conflict

Oxfam today expressed deep concern about recent events that could exacerbate Western Sahara tensions and put the region on the brink of armed conflict. These developments include the expulsion from Western Sahara of 73 civilian peacekeepers. Parties must work to resolve 40-year-old conflict.

Oxfam is calling for the states attending the Geneva conference to collectively commit to offer a safe haven through resettlement or other forms of humanitarian admission to at least 10 percent of the refugee population – the equivalent of 481,220 people – by the end of 2016.

Rich countries have resettled only 1.39 percent of the nearly five million Syrian refugees, a fraction of the 10 percent of people who need to be urgently offered a safe haven. As wealthy states meet in Geneva on 30 March to discuss the Syria refugee crisis, Oxfam urges them to redouble their efforts and offer their ‘fair share’ of support to hundreds of thousands of refugees.

This briefing shares the experiences of some of the 250 people interviewed by Oxfam in Yemen in February 2016 and shows how a year of intense conflict has created one of the world’s biggest humanitarian emergencies and risks pushing millions into famine.

Russia, the United States, France and the United Kingdom must now safeguard the glimmer of hope that the ceasefire has brought to civilians, rather than “adding fuel to the fire”, warn 30 aid agencies in a new report. 

Voters in Central African Republic will this Sunday vote in a new president whose first task must be to end the violence which continues to devastate the country, and to provide better protection for its exhausted population. 

In response to the publication of the UN Secretary General's report ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit, Oxfam deems the focus on political solutions correct as the humanitarian system is overwhelmed.  

The Asia Resilience Strategy for 2015–2020 provides a broad framework on inclusive humanitarian and development trajectories focused on the poorest of the poor in the areas of: 1) smallholder agriculture; 2) water; 3) urban resilience; and 4) natural resource management.

The number of people in need as a result of the conflict in Syria continues to rise. Oxfam is calling for rich states to commit to fully funding this year’s Syria crisis response appeal and to resettle 10 percent of all registered Syrian refugees by the end of 2016.

In the aftermath of the rapid advance of Daesh through central parts of Iraq, a humanitarian crisis of significant proportion remains. This paper outlines the current situation and provides recommendations for the Government of Iraq, UN agencies, donors and NGOs.