch said there are an estimated 37 million tonnes of rubble to clear in Gaza in total. That's more rubble than in Ukraine, where the front line is 600 miles, compared with Gaza’s, which is 25 miles long, he said.

Clearance experts believe that there are also 800,000 tonnes of asbestos to clear from Gaza. It will have to be cleaned and then recycled, before figuring “heavily” in any reconstruction, the UN mine action expert said.

Despite the massive scale of the clearance operation ahead, UNMAS has just $5 million in funding. Another $40 million will be needed over the next 18 months just to start the process of clearance.

South Sudan urged to lift tax on aid relief

The UN’s top humanitarian official in South Sudan has urged the Government to lift newly imposed taxes and charges that are causing aid deliveries to be suspended, affecting tens of thousands of people.

Since February, authorities have imposed a series of new taxes and charges at border crossings and within the country.

These measures have impacted over 60,000 people, particularly in remote areas where humanitarian operations are already limited. This number is expected to rise to 145,000 by the end of May if the measures remain in place.

Anita Kiki Gbeho, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, said that aid agencies have been forced to halt lifesaving airdrops of food assistance amid dwindling fuel supplies.

“We call on the Government of South Sudan to uphold all agreements with humanitarians, including our [non-governmental organizations] partners, and immediately remove new taxes and fees so that we can continue to support people in need,” she said.

According to the Humanitarian Coordinator’s office, the new measures would increase the cost of food assistance and the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) operations by $339,000 per month.