Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ebola)
As Ebola continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more resources are needed to fight the disease and feed patients and families, UN agencies said on Friday. “If we lift the foot off the pedal, the virus will resurge very quickly, will continue to spread to newly affected areas and pose a threat for the country, the region and the world at large,” warned Dr. Catherine Smallwood, World Health Organization (WHO) incident manager in the DRC. The country remains the epicentre of an outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease that was officially declared in mid-May. It began in the volatile eastern region and has now spread to eight provinces, the latest being Nord-Ubangi in the northwest. There have been 9,765 cases to date and nearly half – 4,727 – have died. Additionally, 30,000 contacts are being monitored each day over a three-week period. A smaller outbreak in Uganda was officially declared over in August, while cases have also been confirmed in Kenya, Nigeria and France. – UN News ‘Burden and loss’ builds in DR Congo, as Kenya strengthens Ebola containment
Jordan
At least seven people were killed and another 40 injured after gunmen opened fire on a church in Jordan’s southern Karak province, in an unprecedented attack that has left the nation stunned. The “unidentified” gunmen have not yet been captured, the public security agency said in a news conference Friday afternoon, adding that the shooting was a terrorist attack against Christians attending a funeral in the town of Hmoud. Jordan’s King Abdullah said Jordan will “harshly” respond against those responsible for the “terrorist act”. “The blood of Jordanians is precious, and we will strike those who transgress against this country with an iron fist,” the king said on X. The Prime Minister of Jordan Jafar Hassan said all state agencies are working to bring the perpetrators to justice, according to the kingdom’s official news agency Petra. “What happened in Karak was the result of extremist terrorist ideology rooted in takfir (declaring others to be infidels), and we will not allow society to go down this path,” Petra quoted Hassan as saying. The casualty toll was revised several times throughout the day as more information surfaced. Jordan’s Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of those wounded are in critical condition. – CNN At least 7 people killed in unprecedented shooting at church in Jordan
Kenya
A new Kenyan initiative is helping farmers better understand their soils in a bid to improve crop yields amid intensifying climate shocks. The Soil Mapping for Resilient Agrifood systems (SoilFER) programme supports farmers to develop reliable soil information that will inform agricultural decisions such as which fertilizer to use and how much. So far, more than 3,600 soil samples have been collected and mapped across 45 counties, contributing to a digital soil map designed to provide farmers with location-specific information about their land. Select farmers also receive training to diagnose and fix soil degradation – earning the title “soil doctor” – who then go on to teach their peers. SoilFER was launched through a partnership between the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) in Kabete, with financial support from the United States Department of State and Japan. – UN News Soil mapping aims to boost agricultural production in Kenya
Russia – Ukraine (and beyond)
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Elon Musk had restored Ukraine’s access to a military-grade version of his Starlink internet service, but Ukrainian officials have said restrictions remain in place that are complicating Kyiv’s war effort. Trump asked Musk in a phone call in recent days to restore Ukraine’s full access to the Starshield satellite system, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. Trump had been seeking information about the slowdown and went to the billionaire owner of Starlink and Starshield’s parent SpaceX, after Ukrainian officials reported disruptions, the source said. Trump has declined to comment on the call publicly, telling reporters at the White House: “Whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference, I guess. The bottom line – he put it back”. But Ukrainian officials said the restrictions persist. “Unfortunately, the situation remains the same, and we still have the limits imposed,” Denys Sienik, charge d’affaires for the Ukrainian embassy in the US, told CNN Friday evening, adding that his country is receiving “mixed messages”. Trump told reporters Friday that he would speak to Musk if the issue isn’t fixed and get Ukraine’s access to Starshield “straightened out”. For more than a week, the restrictions have disrupted any military ordnance moving at high speeds – hindering interceptor drones in defending against Russian attacks and upending Ukrainian military operations in many areas of the front line, Ukrainian officials have said. Sienik, currently Kyiv’s top diplomat in Washington, said the speed limit is currently set at 100 miles per hour, at which point connection with the drone is lost, making it difficult to intercept fast-moving Russian drones. – by CNN Ukrainian officials say Starshield restrictions still in place, despite Trump’s claims
Sudan
UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday strongly condemned an escalation in drone strikes across Sudan this month, which killed at least 306 people and injured hundreds more in the first three weeks of October alone. The strikes, attributed to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), hit homes, markets, hospitals, displacement sites, power stations and water sources in Kordofan, Darfur, Blue Nile, Khartoum and other states, according to the UN human rights office (OHCHR). “The increasing use of drones, already accounting for the majority of conflict-related civilian deaths in Sudan this year, is deeply disturbing and is exacting a horrifying toll,” Mr. Türk said. – UN News Sudan: Drone strikes killed at least 306 people in three weeks
US – Middle East
The United States is rushing to move some diplomats and their family members from posts in the Middle East as the threat of regional escalation looms, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The departures have been described as a frustrating and chaotic déjà vu, as many of those leaving had only recently returned to their posts after being ordered out during the height of the Iran war. An unclassified October 23 memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio says US intelligence has found that “Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel” and plotting efforts “have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries”. A US official told CNN, “When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment. The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting U.S. officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on RO Status in the region”. Axios was first to report on the unclassified memo. “To say it has been chaotic is an understatement,” said one US diplomat, explaining that the financial support they have been offered to date does not cover the costs for moving their entire family from the region. Many of those families had scrambled then to leave their homes in the Middle East in the early weeks of the war and find new housing and schools for their kids. Now, many are having to do the same again, with what they say is potentially less financial support from the State Department. “This echoes the chaos families experienced earlier this year. Some had barely settled back in before being told to leave again,” Nikki Gamer, the spokesperson for the American Foreign Service Association, told CNN. “They are understandably upset, confused, and angry”. Later Friday, a State Department official confirmed that all US direct hire personnel and their families “are getting per diem allowances and support for lodging and schools, with per diem allowances consistent with government rates of where they are geographically in the country.” – CNN US discreetly moves diplomats and families from multiple Middle Eastern countries as escalation fears grow
West Bank – Israel
The UN said on Friday it was “extremely alarmed” by intensifying violence in the occupied West Bank, as Israel moved to seal off the territory following a deadly attack on its soldiers in Hebron. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and at least five injured when gunmen opened fire near a military checkpoint outside the city, according to news reports. The two Palestinian attackers were also killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Hebron sealed, pledged house-to-house raids and home demolitions, and reportedly threatened a wider assault on a scale not seen since the Six-Day War. It is the fourth time in a month that Israel has imposed restrictions across the territory. Speaking at the noon briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Secretary-General António Guterres was deeply concerned by the closures and by reports of home demolitions and possible displacement in Hebron. “Those closures severely restrict Palestinians’ freedom of movement, access to basic services and livelihoods,” he said. – UN News West Bank: Guterres alarmed as Israel imposes sweeping closures after deadly Hebron attack
Yemen
Aid agencies warned on Friday of the fast-developing humanitarian emergency inside Taiz City in Yemen, which has been encircled by de facto Houthi forces fighting government troops along the country’s west coast. “It’s 20 days and counting since Taiz has been cut off…we are seeing increasingly that the fighting makes it impossible for us to get in and impossible for people to get out,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. “Access roads have been cut off and that means that very little fuel, food or other supplies have reached the city since”. The escalation between Houthi separatists and the Aden-based Government began in early September, ending the relative calm brought about by a 2022 truce. Among the agencies responding to chronic and acute needs across Yemen, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported that more than 800,000 people in Taiz have been cut off from assistance. This includes 600,000 people who depend on humanitarian assistance and 200,000 women and children. “We’re desperately trying to regain access to Taiz and we continue to support the broader operations across Yemen,” said Azfar Deen, WFP Regional – UN News Yemen: Deepening concerns for Taiz City as aid is blocked from entering
