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Weekly
highlights
Every week, we publish new highlights on recent humanitarian developments to enable crisis responders to prioritise based on the needs of affected populations.
26/03/2024
DRC
In 2024, the two-year conflict between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the March 23 Movement has displaced over 1.3 million people in Masisi and Rutshuru territories, North Kivu, and continues to forcibly displace more. Finding shelter in neighbouring areas, IDPs are facing dire conditions according to authorities and local NGOs, with about 30,000 households recently displaced to Kanyabayonga, Lubero territory. On 25 March, ten IDPs were reported to have died in two weeks because of difficult living conditions, especially hunger and lack of medical care. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are in particular need of access to medical services in Kanyabayonga. About 76,000 children have also lost access to school as parents are unable to bear the fees. Such a situation exposes children to the risks of economic and sexual exploitation, as well as forced recruitment by armed groups. (Radio Okapi 26/03/2024, Fatshimetrie 26/03/2024, UNHCR 26/03/2024)
26/03/2024
Malawi
On 23 March 2024, the President of Malawi declared a state of disaster in 23 of the country's 28 districts in response to food insecurity aggravated by El Niño. The effects of the phenomenon (insufficient rainfall, floods, and prolonged dry spells) have resulted in farmland damage, leading the Government to make the declaration. Between October 2023 and March 2024, 4.4 million people were projected to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse food insecurity levels. The numbers may increase in the coming months, as two million farming households have been affected and 44.3% of national cropland has suffered damage. The most pressing need in all affected districts is food. (Malawi Voice 23/03/2024, MENAFN 24/03/2024, OCHA/RIASCO 12/03/2024)
20/03/2024
Palestine
Famine conditions in northern Gaza have continued to materialise in March 2024, with some reports emerging of children dying from malnutrition and dehydration. The latest IPC assessment projects famine to occur any time before May. Famine means extreme food unavailability for households even after they exhaust all coping strategies, leading to starvation, death, and critical acute malnutrition. As at mid-March, two-thirds of the households in the north were going days without eating at least ten times in the past 30 days. The starvation conditions are mainly resulting from the Israeli military restricting humanitarian access and destroying essential infrastructure, with around 70% of buildings in northern governorates damaged or destroyed as at March 2023. These include essential infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, and WASH facilities. As at mid-March, humanitarian and commercial access remained highly restricted in these governorates since October 2023. (IPC 18/03/2024, OCHA 19/03/2024, UNICEF 15/03/2024)
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