PAPUA NEW GUINEA
According to the Government, the death toll has reached over 100 people. While relief efforts have been stepped up there is still significant access and logistical challenges to access remote communities. Unmet needs remain in many areas of Hela, Southern Highlands and Western provinces, with the most immediate needs being food, water, shelter and access to health services. Displacement tracking has recorded approximately 18,200 people displaced and staying in 26 informal care centres. Thousands more are staying in makeshift shelters that have not been mapped, or with families and host communities. Many health facilities have been damaged, some significantly, while many more remain inaccessible. In Hela Province, 19 of 31 health facilities (not including aid posts) are open, 10 are closed and two are unknown. In Southern Highlands Province, 25 of 46 health facilities (not including aid posts), are open, 15 are closed and six are unknown. Many of the health facilities remain without water and electricity. All schools in Hela remain closed.
18,200 people displaced
AFGHANISTAN
More than 34,000 people have been displaced by conflict since the beginning of the year in 25 out of 34 provinces across the country. In the past week, more than 12,000 people are reported to have been displaced in Takhar Province, due to ongoing military operations. The highest number of displaced families are in Kunduz Province with 13,615 internally displaced persons (IDPs), followed by neighbouring Takhar with 5,383 IDPs.
34,000 people displaced
BANGLADESH
The humanitarian community launched a new Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis on 16 March in Geneva. The plan is requesting US$951 million to provide life-saving assistance to 1.3 million people, including Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar to Bangladesh and local host communities. The priority needs in the plan, which covers March-December 2018, include food, water and sanitation, shelter, and medical care. With cyclone and monsoon season approaching, urgent preparations to address and mitigate the risks of flooding and landslides in the camps are underway. The likelihood of flooding exacerbates the already difficult conditions faced by the refugees. The Government and humanitarian partners are actively ramping up the collective capacity to address such challenges.
MYANMAR
Armed clashes between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) have broken out in Kyaukme, Namhsan and Namtu townships in Shan State since 10 March. According to Government sources, about 1,700 people have been displaced by the fighting as of 18 March. Displaced people are sheltering in religious sites in Kyaukme, Lashio and Namtu townships and are receiving humanitarian assistance from the authorities, local organizations, and humanitarian NGOs. There are reports of civilian casualties after mortar shells landed in a village in Kyaukme on 13 March. However, these reports could not be independently verified due to continued insecurity in the area.
1,700 people newly displaced in Shan State