عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Ukraine Asks UN, ICRC to Join Humanitarian Effort in Russia’s Kursk Region

In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, a Russian soldier fires Msta-B howitzer toward a Ukrainian position in the Russian - Ukrainian border area in ​​the Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)
In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, a Russian soldier fires Msta-B howitzer toward a Ukrainian position in the Russian - Ukrainian border area in ​​the Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)
TT
TT

Ukraine Asks UN, ICRC to Join Humanitarian Effort in Russia’s Kursk Region

In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, a Russian soldier fires Msta-B howitzer toward a Ukrainian position in the Russian - Ukrainian border area in ​​the Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)
In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, a Russian soldier fires Msta-B howitzer toward a Ukrainian position in the Russian - Ukrainian border area in ​​the Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)

Ukraine said on Monday it had asked the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to join humanitarian efforts in Russia's Kursk region following a cross-border incursion by Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine's army remains in the Kursk region more than a month after launching the assault, in which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Kyiv has taken control of about 100 settlements.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had instructed his ministry to formally invite the UN and ICRC to work in the Kursk region when he visited the northeast Ukrainian region of Sumy on Sunday. The ministry confirmed that it had issued the requests.

"Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and prove its adherence to international humanitarian law," Sybiha said on X after the visit to Sumy, from where Ukrainian forces launched the cross-border attack.

He said the Ukrainian army was ensuring humanitarian assistance and safe passage to civilians in the Kursk region.

The Foreign Ministry said in a written statement that the invitations had been issued to the ICRC and UN, "taking into account the humanitarian situation and the need to properly ensure basic human rights in the territory of the Kursk region."

The ministry said it had asked the ICRC to monitor Ukraine's compliance with the principles of international humanitarian law in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, which cover the protection of victims of international armed conflicts.

Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, did not immediately comment on the invitations. It was not immediately clear how or whether the UN or ICRC had responded.

Russia's state-run RIA news agency reported on Monday that ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric had arrived on a visit to Moscow and planned to meet Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Last week, Russian shelling killed three Ukrainians working for the ICRC and wounded two others in a village in the frontline Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials said. Spoljaric has condemned the attacks.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Floods Wreak Damage in Myanmar, Killing at Least 226, State Media Says 

Partially-submerged buildings are seen along a flooded road in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP)
Partially-submerged buildings are seen along a flooded road in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP)
TT
TT

Floods Wreak Damage in Myanmar, Killing at Least 226, State Media Says 

Partially-submerged buildings are seen along a flooded road in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP)
Partially-submerged buildings are seen along a flooded road in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP)

Floods in Myanmar have killed at least 226 people in just over a week, state media reported on Tuesday, after heavy rains brought on by Typhoon Yagi battered the central provinces of the war-torn Southeast Asian country.

Around a third of Myanmar's 55 million people are already in need humanitarian aid, following incessant conflict triggered by a Feb. 2021 coup when the powerful military unseated the civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

The areas hardest hit by the flooding include the second largest city of Mandalay, the capital Naypyitaw and parts of Shan state, a sprawling province that has seen heavy fighting in recent months.

Some 77 people are still missing, state media said.

"A total of 388 relief camps were opened in nine regions and states, and the well-wishers donated drinking water, food and clothes," reported the Global New Light of Myanmar, the newspaper of the military government.

In the Mandalay region alone, some 40,000 acres of agricultural land were submerged and some 26,700 houses damaged by the heavy rains and flooding, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also said many flood-hit regions were difficult to reach as several roads were damaged and telecoms and electricity networks disrupted.

"Affected areas include camps for displaced people, including children, who were already struggling with limited services due to ongoing conflict," UNICEF said in a statement.

Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, has left a trail of devastation through parts of Southeast Asia, killing at least 292 people in Vietnam where it made landfall.

In Thailand, the storm caused heavy rains and flooding that inundated northern cities, including on the border with Myanmar.

At least 45 people have died across Thailand from flooding and flood-related events such as mudslides since last month, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

At least three people were killed and over 440 families evacuated in Laos, where flooding across eight provinces have also swamped some 7,825 acres of paddy fields, according to UNICEF.