Today’s top news: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Cameroon

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

UN scales up food aid as Ebola spreads

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that nearly three months into the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Bundibugyo strain continues to spread, with Bas-Uélé now becoming the sixth affected province.

As of 12 August, 4,665 confirmed cases and 2,184 deaths have been recorded by the national authorities, with a case fatality rate of nearly 47 per cent.

As the outbreak expands, food assistance is also being scaled up to support patients and communities affected by Ebola.* Starting tomorrow, the World Food Programme (WFP) will extend its hot meal programme to additional Ebola treatment centres in the provinces of Haut-Uélé and Ituri.

Since the end of May, WFP has provided more than 260,000 hot meals at treatment and isolation centres across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.

WFP also provided food to families affected by Ebola and people under confinement, reaching 27,000 people, while supporting 36,000 people facing acute food insecurity in affected areas.

This assistance is particularly important, as 2.6 million people are facing acute food insecurity across Ebola-affected areas in eastern DRC at crisis level or worse. More than half of them are in the province of Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak. However, the level of response is far outpaced by the scale of needs.

Partners warn that the outbreak is deepening food insecurity. The food security sector is only 25 per cent funded, so urgent additional funding is needed to ensure life-saving food aid reaches those who need it.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with urgent support.

#Ukraine

Aid convoys reach front-line areas as civilian casualties mount

OCHA reports that the UN and its partners continue to deliver humanitarian convoys to front-line areas of Ukraine that are hard to reach – at a time when the security situation is worsening across the country, driving needs even higher.

According to the latest report from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, July was the deadliest month for civilians since May 2022, with nearly 440 killed and more than 2,600 injured. This marks a 30 per cent increase compared to June and a 70 per cent increase year on year. Child casualties also reached their highest level since April 2022.

The leading cause of civilian casualties in July was long-range missiles and drones, impacting areas farther from the front line. Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, was among the hardest hit, with over 50 civilians killed and 200 injured.

In front-line areas, glide bombs and short-range missiles caused the most civilian casualties.

These worrying trends have continued in August. According to the authorities, attacks between Thursday and this morning have killed at least six civilians, including a child in the Sumy region, and left 80 others injured, including two children.

The Donetsk region was the hardest hit, with over 20 civilian casualties reported. In the Odesa region, drone attacks struck residential buildings and two passenger trains, killing two railway workers, and injuring two residents, including a child.

The UN and our humanitarian partners continue to provide assistance to communities closest to the front line. Yesterday and today, OCHA – with support from partners leading on logistics – facilitated two humanitarian convoys to front-line communities in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions, delivering hygiene supplies, first-aid kits and food.

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Gaza: UN, partners mobilize support for displaced families

OCHA says that humanitarians continue to provide vital aid to people in Gaza, despite persistent insecurity and restrictions.

Last week, the UN and its partners mobilized rapid support for people who had lost their shelters or were displaced again due to attacks, domestic fires and other incidents.

In more than a dozen reported incidents, people were displaced and lost their belongings due to attacks – this affected nearly 290 households. Two households were affected by domestic fires, which are often linked to unsafe cooking in shelters in the absence of proper energy sources. Another five households were affected by the placement of new yellow cement blocks, which often triggers displacement in Gaza by signaling the expansion of areas where access is restricted.

Most of last week’s appeals for help came from northern Gaza and Deir al Balah, with the UN and its partners tailoring the response to meet families’ specific needs.

Last week, partners report that more than 300,000 children continued to participate in summer learning programmes that they support. To address the impact of extreme heat in Gaza, education partners installed shade structures in 10 temporary learning spaces.

West Bank: physical obstacles hinder access to people in need

Humanitarian partners warn that aid work is being delayed and limited in the West Bank by a network of over 900 physical obstacles – including checkpoints, gates, roadblocks and other restrictions. This hinders humanitarian access and leaves people in need underserved.

Today, aid and municipal workers have been struggling to secure access to three Palestinian families in Qusra village of the Nablus governorate. These families have been trapped there since Tuesday, following the establishment of a settlement outpost next to their homes and the tightening of access restrictions in the area.

Alongside municipal workers, partners have been trying to deliver food, water, milk formula, medicines and hygiene items to those trapped inside, but such attempts have been unsuccessful so far.

Partners warn that efforts to protect Palestinians have been ineffective, with settlers reportedly reinstalling a tent that Israeli forces had dismantled yesterday.

In the northern West Bank, where the humanitarian situation remains particularly severe, child protection partners have provided vital assistance – including psychosocial support, case management, and services for children with disabilities – to nearly 30,000 children and 15,000 adults since the start of this year.

In July, the UN and its partners delivered more than 9,000 cubic metres of water to people, with about two thirds of it going to internally displaced people. They also distributed hundreds of water tanks and latrines to families in need, provided nearly 1,200 household hygiene kits, and rehabilitated nearly 15 kilometres of water networks that serve more than 65,000 people.

#Cameroon

UN relief chief fast-tracks funds to fight cholera

Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated US$1 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support the cholera response in Cameroon’s Far North Region.

The funds will help the UN and its humanitarian partners provide support in cholera prevention, treatment, and safe water and sanitation.

The allocation targets 230,000 people in the Far North Region, with a focus on children, as well as refugees in Minawao camp and communities at high risk near borders.

As of 12 August, more than 1,250 cases and 31 deaths had been reported across nine health districts. The outbreak, which began in late June, continues to expand geographically and has already exceeded the scale of recent cholera outbreaks recorded in 2019, 2022 and 2024.

The outbreak is affecting remote and insecure areas that become harder to reach during the rainy season, increasing delays in access to treatment. Conditions in Minawao refugee camp, which hosts more than 81,000 refugees and where 80 cases have already been recorded, further increase the risk of transmission.

The 2026 Cameroon Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which calls for $319 million, is just over a quarter funded.