“I saw people fleeing, so I joined them,” recalls Yuri, 88, thinking back to the day he left Ukraine. “I arrived in Moldova alone, without family or children to turn to. »

Most days, Yuri spends time in the courtyard of a community mental health center in Chișinău, participating in therapeutic activities that help him deal with his emotions and loneliness.

“I feel good here, but everything is new for me in Moldova,” he says. “Sometimes it’s fun at the center. I also talk with the people who stay here, but I don’t really have any friends. Maybe it’s because I’m already old.”

Not far from Yuri, Ana, 73, often sits with her friend Alla, 79. Originally from Moldova, Ana lived in Odessa before the war, where she worked as a cleaner at the university.

“I loved cleaning,” she says. “When I was a child, I always helped my mother because she needed support to take care of my younger brother. »

When the war broke out, Ana’s family urged her to return to Chișinău. Although she was reunited with her loved ones, she struggled with sadness, anxiety and depression and eventually agreed to counseling.

Admitted in July 2023 with severe anxiety, insomnia and agitation, Ana gradually improved through counseling, art therapy, walks and group activities.

“I found my home here,” she said. “Now I’m not afraid anymore.”

Also at the center is 25-year-old Marharyta, known as Margo. Originally from Ukraine, she arrived in Moldova a year ago and has struggled with eating disorders since the age of 15.

When her condition worsened a few months ago, she realized she could no longer manage on her own and sought help.

In Ukraine, Margo earned a degree in applied mathematics, then taught children and worked as an analyst. The war forced her to abandon her family and her job, leaving her uncertain about her future.

“I never wanted to ask my family for help because I thought I was strong enough,” she says. “I was wrong. When I got here, I realized there were people willing to support me. Never be afraid to ask for help.”

Since the start of the war in February 2022, Moldova has been affected by thousands of Ukrainians crossing the border in search of safety.

Speaking ahead of World Mental Health Day celebrated annually on October 10, Arkady Astrakhan, director of the Chișinău Community Mental Health Center, said that “authorities mobilized across different sectors to coordinate the country’s response. This included the establishment of mental health services.”

Since 2023, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) supports the center by developing specialized mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) for Ukrainians, including mobile teams, counselling, social activities, art therapy, housing for vulnerable groups and a drug treatment programme.

IOM provides almost 90% of the center’s services, providing care for people with complex needs, supported by staff training in burnout prevention and psychosocial support.

“Even though new measures have been introduced to provide medical care to people displaced from Ukraine, those suffering from chronic or severe mental health problems still face serious gaps in services.

IOM has played an important role in filling these gaps,” says Astrakhan. “Supporting people with such complex needs can be challenging, but it is also deeply meaningful.”

An hour from Chișinău, IOM’s renovated mental health center in Orhei offers tailored support to people suffering from serious mental health problems.

Since the start of the war, 1,080 Ukrainians in Moldova have received specialized mental health support from IOM, through peer-to-peer initiatives led by health mediators who connected them with timely care.

In Moldova’s community centers, resilience takes many forms. For Yuri, it’s in small conversations that he feels less alone. For others, it’s therapy sessions or the quiet reassurance that support is nearby.

Together, their stories remind us that even in the shadow of war, healing is possible.

Substations, power plants and oil depots were damaged in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and Donetsk, temporarily cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in these regions.

“As colder weather sets in, strikes on critical infrastructure are worsening humanitarian needs. » warned Mr. Dujarric. “Despite the growing challenges, we continue, with our humanitarian partners, to support the response. »

In the first half of this year, UN partners provided essential care to almost a million people, while food and livelihood programs supported more than 1.1 million displaced and vulnerable families in the country.

Ukraine: off-site power to be restored to nuclear power plant

Meanwhile, following intensive consultations with the Russian Federation, a process has begun to restore external electricity to the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine, the International Atomic Energy Agency said (IAEA) director Rafael Mariano Grossi announced Thursday in a update.

On September 23, the ZNPP connection lost for the 10th time since Russia’s large-scale invasion of the country began in February 2022. Both sides blamed military activities for the damage.

Since then, ZNPP has been forced to rely on backup diesel generators to power its cooling pumps, challenging an already dangerous nuclear safety and security situation at the site.

Following the incident, Mr Grossi engaged with both parties on concrete proposals to enable the plant to receive the off-site energy needed to cool its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel.

“Although it will still be some time before the grid connection of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is restored, both sides have engaged with us constructively to achieve this important goal in the interests of nuclear safety and security,” he said. “No one stands to gain from further deterioration in this regard. »

The IAEA team on site continues to confirm that there has been no increase in temperature in the reactor coolant or spent fuel pools.

First voluntary humanitarian return flight for Syrian migrants in Libya

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) facilitated the voluntary return of 152 vulnerable Syrians from Libya to Damascus.

“IOM is expanding its operations and services in Syria with the primary objective of supporting the country’s recovery after years of conflict and ensuring a dignified and sustainable return of Syrians, whether internally displaced or returning from abroad. » said Othman Belbeisi, regional office director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Marking the first Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) flight to Syria organized by IOM in 2025, the Tripoli-Damascus flight was organized at the request of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and helped support families who had been living in Libya for more than a decade.

Strengthened presence

Since 2015, IOM Libya has helped more than 105,000 migrants return safely to their countries of origin.

“This flight demonstrates IOM’s continued commitment to voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable returns of the most vulnerable Syrian migrants,” said Eleonora Servino, the agency’s acting head of mission in Syria.

In July, IOM received approval from the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to re-establish its presence in Damascus and expand its operations nationally.

Active in northwest Syria since 2014, IOM continues to provide vital assistance and support programs, including displacement monitoring, protection, mental health and psychological support (MHPSS), shelter and relief.

On Thursday, the UN office of humanitarian affairs, OCHAreported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group allegedly opened fire on Tuesday and Wednesday on the Saudi hospital and a local mosque, where displaced families had sought shelter.

The Saudi hospital “is the city’s last functioning medical facility, serving thousands of war-affected people“, the agency said in a tweet.

Healthcare under attack

OCHA “strongly condemned” attacks and others carried out recently by the RSF in El Fasher – the last bastion under the control of the Khartoum government in the region, where famine was declared last year.

“Civilians must never be attacked,” OCHA said. “We once again echo the UN Secretary-General’s call for an immediate cessation of hostilities.”

The United Nations agency for reproductive health, UNFPA, said Tuesday’s attack targeted the maternity ward, killing 12 people and injuring many others, including patients and health workers.

“This is the third attack on the hospital in a week“, UNFPA said, calling for “an immediate end to hostilities, protection of civilians and health facilities, and safe and unhindered humanitarian access to provide life-saving assistance to those in desperate need.”

The inhabitants of El Fasher “are trapped, terrified and cut off from help, and their last lifeline to medical care is under threat“, declared UN spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, during the daily press briefing from New York.

“And it goes without saying that targeting hospitals must be condemned and never acceptable. »

City under siege

El Fasher has been under siege for more than a year.

In recent months, the RSF – formerly the Janjaweed militias responsible for atrocities against non-Arab communities in Darfur in the early 2000s – have stepped up artillery bombardments and drone attacks in a bid to capture the city.

Beyond Darfur, Sudan remains mired in a civil war that has raged since April 2023. It has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 30 million people in need of assistance.

Around 12 million people have been displaced, with more than four million fleeing to neighboring countries like Chad, the Central African Republic and beyond.

Conflicts, clashes and displacements

The fighting is now aggravated by community clashes. On October 7 and 8, field teams from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded some 250 people displaced from the town of Kernoi, near the border with Chad, following an intra-communal conflict between members of the Zaghawa tribe, one of the four main non-Arab communities in the region.

Civilians continue to flee El Fasher and the neighboring Zamzam camp, where the population has fallen by 70 percent in the past six months.

Humanitarians estimate that the number of people residing in the area fell from 700,000 in March to 200,000 in September.

Thousands of families have fled to neighboring towns like Tawila, which is now home to some 600,000 displaced people.

While the UN and its partners remain committed to supporting the people of El Fasher and across Sudan, Mr. Dujarric stressed the need for safe humanitarian access, greater protection of civilians and an immediate humanitarian pause in and around the city.