The situation is especially dire in North Gaza governorate, which has been under siege for more than two months, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during his daily briefing from New York.
A child who lost his left leg after accidentally stepping on a landmine in his family’s paddy fields in central Myanmar.
Myanmar parties urged to end fighting as violence escalates
The Secretary-General is also deeply concerned about reports of escalation of violence in Myanmar which has caused further civilian suffering and displacement, his Spokesperson said on Thursday in New York.
Indiscriminate aerial attacks causing civilian casualties continue to be reported in many parts of the country, which has been under military rule since February 2021.
Mr. Guterres reiterated his calls on all parties to the conflict to end violence and reminded them of the obligation to protect civilians, as required under international law.
He also urged all sides to prevent further incitement of intercommunal tensions.
World’s top opium producer
Meanwhile, Myanmar remains a leading source of opium and heroin, even though opium production has slowed, according to the latest survey by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The report analyses data collected during the third growing season since the military seized power in a coup.
It shows a moderate decrease of four per cent – from 47,100 hectares to 45,200 – and a similar decrease in yield per hectare, pointing to an initial stabilization of cultivation at the current high levels, thus cementing Myanmar’s status as the world’s leading source of opium.
However, the uneven distribution of the decrease across the country – as well as uncertainties regarding the impact of the continued drug ban in Afghanistan on global demand for opium and heroin – suggest that Myanmar’s opium economy is at a crossroads.
UNODC Regional Representative Masood Karimipour said that “as conflict dynamics in the country remain intense and the global supply chains adjust to the ban in Afghanistan, we see significant risk of a further expansion over the coming years.”