Catastrophic Libya flood: Death toll in Derna rises to 5,200

Catastrophic Libya flood: Death toll in Derna rises to 5,200

In Libya, the death toll from stunning flood impacts brought by a fierce Mediterranean storm has now reached more than 5,200, according to interior minister Essam Abu Zariba of the country’s eastern government. The update, reported by the Libya Observer on Tuesday, also said thousands remain missing, with images from…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

C.A.R. violence forces step back for Doctors Without Borders

C.A.R. violence forces step back for Doctors Without Borders

Humanitarian aid workers with Doctors Without Borders are scaling back their work at a site in the Central African Republic due to continued violent attacks including armed robberies and sexual assault. The organizations said two “grave incidents” at their site in and around the town of Batangafo occurred in the…

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

USAID suspends aid to Ethiopia over food diversions

USAID suspends aid to Ethiopia over food diversions

The United States recently announced $416 million in new USAID funding for the Horn of Africa, much of which is destined for humanitarian aid in Ethiopia. But as of Thursday, that aid has been cut off due to what USAID and the Ethiopian government called “deeply concerning revelations of food…

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Ethiopia declares Tigray truce for humanitarian aid access

Ethiopia declared a truce in the Tigray region fighting on Thursday, citing the need for humanitarian aid that the government has long been accused of preventing or withholding. “Thousands from the Tigray region are trekking into neighboring regions in search of assistance,” said the Ethiopian statement. “The government believes that…

U.S. calls on Ethiopia to protect people, places

The United States appealed for improved humanitarian aid access and an end to conflict affecting civilians in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, one day after USAID Administrator Samantha Power visited Addis Ababa. “We call on the TPLF, we call on the Amhara regional forces, we call on the Eritrean Defence…

Humanitarian agencies plead for better mental health services

There is nowhere near enough mental health support for people in low- and middle-income countries who are caught in conflict and humanitarian crisis, according to leaders of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). In those countries,…

Nigeria sets up 5 regional flood response centers

Nigeria has activated five emergency command centers to better coordinate the response to deadly flooding, which has claimed more than 100 lives along the Niger and Benue rivers in the country’s southeast. The flooding has left some 600,000 people displaced, according to the European Union humanitarian aid office for emergency…

Thousands displaced after Somalia IDP camps are destroyed

The United Nations Special Representative for Somalia on Tuesday expressed concern over the dismantling of more than 23 settlements that served internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mogadishu. The camps, as well as some humanitarian resources, were destroyed late last week, leaving more than 4,000 IDP households without shelter – all…

In Comoros, Africa’s island nations talk disaster preparedness

Africa’s island nations in the Indian Ocean are increasingly vulnerable to natural disaster and need to urgently make a priority of their community resilience and preparedness, says the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). “The devastating humanitarian and economic impact of natural disasters…