World News in Brief: Possible ‘dire consequences’ for Yemen following strikes, Ukraine hospital attack, human rights in Algeria

This article is published in association with United Nations

UN humanitarians on Monday warned of the potentially dire consequences that could arise from disruption to the flow of food imports into Yemen following Israeli strikes on the crucial Red Sea port of Hudaydah.

Aid coordination office, OCHA, said it was assessing priority areas for response in Yemen given that the war-ravaged population rely on imports of fuel and food through both Hudaydah and the nearby port of Ras Issa.

Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the UN noted with concern the claim by the Houthis – who control the ports along with the capital Sana’a and much of the rest of the country – that they had launched missiles and drone attacks on Tel Aviv and Ashkelon in recent days.

Rain spells more suffering in Gaza

OCHA also warned that without unimpeded access, aid organizations will be unable to adequately prepare for the rainy season in Gaza, as Israel continues its bombing and ground war against Hamas.

The agency said rain and flooding “will only worsen the already dire living conditions in Gaza, raising the risk of health hazards, and may prompt further displacement of hundreds of thousands of people,” said Mr. Dujarric, briefing journalists in New York.

Many of the 215 temporary learning spaces serving nearly 34,000 children in Gaza stand to be severely affected by flooding.

“We, along with our humanitarian partners have developed a Winterization Plan to address the most critical needs of more than 2.1 million people in Gaza during the rainy season, which will be their second, given that we are close to the first year mark of the conflict”, the UN Spokesperson continued.

“This plan targets more than 850,000 people across nearly 50 neighbourhoods in flood-prone areas.”

Around $242 million is required to improve shelter conditions, provide warm clothing and blankets, and redirect floodwaters away from critical infrastructure and dumping sites.

Ukraine hospital attack condemned

UN humanitarians on Monday condemned Russian attacks on Sumy city in the northeast of the country over the weekend that damaged a hospital.

Matthias Schmale, the top UN aid official in Ukraine, said that the Russian military strikes killed and injured several people. He insisted that health centres must not be targeted.

Local officials reported that nine had been killed in the twin drone strikes on the northeastern city close to the Russian border, with 12 injured and more than 120 evacuated for their own safety.

Mr. Schmale’s comments came amid continuing violence on Monday, including a reported wave of drone attacks on Kyiv and protective air defence manoeuvres launched in response, according to the Ukraine military.

Outside the capital, media indicated explosions as Russia launched drone and guided bombs attack on Zaporizhzhia that damaged railways and buildings, while in Russia, Ukrainian armed forces reportedly shelled the Belgorod region.

Algerian court urged to reverse ‘abusive sentence’ against poet

Authorities in Algeria were on Monday urged by top independent human rights experts to reverse a prison sentence handed down to a poet for supporting widespread protests against the Government.

Djamila Bentouis received a two-year prison sentence and 100,000 Algerian dinars fine (worth around $750) for participating in the Hirak social protest movement via her songs and poetry recitals.

Initial charges levelled against Ms. Bentouis accused her of belonging to a terrorist entity.

Call for reform

The Hirak demonstrations began in February 2019 – initially against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika – but evolved into demands for political reforms and other freedoms.

The independent experts who include Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, said that the criminal charges against Ms. Bentouis appeared “directly linked” to her wish to exercise her right to freedom of expression.

The experts – who are not UN staff and receive no salary for their work – also expressed their hope that Algeria “will abide by its international obligations to guarantee the right to freedom of expression” when the appeals court considers the case on Wednesday.