ReliefWeb

The ICRC calls on all parties to the armed conflict and all those involved in the violence to show restraint, in particular with regard to individuals they have arrested or captured.

Although the coronavirus has been slow to take hold on the continent, hotspots have emerged with a scale and depth of financial shock forcing many families to resort to child labour to meet basic needs.

UNHCR warns that inaction could lead to further population flows, continued suffering and instability, and a deepening regional socio-economic crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Decisions at every level of the response to COVID-19 are resulting in women being further cut off from sexual and reproductive health services, threatening sharp rises in maternal and neonatal mortality.

An estimated 9.6 million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) and need urgent help. This is the highest figure ever recorded in the history of the IPC.

There is growing concern that the health emergency caused by the virus could worsen with the arrival of the southern winter, the South American flu season, and the hurricane season in the Caribbean.

From COVID-19 to climate disruption, from racial injustice to rising inequalities, we are a world in turmoil. Our challenge is to channel the spirit behind the UN charter and rise to this moment of trial and test.

The new arrivals were part of a group of about 45,000 people, according to local DRC authorities, who had attempted to flee towards Uganda after deadly militia attacks in Ituri on 17 and 18 May.