Announcing the development, the UN’s top aid official, Tom Fletcher, said that the trucks contained lifesaving food, medicine, and tents – all desperately needed by Gazans after more than 15 months of constant Israeli bombardment.

The UN emergency relief chief’s comments came as he prepared to join an aid convoy crossing into northern Gaza.

In recent days, he has held “practical discussions” with the Israeli authorities in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem “to keep lifesaving UN aid moving into Gaza at scale”. This includes COGAT – the Israeli body responsible for approving requests to deliver aid into Gaza and the West Bank – and the Israel Foreign Ministry.

Clearing rubble to live

According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, more than half a million people have returned to north Gaza since the ceasefire began. Needs for food, water, sanitation, healthcare and tents are enormous, with some returning to former homes with shovels to clear the rubble, according to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

In an update, the UN World Health Organization (WHO), said that it had received 63 trucks of medical supplies from aid partners to replenish its three warehouses in Gaza.

In addition, more than 100 sick and injured patients have also been evacuated to Egypt for urgent medical treatment since the temporary ceasefire came into effect, while OCHA noted that primary and secondary health services are being provided throughout the Strip.

Five ambulances entered Gaza to strengthen emergency response capacity on Tuesday, OCHA said in an update.

Food production boosted

The UN aid coordination agency noted that across Gaza, 22 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) are now operational.

The WFP has also provided nutrient supplements to more than 80,000 children and pregnant or breastfeeding women across Gaza, since the ceasefire took effect and UNICEF has continued distributing nutrition support for infants.

“Humanitarian partners have screened more than 30,000 children under the age of five for malnutrition since the ceasefire took effect. Of those screened, 1,150 cases of acute malnutrition have been identified, including 230 cases of severe acute malnutrition,” OCHA said.

In addition, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) distributed nearly 100 metric tons of animal feed to support herders in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, benefiting hundreds of people working in the agricultural sector.

To sustain learning activities across the Strip, education partners have established three new temporary learning spaces yesterday in Gaza, Rafah and Khan Younis governorates, to 200 school-aged children.

Ceasefire push 

The aid build-up came as the Secretary-General on Wednesday pushed for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all remaining hostages in the enclave, while strongly rejecting the suggestion that Gazans should be resettled outside their homeland.

“In the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse. It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law. It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing,” Guterres told  the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, which met to set out its programme of work for the year. “We must reaffirm the two-State solution,” he said.

Underlining the Secretary-General’s comments, the UN High Commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, said that “any deportation or forced transfer of persons without legal basis is strictly forbidden”.

Clementine Nkweta-Salami said the latest outbreak of hostilities in South Kordofan’s capital, Kadugli, has reportedly claimed at least 80 civilian lives and left scores more injured.

She condemned the reported use of women and children as human shields there, along with the obstruction of humanitarian aid and the detention of civilians including children.

Humanitarian needs also remain critical in Blue Nile, where the threat of violence and reports of mass mobilization for conflict again risks further violence.

Deeper crises looms

The worsening insecurity threatens to plunge both states into an even deeper crisis, according to the top aid official.

She said that for too long, civilians have been unable to access life-saving assistance and basic services due to a severe lack of medical supplies, limited humanitarian access and the ongoing conflict.

“This is a critical moment, as the consequences of food insecurity are already being felt in parts of South Kordofan, where families are surviving on dangerously limited food supplies, and malnutrition rates are rising sharply,” she stressed.

More will suffer

Ms. Nkweta-Salami warned that if the fighting continues, more people will be left without access to vital aid, human suffering will deepen, and more lives will be lost.

The Sudanese army and military rivals the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in deadly fighting for control of Africa’s third largest country since April 2023.

Ms. Nkweta-Salami called for all parties to the conflict to de-escalate tensions, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and allow humanitarians safe and unrestricted access to those in need. 

Despite security challenges, UN agencies and peacekeepers have pledged to stay and deliver amid rising deaths and injuries alongside an alarming spread of highly contagious mpox and other endemic diseases as the rainy season intensifies.

Here’s what you need to know about how the UN, its peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies are helping on the ground in this central African country of 105 million people, many currently facing urgent multipronged crises.

Humanitarian assistance

Operating in DRC since 1960, when the country declared its independence from Belgium’s colonial rule and became a UN Member State, UN field agencies have served those in need, from education and lifesaving vaccines to food and shelter for people displaced by the current spiralling violence. The country has been caught in cycles of violence over the decades with an uptick of violence in the early 2000s and the emergence of the M23 armed group.

Even though recent deadly clashes led to the deaths of peacekeepers and the temporary relocation of non-essential UN staff from North Kivu in the eastern region last week, the UN emergency relief agency, OCHA, reports that teams are currently on the ground, where they say needs are growing.

Just a few details for context:

Food to shelter

In a deteriorating environment, food insecurity is on the rise as other health, shelter and living conditions worsen. For example:

• Currently, 2.7 million people face severe food insecurity in the eastern towns of Ituri and North and South Kivu, OCHA reported. As such, the agency is currently working with such partners as the UN food agency (WFP), UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to deliver lifesaving aid, from groceries to medical supplies and services.
• The UN refugee agency, UNCHR, is providing protection and assistance to those forced to flee.
• The UN human rights agency, OHCHR, is connecting those in need with UN partners.

• Meanwhile, the UN migration organization, IOM, is supporting displaced and host communities in and around Goma by providing emergency shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services and camp coordination and management services. It is also monitoring population movements through its displacement tracking matrix, which informs humanitarian agencies of critical information for effective response efforts.

  A three-week-old girl suffering from mpox in the emergency room at Kavumu Hospital in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (file)

Public health ‘nightmare’

• The UN health agency reported that repeated mass displacement has created a public health “nightmare” with ideal conditions for the spread of many endemic diseases, from cholera to mpox, in camps and communities around North and South Kivu. WHO teams remain in place to deliver much-needed healthcare services as hospitals are overwhelmed by growing numbers of patients injured by the ongoing violence. Thousands of doses of mpox vaccines are stockpiled and ready to be administered.
• The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is responding to urgent needs, including deliveries of emergency medical kits to hospitals in Goma to treat more than 50,000 people affected by the violence.
• A breakdown in healthcare infrastructure has also led maternal mortality rates to soar, with three women dying every hour from pregnancy or childbirth complications, and recurrent kidnappings, rape and exploitation continue to be wielded as weapons of war against women and girls, according to the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA.
• While the agency suspended staff travel to camps for displaced people due to the security crisis, UNFPA continues to provide lifesaving support, from mobile clinics to rapidly adapting to respond to the needs of the newly displaced. However, due to swiftly growing needs, these and other UN agencies are calling for urgent support to fund emergency operations.

To support the DRC Humanitarian Fund, click here.

Peacekeeping operations

The UN peacekeeping mission, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, was mandated by the Security Council in 2010 to assist the Congolese Government in protecting civilians and humanitarians as well as help with its peace and stabilisation efforts.  Peacekeeping operations are often located in conflict areas but their responsibilities and those of the humanitarian agencies are distinct, although complementary, in terms of protecting and meeting the needs of civilians.

Read our explainer on UN peacekeeping history in DRC, dating back to 1960, here.

While the 11,500 UN Blue Helmets were meant to disengage by 2025, the Security Council renewed the mandate at the request of the government in late December.

Weeks later, MONUSCO chief Bintou Keita told the Security Council in an emergency meeting held on Sunday, 26 January that “we are trapped.”

Over the last week, M23 combatants have killed almost 20 peacekeepers serving with the UN and the South African Development Community (SADC) mission in the country, both mandated to provide combat support for the Congolese armed forces.

UN peacekeepers patrol in Goma past discarded military uniforms.

Working closely with Congolese authorities

In line with its civilian protection mandate, the UN mission has enhanced its support to the Congolese armed forces, FARDC, and is actively participating in combat along with the SADC security mission in the country, the UN mission chief explained to the Council.

Since then, the MONUSCO chief has held discussions with top officials, including the prime minister and the leaders of the army and police. A joint government-MONUSCO group has also been established to coordinate on various issues, including in the security, human rights, humanitarian and communications spheres as well as the legal status of the territories under the control of the M23.

Learn more about MONUSCO here.

Residents of Bunia, DRC, protesting the capture by the M23 rebel group of Goma in 2012. (file)

Addressing the roots of the crises

The clashes in the east date back to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in neighbouring Rwanda. The sporadic fighting has been deadly and vicious, as shown in the Congolese military court’s landmark case against armed group leader Sheka, which was instrumental in recognising rape as a war crime.

Watch our award-winning documentary on bringing a war criminal to justice here.

The crisis remains partly rooted in the rare mineral deposits dotting the border areas of DRC and Rwanda. DRC’s vast deposits of precious metals, gems and rare minerals include gold and diamonds along with key components used in making mobile phones and other electronic devices.

Coltan, tin, tantalum, tungsten and others are known as conflict minerals, which are mined and sold by armed groups to finance their militias.

Find more details on this sinister trend in the December report of the Security Council’s group of experts on DRC here.

The temporary agreement to stop the fighting and release hostages brought an end to some 15 months of conflict and destruction in the Strip, following the brutal Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel of 7 October 2023.

The truce came into force on 19 January and OCHA said the surge in the daily entry of supplies into Gaza since then, along with improved access conditions, have allowed humanitarians to meaningfully expand the delivery of lifesaving assistance and services across the enclave.

Moreover, coordination with the Israeli authorities for humanitarian aid missions is mostly no longer required, except when entering buffer zones. 

Food and healthcare delivery expands

“As a result, humanitarian partners are adjusting their response in accordance with population movements, including by expanding their operational presence and services in areas that were previously hard or impossible to access, such as Rafah, Gaza and North Gaza governorates,” OCHA said.

Needs remain dire in Gaza, where the war has left over two million people fully dependent on food assistance, homeless, and without any income.

Over the past two weeks, the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered more than 10 million metric tonnes of food to the Strip, reaching roughly a million people through food parcel distributions to households. 

This is in addition to expanding bread deliveries at bakeries and community kitchens and re-opening a community kitchen in North Gaza on 24 January.  

WFP also delivered fuel that enabled the five bakeries in Gaza governorate that it supports to increase production capacity by 40 per cent to meet the growing demand.

Furthermore, 25 emergency medical teams are operating as of Tuesday, with 22 in the centre and south, two in Gaza City, and one in North Gaza. 

On the move

OCHA noted that since 27 January, population movements have continued across the Strip but have largely slowed down.

Over 565,092 people have crossed from the south to the north, while more than 45,678 have been heading southwards due to the lack of services and the widespread destruction of homes and communities in the north.

It is estimated that more than half a million people have returned to Gaza and North Gaza governorates, and the need for food, water, tents and shelter materials remains critical.

Shelter concerns

“Despite the entry of a large volume of supplies since the ceasefire took effect, priority was given to food during the first two weeks, significantly limiting the entry of shelter assistance,” OCHA said, citing partners working in the sector.

Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported bringing at least 3,000 tents into northern Gaza on Monday, and an additional 7,000 tents are expected to arrive in the coming days.

Highlighting other developments, OCHA said this past Sunday saw the start of medical evacuations through Rafah crossings into Egypt. Between 1 and 3 February, 105 patients, including 100 children, and 176 companions were evacuated. 

Hostage releases continue

The update also included details on hostage releases. Hamas and other groups killed around 1,200 people in the 7 October attacks on Israel. They also seized some 250 others, both Israelis and foreigners, who were taken to Gaza.

OCHA said estimates indicate that 79 people currently remain captive, including hostages who have been declared dead and whose bodies are being withheld in Gaza.

Over the past week, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) facilitated the third and fourth release operations since the ceasefire took hold.

On 30 January, three Israeli and five Thai hostages were transferred from Gaza to Israeli authorities, and 110 Palestinian detainees were released from Israeli detention centres. Among the Palestinian detainees were 30 children as well as 20 prisoners from the West Bank who were released to the Gaza Strip. 

The following day, three Israeli hostages were transferred out of Gaza to Israel, and 183 Palestinian detainees were released from Israeli detention centres. The Palestinians freed included 111 people who were detained from the Gaza Strip after 7 October and seven detainees who were released to Egypt. 

Overall, the ICRC has facilitated the return of 18 hostages and 583 Palestinian detainees since the ceasefire began.