Sudan facing ‘abyss’ unless war ends: UN

GENEVA: US aid cuts have forced the UN children’s agency UNICEF to suspend or scale back many programs in Lebanon, with more than half of children under the age of two experiencing severe food poverty in the country’s east, a UNICEF official said on Friday.
“We have been forced to suspend or cut back or drastically reduce many of our programs and that includes nutrition programs,” UNICEF’s deputy representative in Lebanon, Ettie Higgins, told reporters in Geneva via video link from Beirut.
More than double the number of children faced food shortages in the eastern Bekaa and Baalbek regions of the country compared to two years ago, according to a UNICEF report that studied the impact of 14 months of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel that began in October 2023.
“The assessment revealed a grim picture of children’s nutrition situation, particularly in the Baalbeck and Bekaa governorates, which remained densely populated when they were repeatedly targeted by air strikes,” said Higgins.
Nearly 80 percent of families were in need of urgent support and 31 percent of households did not have enough drinking water, putting them at risk of disease, the report found.
UNICEF raised alarm about the impact of US aid cuts and a broader decline in global humanitarian funding.
“More than half a million children and their families (in Lebanon) risk losing critical cash support from UN agencies this month. These cuts would strip the most vulnerable of their last lifeline, leaving them unable to afford even the most basic necessities,” Higgins added.
Only 26 percent of UNICEF’s 2025 Lebanon appeal is funded.
A ceasefire ended the conflict in Lebanon in November, which began when Hezbollah opened fire on Israel on October 8, 2023 in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas. Some 3,800 people were killed and more than a million people were displaced by Israeli air strikes in Lebanon, while tens of thousands of Israelis were displaced in northern Israel.
President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on all foreign aid in January to carry out a review to ensure all the projects were aligned with his “America First” policy. On Wednesday his administration said it was cutting more than 90 percent of the US Agency for International Development’s aid contracts.

BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a congratulatory message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after forming a government and gaining parliamentary confidence.

In his message, the crown prince wished Salam “success, and continued progress and prosperity for the brotherly people of the Lebanese Republic.”

For its part, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said that “the Lebanese government gaining Parliament’s confidence marks the beginning of a new phase that contributes to restoring security and stability in Lebanon.”

Salam's government secured the confidence of 95 MPs, including Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, while 12 voted “no confidence,” most of whom were from the Free Patriotic Movement. Four MPs abstained from expressing their opinion.

The vote came after marathon parliamentary sessions over the past two days to discuss the ministerial statement, which serves as a government action plan. The statement outlines policies for approximately a year and three months, which is the government’s expected term until the next parliamentary elections.

President Joseph Aoun on Thursday praised the “confidence granted by the MPs” and said he respects “the position of those who did not grant it, as opposition in our parliamentary democratic system is a right, a duty, a necessity, and a responsibility.”

The prime minister responded to the deputies’ discussions on his government’s statement, by affirming that his cabinet will deal with the deputies’ remarks “with all seriousness.”

Salam promised “to boost the trust of the parliament and the people in the government.”

He said: “We are committed to listening to constructive criticism, away from bickering, incitement, or stirring sectarian tensions.”

The prime minister said that the Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction are the government’s top priority.

“Achieving the complete withdrawal of the Israeli troops from Lebanese territories is a top priority for our government,” he said. “Our stance is clear and unambiguous, and we will call for the implementation of the withdrawal according to the international borders stipulated in the 1949 truce agreement.

“We have launched a wide diplomatic campaign to explain our stance and gain the international and Arab support to force Israel to stop its violations of the Lebanese sovereignty, implement Resolution 1701 and fully withdraw from our territory.”

The prime minister announced his government’s commitment to establishing a transparent, independent reconstruction fund to rebuild war-damaged areas and address social consequences of the conflict.

“We recognize our responsibility to create a fund that will gain the confidence of the Lebanese people, international community, and potential donors,” Salam said. He emphasized that Lebanon would reject any attempts to impose political conditions on reconstruction assistance.

Additionally, he revealed that his government has initiated communications with relevant companies and countries regarding oil and gas exploration, with plans to accelerate extraction operations to benefit Lebanon’s economic interests.

Salam said that the return of Syrian refugees to their country requires “a sustainable return, which means a clear plan and a frank and serious dialogue with the Syrian authorities, along with coordination with the relevant UN agencies.”

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Armed Forces announced the “discovery of two spy devices planted by the Israeli enemy, during engineering survey operations carried out by a specialized unit of the army in the southern regions.”

The army called on citizens to “avoid approaching or touching these objects, as they pose an imminent danger to their lives, and to report them to the nearest military center for their safety.”

Meanwhile, Hezbollah continued to bury dead members whose bodies were found in villages from which the Israeli forces had withdrawn after their incursion in the border region during the war. The forces Israelis control five strategic hills overlooking southern Lebanon and Israeli settlements, but have not specified a date for their withdrawal.