World News in Brief: Sudan famine latest, weekend attacks in Ukraine, Tanzania Marburg virus update

A UN aid convoy is on its way in southern Sudan to the strategically important city of Wad Madani, carrying food and nutrition supplies for families at risk of famine. 

In an alert on Monday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that the trucks will be the first from the UN agency to reach Wad Madani in over a year, since conflict spread there at the end of 2023.

But “they must arrive safely”, the WFP insisted.

Battlefield development

That comes after the Sudanese Armed Forces – the national army – reportedly reclaimed Wad Madani from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who they’ve been battling for control of the country since April 2023.

The conflict has involved the use of heavy artillery, fighter jets and drones. 

It has killed at least 29,600 people and caused one of the world’s biggest displacement crises across the region, with around 11.5 million uprooted inside the country, 3.2 million refugees, and famine declared in parts of northeast Sudan.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also demanded urgent action from the international community to address the worsening famine. 

Wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities met with swift humanitarian response

The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Monday that further civilian casualties were sustained in Ukraine over the weekend following attacks in the densely populated cities of Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia.

According to local authorities “the hostilities also disrupted basic services and damaged civilian infrastructure,” said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, at the regular daily briefing in New York. 

Dozens more were reportedly killed and injured in front-line areas in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

Swift response

“Humanitarian workers swiftly responded wherever security permitted,” Mr. Haq added.  

Aid was provided to civilians who had come under attack in Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia. Humanitarians provided building materials to cover shattered windows, plus psychological and legal support to affected residents.  

Aid Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, on Friday allocated $70 million from the UN’s Ukraine Humanitarian Fund – which provides aid on the ground – to support the 2025 Needs and Response Plan. 

“The funds will aid newly displaced people, provide essential services in frontline areas, and strengthen local organizations, including those supporting women’s rights, people with disabilities, and marginalized communities,” Mr Haq said. 

Last week, two inter-agency convoys delivered essential aid to front-line areas including Pokrov in Dnipropetrovska and communities in Kherson. Both regions have been heavily impacted by the fighting.

Supplies included food, medicine, hygiene kits, blankets, and solar lamps for residents, many of whom are older or have disabilities. 

Marburg virus alert: WHO’s Tedros advises against travel restrictions

The head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has advised against travel restrictions linked to the Marburg virus outbreak in Tanzania.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “considering the low global risk and the strong capabilities of the Tanzanian Government”, the UN agency’s assessment was that there should not be restrictions on trade and travel to the East African nation.

The WHO chief met Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday to assess the situation and support ongoing efforts. 

Confirmed case

Tedros’s comments came as Tanzania confirmed an outbreak of Marburg disease in northwestern Kagera region with one case confirmed. 

At least nine suspected cases have already been reported and eight people have died. 

Healthworkers were among those affected, and patients presented with similar symptoms including high fever, back pain, diarrhoea and vomiting with blood.

This is the second reported outbreak of the disease in Kagera – the first was almost two years ago, in March 2023, in which a total of nine cases and six deaths were reported. 

Previously, the WHO has said that animal carriers of the disease such as fruit bats remain in the area.

Tedros said that following the outbreak, the Tanzanian authorities had scaled up their response by enhancing case detection, setting up treatment centres and a mobile laboratory to test samples. National response teams have also been deployed.

To support Tanzania’s response, the WHO has released $3 million from its emergencies fund.