On 15 August, 48 people were killed and 67 wounded in a suicide bomb attack against an education centre in Kabul city. The attack, allegedly claimed by Islamic State, is likely to have targeted the Shia community.
This is the second attack on educational facilities in the last weeks, after an attack on a midwife school in Jalalabad on 28 July, which left eight civilians dead.
As of 15 August, the series of earthquakes and aftershocks in Lombok Island have caused 460 deaths, 7 733 injured and 417 259 displaced people, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB).
West Nusa Tenggara Governor has extended the emergency response period until 25 August in order to be able to further evacuate affected people from areas at risk and prevent collateral disasters.
OVERVIEW
Emergency education is a priority to help the thousands of children who have experienced tragedy and trauma.
The deadly earthquakes that devastated the Indonesian island of Lombok killed 460 people and sent tourists fleeing.
A series of tremors between July 29 and August 9 also damaged hundreds of schools, leaving thousands of children without crucial education and safe spaces in the wake of a traumatic experience.
Weekly repatriation of registered Afghan refugees was 53% less compared to 621 refugees repatriated between 29 July and 4 August 2018. Return of undocumented Afghans also decreased, by 34%, compared to the preceding week.
All 292 Afghan refugee returnees were provided with cash assistance, while 93% (585 individuals) of the undocumented Afghan returnees were provided post-arrival assistance.
HIGHLIGHTS
Over 12,800 persons have been verified through the Government of Bangladesh and UNHCR joint verification exercise, as of 15 August. All persons above the age of 12 received an ID card and all households received a family certificate, which will be used for the provision of protection and assistance in Bangladesh. The exercise aims to consolidate a unified database for identity management, documentation, provision of protection and assistance, population statistics, and ultimately solutions.
Over 12,800 persons have been verified through the Government of Bangladesh and UNHCR joint verification exercise, as of 31 July. Recent dry weather has allowed for increased risk mitigation works as well as shelter upgrades and refugee relocations in the camps. A recent report on health facilities cited medical waste management as a key gap. Emergency water quality surveillance guidelines are under review to improve community engagement on monitoring. Space for emergency evacuations and sustainable relocations remain topline needs. Funding gaps continue to limit capacity.
Geneva – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, reports that 63,142 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2018 through 16 August, with 26,350 to Spain, the leading destination this year. This compares with 119,137 arrivals across the region through the same period last year, and 266,423 at this point in 2016.
Cox’s Bazar – A major environmental project to provide around 250,000 families with liquid petroleum gas (LPG) stoves and gas cylinders has been launched by UN agencies and the government in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, to help prevent further deforestation linked to the Rohingya refugee crisis.
Yemen – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, estimates Hudaydah’s displaced population has now reached an estimated 336,846 men, women and children due to a flare up in violence that began two months ago.
The world’s worst humanitarian crisis deteriorated further in June 2018 when a frontal assault on Hudaydah, Yemen’s main port city, led to the displacement of more than half of the city’s 600,000 population, according to IOM’s latest surveys of the population.
Almost three million people living in some of the most remote and dangerous areas of the world will be receiving meat as part of Islamic Relief’s Qurbani distributions, during the Eid Festival.
The international humanitarian and development organisation is distributing quality Qurbani meat in 35 countries across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, during Eid al-Adha, which this year is celebrated between 21-23 August.
Friday, August 17, 2018 — More than 4,000 migrants and refugees are currently gathered in informal squats and tent settlements in Bosnia and Herzegovina, just across the border from Croatia. Basic conditions at the two most crowded points along the border are alarmingly inadequate, made worse by a sluggish and inadequate institutional humanitarian response to the situation, warns Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The Sudanese capital of Khartoum, at the confluence of the White and Blue Nile, experienced torrential rains that lasted for several hours, causing extensive flooding in much of the city, forcing services, shops, and traffic to come to a halt.
In addition, the rains caused a number of houses to collapse and a number of vehicles to sink.
The rains stopped the movement in markets, pharmacies, street traffic and caused the absence of a large number of government and private sector employees.
Recurrent flooding along the Shabelle River in Southern Somalia has been one of the key challenges for agencies involved in community development in the area. The Shabelle River is worst affected owing to the topography of the area, uncontrolled irrigation activities and poor river basin management following the collapse of pre-war flood control infrastructure.
Press releases, 17.8.2018 World Humanitarian Day 19 August highlights civilians' dire situation
The World Humanitarian Day will be held next Sunday, 19 August. This year, special attention will be called to the difficult situation of civilians affected by acute conflicts in, for example Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Contrary to the rules of international law, millions of people fall targets of hostilities: civilians are targeted, hospitals and schools are looted and destroyed, and people do not get emergency relief.
Juba – South Sudan is one of the most dangerous and challenging places in the world to be an aid worker. Thousands of South Sudanese risk their lives every day to provide lifesaving assistance in their own communities, with millions of people facing unprecedented levels of humanitarian need since the crisis broke out in December 2013.
In a country beset by conflict, one can wake up and find an emergency suddenly strike in their own village, driving individuals to provide assistance in extremely difficult and challenging conditions.
Mogadishu, Somalia, 16 August 2018 (Mogadishu, Somalia) – UN-Habitat has launched a new training programme for youth in Somalia named ‘Project Rajo’, after the Somali word for ‘hope’, Project Rajo will provide training 400 young women and men aged between 15-35 years in construction, business, entrepreneurship and soft skills. It will be rolled out first in Garowe and Kismayo, followed by Mogadishu.
The South Sudan Humanitarian Access Review has been produced to provide a more comprehensive analysis of access incidents reported during the first half of the year (January to June 2018). Violence against personnel and assets has been featured as the most commonly reported, and often most severe, access constraint faced by partners in the field.
It has been the driest start to a summer in over 45 years in the UK. Yet, much of the country had water in reserve when it began, ensuring a continued safe supply for drinking and washing. Millions around the world are not that lucky: despite high rainfall, they go thirsty.
