Na serious wahala dey happen for Middle East as war dey spread like wildfire. UN people dey talk say from March 2 reach March 27, over 200,000 pipo don cross from Lebanon enter Syria. Na sharp rise dem call am. Asseer Al-Madaien wey be UNHCR representative for Syria yarn from Damascus say, “The vast majority, nearly 180,000, na Syrians. Even Syrian refugees wey don run comot from Syria before, dem don run again.” More than 28,000 Lebanese sef don cross go Syria side.
Why dem dey run? Ms. Al-Madaien tell reporters for Geneva say, “Most na pipo wey dey run from intense Israeli bombardments.” Dem dey reach border exhausted, traumatized, with almost nothing for hand. UNHCR dey prepare for up to 350,000 more pipo to cross, depending on how the war go turn.
This humanitarian wahala don dey deepen for over one month now. Since Israeli and US airstrikes begin for Iran, spark wider regional war, supply lines across Middle East don scatter. Corinne Fleischer, wey be Director of Supply Chain for UN World Food Programme (WFP), talk from Rome say the agency dey worry about “all [its] big operations.” WFP get 70,000 metric tonnes of food wey the war don affect. Half dey on chartered bulk vessels, the other half dey inside containers wey either dey on route or just dey stuck for port.
Ms. Fleischer clarify say WFP no get vessels for Strait of Hormuz, but the ripple effect dey affect dem. Vessels dey stuck for ports, no dey berth, no dey leave. Containers no dey offload. She warn say similar global supply chain disruptions wey we see during COVID take “four to five months to get back into place once the situation’s stabilized.”
Shipping costs don surge as carriers dey avoid Suez Canal because of the Middle East war. Dem dey re-route around Cape of Good Hope. This one add up to 30 days to the journey and don drive rates up 15 to 25 per cent. Fuel price hikes sef dey hit firms’ bottom lines.
To manage am, WFP dey “ask for priority cargo for humanitarian operations.” Na the only UN organization with its own shipping department wey dey engage directly with shipping lines and vessel owners. Dem don successfully negotiate waiver for surcharges wey shipping lines and certain risky ports for Middle East dey put. The surcharges dey between $2,000 to $4,000 per container. WFP don save about $1.5 million so far.
But the problem no dey only for Syria border. WFP dey reroute cargo to Afghanistan, where 17 million pipo dey food insecure. Earlier this year, food aid wey dem source from Pakistan get affect by Pakistan-Afghanistan war. Dem initially re-route am through Iran. Ms. Fleischer explain say, “While we were [rerouting] to get into Bandar Abbas port of Iran, the war broke out.” So dem put the food for Jebel Ali port for Dubai. Now dem go truck am from Dubai through Saudi Arabia. That one add about 1,000 euros per tonne and another three weeks of delay.
The WFP official express more concern for Sudan, where 19 million pipo dey “acutely hungry.” Somalia and South Sudan operations dey buckle under longer lead times and higher costs. She talk say, “The financing of humanitarian operations has, since several years, not being where it should be. We have eroded any buffer stocks. We’re living from hand-to-mouth in these operations.” For areas of Sudan wey get famine, “there is no time,” she insist. “Our operations and pipelines don’t allow for a three-weeks-longer rerouting through the Horn of Africa.”
Meanwhile, for other news, Afghanistan national football team go face Syria today for their final match of AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. The match go hold for Jeddah at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium by 8:45pm Afghanistan time. Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) talk say Group E managers’ meeting for the qualifiers hold on Monday, with representatives from both Afghanistan and Syria. Myanmar don defeat Afghanistan by 2-1 for the tournament before.
For security matter, recent US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report flag at least 15 major terror groups wey still dey operate from Pakistan soil. The report talk say despite counter-terror measures like the 2014 National Action Plan, many of these groups remain active. Several na India-focused outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The findings highlight persistent gaps for dismantling terror networks, even as many of these organizations remain under international sanctions.
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