ECHO Daily Flash

• On 25 April, Human Right Watch (HRW) reported that Burkina Faso military summarily executed at least 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, in two villages on February 25, 2024. HRW writes that these mass killings are among the worst army abuses in Burkina Faso since 2015, reported to be part of a widespread military campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with Islamist armed groups. The mass killings, which may amount to crimes against humanity, took place after soldiers killed 44 people, including 20 children, in Nondin village, and 179 people, including 36 children, in the nearby Soro village, of Thiou district in the northern Yatenga province. 
• Human rights organizations have previously documented other serious abuses by the Burkinabè army during counterterrorism operations, including summary executions and enforced disappearances, as well as indiscriminate drone strikes.
• Survivors and human right organizations have appealed to the African Union / United Nations for international support and for an independent investigation. 

• The humanitarian impact is still increasing following heavy rain, floods and flash floods across most parts of Kenya. Floods have hit several roads, including the Mombassa-Nairobi road in Makueni county.
• According to media, at least 45 people died (of whom 13 in the Nairobi City area due mostly to flash floods), and around 58,000 others have been displaced. 
• For the next 72 hours, moderate to heavy rainfall is forecasted in some parts of the Highlands, east and west of the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin, the Rift Valley, the South-eastern lowlands, the Coast, North-western and North-eastern Kenya.

• Heavy rainfall continues to affect most of Tanzania (in particular Dodoma and Dar es Salaam city areas) since early April, causing floods, flash floods and triggering landslides that have resulted in casualties and widespread damage.
• Media report, as of 26 April, 155 fatalities, 236 injured people, more than 200,000 affected people and approximately 10,000 damaged and destroyed buildings (included many schools) across the country. In addition, several roads and bridges have been damaged.
• Over the next 24 hours, more heavy rainfall with locally very heavy rainfall is still forecasted over most of the country.

• Since 20 April, heavy rainfall has hit parts of Alausí Canton in Chimborazo province (central Ecuador), causing floods and resulting in casualties and damage.
• According to the Secretariat of Risk Management of Ecuador (SGR), one person has been injured, 200 people have been affected, six houses have been destroyed and 12 damaged. In addition, four bridges have been destroyed, one school damaged and 10 hectares of crops damaged. 
• On 26-27 April, moderate to heavy rainfall is forecasted across most parts of Ecuador, including the affected area.

• In the past few days, heavy rainfall and ensuing floods have affected parts of Paraguay, particularly the areas of Asunción and Central in southern Paraguay. The most affected Towns are Limpio, Mariano Roque Alonso and Luque.
• According to media, two people died in Luque Town due to a severe weather-related incident, and several roads and houses have been flooded.
• For the next 24 hours, no rain is expected across Paraguay.

• Heavy rainfall have been affecting north-western Pakistan (in particular the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province) since mid-April, triggering landslides and causing floods, and a number of severe weather-related incidents that have resulted in casualties and damage.
• The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reports, as of 26 April, one fatality, six injured people and 184 damaged houses (eight of these fully damaged) across five districts in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province: Charsadda, Mohmand, Lower Dir, Mansehra and Upper Kohistan.
• Over the next 72 hours, more heavy rainfall is still forecasted over most of the already affected province.

• The security situation in Cabo Delgado, Northern Mozambique, despite recent improvements, remains volatile, and 1.7 million people remain in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the armed violence; conflict-affected populations are suffering from a lack of access to basic services, and are facing numerous protection risks. Moreover, natural multi-hazard events, which are increasingly frequent and violent, exacerbate food insecurity and the livelihoods of the population.
• Humanitarian needs are huge, while the crisis continues to be underfunded. In Northern Mozambique, some 1.7 million people require protection, food assistance, nutrition services, health, education, water and sanitation, and shelter. Over 3 million people are currently facing severe food insecurity, more than half of them in Cabo Delgado.
• For 2024, the initial allocation for humanitarian assistance to Mozambique is EUR 16.5 million. This includes EUR 5 million for education in emergencies. A separate budget will also be allocated for disaster preparedness, which remains a key sector for the SAIO region and for Mozambique.
• Through the 2024 budget, DG ECHO will continue to support lifesaving and life sustaining multisectoral humanitarian assistance directed to the most vulnerable people affected by armed violence in Cabo Delgado, including the IDPs, returnees, and their host communities. 

https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/africa/mozambique_en

• Belarus: threshold level 1/1 on the Pripyat river
• Ukraine: threshold level 2/3 on the Desna and Dnipro river

• With 64.2 million people experiencing food insecurity in 2023, East Africa was the region in the world with the highest number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity, according to the 2024 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), released on 24 April. In addition, 12.1 million children in East Africa were acutely malnourished, including 3 million suffering the most severe form of malnutrition.
• Given the increased levels of insecurity and conflict in the region, but also the extreme weather conditions and economic shocks, the trends for food security in East Africa are likely to deteriorate further in 2024.
• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), in 2023 6.3 million people were in  a situation of emergency (IPC Phase 4), with Sudan being the country with the higuest number of people facing dire food shortages. 
• With 19.7 million food insecure people, Ethiopia has been repeteadly among the ten largest food crises in terms of numbers of people facing acute food insecurity according to the GRFC.

• Over 50,000 people are reportedly displaced to northern Amhara following armed clashes that have taken place in the past 10 days in the contested areas of southern Tigray, more specifically in Alamata, Raya Azebo, Zata and Ofla. 
• Some 42,000 people fled to Kobo, North Wello and 8,300 to Sekota and Wag Hamra zones.
• Most of the displaced people – the majority of whom are women, children, youth, and elderly – are still seeking refuge within the host community, while the rest are sheltering in an open area some three kilometres away from Kobo town. 
• The humanitarian situation is dire. The government and a limited number of humanitarian partners have started providing some assistance. However, the response is not commensurate to the needs of the displaced population due to a lack of resources and access.