Day: March 20, 2022

In the context of the increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths reported mainly from countries in the WHO Regions of Africa, Europe, and the Western Pacific, the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) recommends Member States continue to prepare for and respond to a potential similar increase within the countries and territories in the Region of the Americas.

Situation Summary

Following 12 consecutive weeks of a substantial increase in weekly reported cases at the global level, a declining trend in COVID-19 cases has been observed since epidemiological week (EW) 4 of 2022, and in deaths (since EW 6 of 2022). However, in EW 10 of 2022, a relative increase in the global number of new cases was reported, as a result of increases in 3 of the 6 WHO Regions: Western Pacific (29%), Africa (12%), and Europe (2%)(1) (Figure 1).

At the global level, the countries that reported the largest relative increase in new cases during EW 10 of 2022 were: Viet Nam (65%), the Republic of Korea (44%), the Netherlands (42%), and Germany (22%) (1). Additionally, at the global level, the variant of concern (VOC) Omicron is currently the predominant circulating variant and has displaced VOC Delta. Among the total number of sequences published in the GISAID platform in the last 30 days, 99% corresponded to VOC Omicron and 0.1% to VOC Delta. As of 18 March 2022, most of the VOC Omicron sequences published in the GISAID platform correspond to the BA.1 (45.3%) and BA.1.1 (37.8%) sublineages, while BA.2 accounts for 16.6% and BA.3 accounts for 0.03% of the VOC Omicron sequences (Figure 2) (1, 2).

Source: World Health Organization

A United Nations watchdog panel is warning that South Sudan could plunge into massive violence if elections are held before the government implements constitutional provisions aimed at solidifying the country’s shaky peace agreement. The three-member Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has submitted its latest report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

South Sudan has had a three-year transitional period to implement provisions of the Revitalized Peace Agreement ending the country’s civil war, which was to be followed by general elections in 2023.

However, Commission members say key areas of the peace agreement remain unimplemented. They say that and continuing violent conflict in parts of the country, as well as widespread, systematic human rights violations, preclude the possibility of free and fair elections.

The commission’s chair, Yasmin Sooka, said the conflict has displaced 4 million people both within the country and as refugees in neighboring countries. She said nearly 9 million people need humanitarian aid. She said the government is riddled with corruption and the country’s treasury is being looted by the political elite.

She said civil rights are repressed, with human rights activists and journalists routinely facing death threats and arbitrary detention. She said conflict-related sexual violence against women and girls is widespread and systematic throughout South Sudan.

“In this climate of fear and terror, how can we talk about constitution-making, elections, and transitional justice? Are national consultations even possible? …The growing political crisis threatens to exacerbate the existing humanitarian and human rights crises, which cause widespread suffering and makes the life of many South Sudanese unbearable,” said Sooka.

Commission member Andrew Clapham said core elements of a constitution are not yet agreed to. He said both constitution-making and elections require considerable legal, institutional, security and logistical arrangements. He said all are yet to be established.

“Beyond these key legal and procedural considerations, it is critical to recognize the risks of further polarization and political violence around these elections, particularly when insufficient groundwork has been laid for the process. The consequences of a rushed poll, within a contested political system and without requisite security and democratic conditions in place, could indeed be disastrous,” said Clapham.

South Sudan’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Ruben Madol Arol disputes the Commission’s claims. He said his government is making progress in the implementation of the provisions in the Revitalized Agreement.

However, he said lack of outside support is hindering progress in this regard. He said South Sudan needs technical assistance and capacity-building to move the process forward. He appeals to the U.N. Council and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide these tools.

Source: Voice of America

Executive summary

A large and severe drought has been affecting the western Euro-Mediterranean region. Dry conditions in the Iberian Peninsula are related to an acute lack of precipitation in the first two months of 2022, preceded by a substantial deficit in the last months of 2021. Over the coastal regions of northern Africa and over Andalucía the drought can be attributed to a longer period of below-average precipitation, most likely overlapping with the recent and intense drought event.

The vegetation response in the region still shows better than normal conditions, thanks to a slightly warmer than usual winter season. However, the lack of precipitation may cause severe impacts in spring and summer. In northern Africa, the persistent drought conditions already caused bad vegetation conditions.

The severe precipitation deficit is already posing a threat to water resources and livestock, while heavy impacts on crops and reservoir storage are expected if the drought conditions will persist.

Severely drier than normal conditions are forecasted in the western Euro-Mediterranean region. These forecasts currently represent the main concern, as they point to a possible evolution of the ongoing drought into an extreme event. Monitoring such evolution in the next months is essential for risk and impact assessment.

Source: European Commission – Joint Research Centre

At least $1.2 billion is needed to help 2.3 million South Sudanese refugees and communities sheltering in five countries, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and 102 humanitarian and developmental agencies said.

The South Sudan refugee crisis is Africa’s largest and the response to it is one of the least-funded humanitarian operations. An estimated 2.3 million people have fled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda.

Mathew Saltmarsh, the UN refugee spokesman said those countries are poor, suffer from many of the same problems as does South Sudan and can ill-afford to care for the masses of impoverished refugees.

“South Sudan continues to grapple with sporadic violence, chronic food insecurity and the devastating impact of major flooding. The COVID-19 pandemic has also strained people’s resources, asylum countries are facing similar challenges from the climate crisis and the pandemic but have continued to keep their doors open for refugees,” he said.

Saltmarsh said the host countries need support to provide food, shelter, and essential services, such as education and health care.

The UN says women and girls in South Sudan are subject to gender-based violence, rape and conflict-related sexual violence. Saltmarsh said the UNHCR and partners will scale up programs to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.

They will provide mental health and psycho-social support to victims of abuse, he noted.

“This follows a worrying rise in reports of depression over the last year, especially among refugees in Kenya and Uganda. It remains, of course, as you know a children’s crisis, with 2 out of 3 South Sudanese refugees being under the age of 18,” said the UN official.

“Funding is required for child protection including to ensure proper birth registration and family reunification,” he added.

A civil war that broke out in South Sudan in December 2013 killed over 400,000 people and displaced nearly 4 million into neighbouring countries.

Source: Radio Dabanga

Constitution-making offers a critical tool for addressing root causes of persistent conflict and insecurity in South Sudan, a United Nations Commission on Human Rights official said Friday.

Yasmin Sooka, who heads the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, made the remarks at a session of the UN Human Rights Council.

“Done well, it can provide an agreed basis for an improved political system where conflict can be better resolved without resort to violence. Handled poorly, this may embed existing grievances and sow the seeds of future conflict”, explained Sooka.

She added, “The consequences of a rushed poll, within a contested political system, and without requisite security and democratic conditions in place, could indeed be disastrous”.

The Human Rights Council, which is sitting until April 1, will decide whether to renew the mandate of the commission, established in March 2016, for another year.

Sooka said that the conflict that arose about 10 years after South Sudan’s 2011 independence had left 8.9 million people in need – with more than 1.4 million children and 483,000 women suffering malnutrition.

She cited the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) estimated 1.7 million people in South Sudan who are battling emergency hunger levels across 35 counties.

“While the international community made $10million available to South Sudan to address the humanitarian crisis, and 80,000 bags of rice for distribution to those affected by the floods, sadly the money and the rice intended for those most at risk were looted by predatory political elites,” Sooka told the Council on Friday.

The commissioner expressed concerns that some key areas of the revitalized peace agreement signed in 2018 remain unimplemented.

“Unless the Revitalized Agreement is fully implemented with the support and accompaniment of the African Union, the United Nations, regional and international partners and guarantors of the peace process, the aspirations of South Sudan’s people for sustainable peace will remain unfulfilled,” she observed.

The UN Security Council has already extended the mandate its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for an additional one year.

Source: Radio Dabanga