On the 9th of May Israeli escalation against the Gaza Strip induced catastrophic humanitarian situation in the lives of the people living in Gaza. According to Palestinian ministry of health (MOH) on 13th May at 11:00 AM, 33 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, including 6 children and 3 women, and more than 190 were injured including 64 children and 38 women, many of them were serious injuries and might have a long-term disability that needs further interventions.

The initial governmental report showed that hundreds of housing units were totally destroyed or damaged, where hundreds of Palestinians have had to leave their homes in Gaza due to the ongoing air strikes targeting their homes which were completely, partially damaged or their houses at risky areas with a potential to be targeted by bombardment, multiple water and sanitation facilities and infrastructure were also damaged.

Access to the sea for fishing was suspended during the escalation affecting more than 4,400 fishers and their families, as well farmers were unable to safely access farmlands near the Israeli perimeter fence for irrigation, harvesting, feeding livestock and other essential activities, critically undermining their livelihoods, and leading to scarcity of fresh vegetables and other food commodities in local markets.

The hostilities continued until a ceasefire came into effect at 22:00 on 13 May. The ceasefire continues to largely hold, despite incidents involving the exchange of fire, shortly after the ceasefire.

ACT Palestine forum is preparing an RRF to respond to the needs of the affected communities. ACT member DSPR- NECC is getting ready to respond to this crisis with focus on sectors, Food and NFI’s, Health, and MHPSS.

Alert-Palestine- Gaza Escalation

Cyclone Mocha, described as the strongest in more than a decade, hit the coast of Myanmar and Bangladesh on the morning of Sunday, May 14. The resultant flooding has forced hundreds of thousands of individuals to evacuate their homes in both Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Almost 5.4 million people are estimated to have been in the path of the cyclone, enduring winds in excess of 90 kmph across Rakhine and the Northwest. Of these, nearly 3.2million are most vulnerable to the cyclone impact based on analysis of shelter quality, food insecurity and coping capacity.

As per initial reports immediate needs for relief items, shelter, food, health, and WASH support in the affected areas. Concern about waterborne disease outbreaks is high, and close monitoring will be critical. Explosive ordnance risk education and hygiene awareness will also be required, along with psychological support.

The State Administration Council (SAC) has declared 17 townships as severely affected areas and is preparing for a coordinated response. However, commercial flights are not currently allowed to reach Sittwe, and UNOCHA together with WFP and other organizations are organizing to get approval from SAC to reach affected population.

ACT Alliance members in Myanmar, Christian Aid, Finn Church Aid and Lutheran World Federation are currently present on the ground and conducting assessments.  

ACT Myanmar Forum -Alert Cyclone Mocha

On may 3^rd violence broke out in Manipur state of India after Naga and Kuki tribals organised a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ to protest moves to give scheduled tribe status to the majority Metei community. Internet services, including mobile internet, were suspended across the state and Section 144 was imposed in several violence-hit areas of the state to stop the violence.

More than 30,000 people have been displaced due to conflict to camps and shelter identified by the government and law enforcement agencies.

As these communities are not able to do business as usual There is a pressing necessity to provide immediate assistance to minimize loss of life and to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable are covered first. The violence has happened in the district of Imphal, Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Kangpokni, Tengnaupal. Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam and Bishnupur in the state of Manipur. The people need Food, Shelter and Sanitation to restore to their normal life. They may also need counselling and confidence building measures

ACT Manipur Alert Revised, 16th May

On April 15th, 2023, marked the day a violent power struggle broke out in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital city between the two main warring factions; the ruling militia regime (Sudanese Armed Forces-SAF) which is currently acting as the official Army of the country and a rival paramilitary force; the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The violence broke out due to high rising tension between the country’s most powerful generals, who jointly staged coup d’état in October 2021. As of 14^th May,2023, an estimated 900 civilians have been killed and a further 4,000+ injured, whereas an estimated 5 million Sudanese are internally displaced and 1 million flown to neighbouring countries.

Sudan: As a result of the war 936,000 people have been newly displaced including 736,200 people displaced internally and 200,000 who have crossed into neighbouring countries. Women and children represent 75 per cent of those affected by this conflict that have become more vulnerable. This includes an estimated 450,000 children who have fled their homes.

South Sudan: 59,229 (53% female,47%male) individuals had cross into South Sudan. 94% these are South Sudanese returnees. According to UNHCR estimates, between 125,000 and 180,000 South Sudanese and 45,000 Sudanese are expected to arrive in the next three months.

Ethiopia: More than 20,400 people have crossed Ethiopia’s Metema border and 5,300 in Almahal, Benishangul-Gumuz Region. Most of these are Ethiopian returnees.

Chad: The total number of refugee arrivals from Sudan has exceeded 50,000 (18,500male, 31,500 female) UNHCR projects a total of 100,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad by the end of May.

Egypt: 81,172 people have crossed into Egypt, including 76,135 Sudanese and 5,037 third-country nationals. It is estimated that up to 300,000 Sudanese people are expected to cross the Egyptian borders over the next few months.

ACT National Forums/ members of (Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, Egypt)  are preparing  an Sub regional response/ appeal to respond to the needs of the affected communities and countries of the Sudan crisis. ACT members NCA, LWF, CA,  Presbyterian Relief and Development Agency (PRDA), Mission 21, EECMY-DASSC, EoC-DICAC and BLESS, this includes DKH support to LWF Chad,  are getting ready to respond to the crisis with focus on sectors of Food security, Health, WASH Education, MHPSS, CASH, Protection and other sectors based on needed.

ACT Alert Sudan-Sub regional

Tropical Cyclone Freddy which is the longest-ever recorded cyclone, characterized by torrential rains, floods, and mudslides in Mozambique and southern Malawi has brought devastating effects. The Cyclone has caused severe flooding affecting homes, hampering access, and increasing the danger of flooding and death. Critical roads, electricity, and communication are destroyed in the most affected areas in Malawi and Mozambique. The floods and increasing water levels due to the rains are causing the displacement of people.  

Cyclone Freddy is a large-scale emergency that hit Malawi and Mozambique. Both countries’ governments are calling for international support. The persons affected are mainly poor rural farmers in both countries. 

he Cyclone has been razing buildings, damaging farmland, critical infrastructure (especially roads), and telecommunications, and causing severe flooding and landslides people have been forced from their homes and are displaced in schools and churches. Others are hosted by families. Livelihoods have been lost because the Cyclone has swept away/destroyed most farm crops and farmers were about to harvest their crops. Most farmers have also lost their livestock due to drowning.  

ACT Forum members in Malawi (CARD, ELDS) and ACT Forum member in Mozambique (DKH) are launching a regional appeal to respond to the effects of the Cyclone.

ACT Alert Malawi-Cyclone Freddy

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8, with at least 78 aftershocks have been reported followed by a second earthquake of 7.5 magnitude, at a depth of 17.925 km (11.14 miles) has occurred at Central Turkey near the city of Gaziantep, as reported by the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) of the USGS on February 06, 2023, 01:41:15 UTC. Preliminary analysis indicates that this is a very strong earthquake, and it is very shallow (shallower quakes generally tend to be more damaging than deeper quakes).

Widespread building collapse has been reported in southeast Turkey and northern Syria. The earthquake was also felt across Lebanon, Cyprus and the region while it is expected that aftershocks which may be at the same intensity as the initial earthquake will be felt for weeks. In Syria, there have been 783 deaths based on early reports (403 in the government-controlled areas and 380 in the uncontrolled areas), 1,315 injuries, and 4,000 damaged buildings and still hundreds of trapped civilians under the rubble.

Death toll has reached more than 1,500 based on the latest reports in Turkey, less than 24 hours after the disaster, and 2,300 have been injured and search and rescue operations are ongoing in several major cities, and a total of 1,718 collapsed buildings destroyed in Turkey’s Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras provinces, said Vice President Fuat Otkay.

The Syrian population was already deeply affected by the ongoing war and the economic collapse of the country and now, many people must deal with being displaced, losing their livelihood, and fighting the harsh winter conditions.

Due to the nature of this emergency, the forum is planning to respond , by requesting RRF as an emergency support and then may be followed by an appeal, based on the results of the assessment. Budgets have not been estimated as members are still conducting their assessments, which will be presented during the Emergency Steering Committee meeting.

ACT Alert- Syria_Turkey Earthquake

Reaching its thirteenth year of war, Syria remains a complex humanitarian and protection emergency both inside Syria and the neighboring countries. Jordan hosted more than 672,000 registered Syrian refugees, however the actual total is estimated at around 1.3 million when those not registered are considered. Around 90% of the Syrian refugees live outside the camps in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas, with almost 80% of the Syrian refugees live below the poverty line in Jordan. Most Syrian families are relying on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs.

The impact of Syrian’s refugee crisis on the Jordan’s economy is high. There are significant structural issues facing the Jordanian economy: insufficient revenue, costly subsidies and a large public sector, water scarcity, and dependence on energy imports. These continue to impact growth, and the situation of Jordanians, particularly in the hosting communities, is becoming more difficult. The crisis also has its huge impact on the socio-economic situation of Jordanians and other population segments such as Palestinian refugees and other refugee population. The crisis has incredible cost for Jordanian families, specifically the younger Jordanian workforce.

The crisis added increasing competition on natural resources and added more pressure on protected areas especially in the northern and eastern parts of the country. It has created more pressure on ecosystem goods and services and had very negative impact on waste management that increased by 30% which was generated because of receiving more than a million of Syrian refugees.

ACT Jordan forum is preparing an appeal to respond to the needs of the affected communities. ACT members: DSPR, ELCJHL, and MECC are getting ready to respond to the protracted humanitarian crisis with focus on sectors of Livelihoods, Food security, Health, Education, and Protection.

Alert-Humanitarian Protracted Crisis- Jordan

ACT-Alert-Tanzania Forum 5 Dec 2022 – Final

Tanzania for the past two years 2021-2022 have been characterized by a below average rainfall during the rainy seasons (March- May and October-December) the lowest ever experienced since 1970 causing a severe drought. The most affected regions are the northern-eastern coastlands/highlands. Drought condition is observed more frequently in parts of the northern and central regions.
The Ministry of livestock has reported at least 157,695 cattle, 48,290 goats,94,230 sheep’s, 6,135 donkeys and 8 camels have died in Coast, Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Manyara regions between September 2021 to January 2022 and recently at least 320 cattle and 250 goats have died due to drought in Tanzania’s northern region of Kilimanjaro between July and September 2022 .

The drought has affected harvest of major crops, increased crop pests, reduced availability of water and reduced pasture for livestock. Food prices have increased significantly, thus affecting the purchasing power of vulnerable members of the affected communities.
The Government of Tanzania identified gaps in response to the drought and developed the 2022-2023 Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). These gaps based on three hazards: Drought; Disease outbreak and pest outbreak.
The 2022-2023 planning envisions Drought in the following:
• Above 120,000 households require food assistance.
• Immediate agricultural response will be required to assist affected households with drought tolerant crops
• Government Strategic Grain Reserves (SGR) will not be sufficient to cater for the population due to the huge numbers of affected population.
• Response may be in form of food aid and cash transfers
• Protection services will be required to prevent and respond to violence in the home and abuse related to accessing food assistance and social support services; ensure equitable access to humanitarian services by vulnerable household