Polio stalks Gazans as 'anarchy' spreads, humanitarians warn

In Gaza, in addition to the devastation of war and the breakdown of law and order, highly infectious polio disease has now been identified, the UN health agency said on Friday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 was found at six locations in sewage samples collected last month in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.

To date, no one has been treated in Gaza for paralysis or other symptoms caused by the virus; the UN health agency and partners are already working with the local health authority to assess how far it has spread – and what measures are needed to stop any further spread.

Meanwhile, the head of the UN human rights office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ajith Sunghay, described how Gazans continue to suffer “immensely” with some “holding white flags” as they move in search of shelter, in sight of the Israeli Defense Forces, or IDF:

“You hear a lot of bullets flying. And this is not between only IDF and the Palestinians. Within these communities there is chaos. There's no one enforcing any civic order. I will not call it as law and order because there is no law at this point in time there. So, this is the anarchy that we talk about, and it's extremely dangerous as well. We need to pay attention here. We want the police to be back on the street and to bring some order there.”

Afghanistan: With 33 of 34 provinces hit by natural disasters, the country needs world’s help, says UNHCR

UN aid teams and partners continued to mobilize on Friday in Afghanistan after devastating storms and flash floods tore across central and eastern areas, leaving dozens dead and hundreds of homes destroyed.

In an update, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) noted that the latest emergency followed flash floods in May, that caused nearly 700 casualties and massive damage.

UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said that humanitarian teams were at work in the hardest-hit provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman and Kunar. These are the regions with high numbers of vulnerable displaced people and refugee returnees.

Mr. Baloch said that at least 40 people had been killed by this week’s flooding, with more than 340 injured and thousands more displaced:

“Many roads, bridges, homes and public buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Sadly, it is expected that figures will rise when more areas become accessible to rescue and assessment teams.”

Six emergency teams have been deployed so far but many areas remain inaccessible, hindering relief efforts, Mr. Baloch said.

Some emergency supplies have been prepositioned and are ready for distribution in Afghanistan, but UNHCR warned that the country continues to face one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with nearly 24 million people in need of aid this year.

Since the year began, natural disasters have affected over 145,000 people across 33 out of 34 provinces, the UN agency said, highlighting significant funding shortfalls.

In total, UNHCR needs more than $200 million for its operations this year which are only 44 per cent funded currently.

Sudan aid obstacles impact lifesaving relief deliveries in Darfurs, Sennar

Heavy fighting in Sudan has severely curtailed humanitarian aid deliveries across vast areas of the southeast, the UN World Food Programme, WFP, said on Friday.

In an alert, WFP expressed deep concern about “the escalation of fighting” in Sudan’s Sennar state. More than 136,000 people have already fled their homes, many for the second or third time since the conflict started last April.

To date, the UN agency has provided support to 46,000 people who fled to neighbouring Blue Nile state and to another 3,000 who’ve sought refuge in adjoining Gedaref state.

In an update, the WFP said that the violence had “severely affected” operations across the region, including White Nile, Blue Nile, Kassala and Gedaref states.

“Fighting in Sennar cut off key supply routes for food and fuel into the state, leaving residents unable to access basic needs,” WFP explained, adding that its logistics hub in Kosti in White Nile state “is completely cut off” from Port Sudan on the coast, after rival paramilitary force the RSF moved in on 29 June.

“The route from Port Sudan to Kosti [that] cuts through Sennar is currently inaccessible,” WFP continued, describing the route as “a lifeline to get assistance to hundreds of thousands of people in Sudan, including many communities at risk of famine in the Kordofans and the Darfur region”.

Staying with the west of Sudan, the UN food agency also reported that getting assistance into Darfur from neighbouring Chad has “halted”, too.