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WHO Preparing to Evacuate Employees from Sudan

WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Ahmad al-Mandhari. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Ahmad al-Mandhari. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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WHO Preparing to Evacuate Employees from Sudan

WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Ahmad al-Mandhari. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Ahmad al-Mandhari. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that it was working on evacuating its non-essential staff and their families from Sudan.

WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Ahmad al-Mandhari told Asharq Al-Awsat that the health and humanitarian situation in Sudan was becoming more dangerous.

The health ministry said 18 health workers have already been killed in the fighting.

Al-Mandhari said the WHO was focusing on evacuating the non-essential staff given the severe water shortage, electricity cuts and shortage of supplies of basic goods.

He stressed that essential staff will remain to offer all forms of support possible to save lives and limit the impact of the crisis on people’s health, especially with the rising death toll and number of wounded.

The situation will only get worse after 20 health care centers were forced to stop operating, he added. Thirteen of the centers are located in the capital, Khartoum.

Twelve other centers are on the verge of being forced to stop operating given the attacks on health facilities, he warned.

He predicted that the death toll from infectious diseases and malnutrition will rise.

The World Food Program has suspended its operations given its inability to access the local market, al-Mandhari said, warning that this will have a major impact on health needs.

Around a third of the population was suffering from hunger even before the conflict erupted, he remarked. Some 50,000 children are suffering from severe malnutrition and need constant care.

The WHO said it was expecting outbreaks of cholera after some water stations stopped operating.

Some 24,000 pregnant women were expected to deliver their babies in the coming weeks, but they will be unable to access the proper health care they need, warned al-Mandhari.

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Lebanon Sends Message of Confidence with First Local Elections

A Lebanese man casts his ballot during the Municipal elections at a polling station in Deir El Qamar, in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, 04 May 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
A Lebanese man casts his ballot during the Municipal elections at a polling station in Deir El Qamar, in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, 04 May 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Lebanon Sends Message of Confidence with First Local Elections

A Lebanese man casts his ballot during the Municipal elections at a polling station in Deir El Qamar, in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, 04 May 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
A Lebanese man casts his ballot during the Municipal elections at a polling station in Deir El Qamar, in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, 04 May 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Lebanon completed the first phase of its municipal and mayoral elections on Sunday, in a vote overseen by political and security authorities and hailed by officials as transparent.

The polls mark the country’s first electoral process under President Joseph Aoun, who sought to reassure voters that “the state is serious about safeguarding their right to express their views through the ballot box.”

Aoun described the vote’s integrity as a “message of trust to the world that Lebanon is beginning to recover, rebuild its institutions, and is now on the right track.”

Sunday’s vote covered Mount Lebanon province, the most populous region in the country.

The area includes a mix of religious and political affiliations, including Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold heavily damaged during Israel’s bombardment in the latest war on Lebanon.

Aoun made a field visit on Sunday to oversee Lebanon’s first municipal and mayoral elections since 2016, following years of delays caused by the country’s prolonged political and economic crises.

The president began his tour at the Ministry of Interior, where he met with Interior Minister Ahmed Al-Hajjar and Justice Minister Adel Nassar. The discussions focused on measures in place to safeguard the electoral process from any security or legal disruptions.

Both ministers assured the president of their full preparedness to address any challenges that may arise during the first phase of the vote, held in Mount Lebanon province.

Speaking to staff in the central operations room, Aoun called for “active and serious efforts” to ensure a smooth electoral process and to reassure citizens that the state is committed to protecting their right to vote freely.

He also urged voters to participate in large numbers and resist pressures based on sectarian, political or financial influences. “Do not let sectarian, partisan, or monetary factors sway your choice,” Aoun said.

Local elections were held across the districts of Jbeil, Keserwan, Metn, Aley, Baabda, and Chouf - areas where family and clan loyalties often outweigh political or sectarian affiliations in Lebanon’s complex electoral landscape.

As of late afternoon, with three hours remaining before polls closed, the Interior Ministry reported varying voter turnout rates across Mount Lebanon province.

Keserwan led with more than 53% turnout, followed by Jbeil nearing 50%. Aley registered 36.66%, Chouf 38%, Baabda 33.11%, and Northern Metn around 33%.