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Middle East governments enact working from home as threat of coronavirus continues

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Updated 17 March 2020
Arab News
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Middle East governments enact working from home as threat of coronavirus continues

  • Jordan to impose mandatory quarantine on arrivals for 14 days
  • Oman bans entry of all non-nationals, except GCC citizens
Updated 17 March 2020
Arab News

DUBAI: Some governments in the Middle East suspended work in some sectors and are asking employees to work from home.

In a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus, even major visitor destinations like Abu Dhabi and Dubai have closed down popular tourism sites and cancelled a number of public events.

Monday, March 16 (All times in GMT)

20:40 - Tunisia bans all gatherings, closes public parks and markets to tackle the spread of coronavirus, said Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh.

20:30 - There will be a "dramatic" change in the spread of coronavirus if Americans follow guidelines issued by the White House on Monday to fight virus, a member of the White House coronavirus task force said.

"If everybody in America does what we ask for over the next 15 days, we will see a dramatic difference," Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, said at a White House briefing also addressed by President Donald Trump.

The recommendations included avoiding social gatherings of more than 10 people. Birx said one of the most important steps was that if one person in a household became infected, the whole household should self-quarantine for 14 days.

Trump also called on Americans to "band together" and not hoard essential items.

20:15 - Egypt reported on Monday two more deaths because of coronavirus, bringing the total of coronavirus related deaths in the country to four, the health ministry said in a statement.

The individuals were a 72-year-old German who died in Luxor and a 50-year-old Egyptian in Dakahlia governorate, the statement added.

20:06: - US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has started keeping himself and his staff physically separated from his deputy’s team as one of the precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus from impacting the Pentagon’s operations.
“We are attempting to put ... a bubble around the two of them,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told a news briefing, adding Esper’s visitors were being limited and screened.

18:30 - Iran on Monday closed four key Shiite pilgrimage sites to stop a coronavirus outbreak that has killed over 850 people out of nearly 15,000 cases recorded in the Islamic republic.

The holy shrines of Imam Reza in Mashhad, Fatima Masumeh in Qom and Shah Abdol-Azim in Tehran were shut until further notice "upon the orders of the anti-coronavirus headquarters and the health minister," state television said.

18:25  - India will close the iconic Taj Mahal to visitors from Tuesday as part of measures to try and combat the coronavirus pandemic, the tourism ministry said on Monday.

"All ticketed monuments and all other museums have been directed to be closed until March 31," Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel tweeted late Monday.

17:50 - Canada closed its borders to all foreign nationals, except U.S. citizens, on Monday, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged people to stay at home to help stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

"We will be denying entry into Canada to people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents," Trudeau told reporters at a news conference outside his home, where he is under quarantine.

17:10 – The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has risen in the last 24 hours by 349 to 2,158, an increase of 19.3 per cent, the Civil Protection Agency said on Monday.

The total number of cases in Italy, the European country hardest hit by the virus, rose to 27,980 from a previous 24,747, up 13 per cent, the slowest rate of increase since the contagion first came to light on Feb. 21.

17:00 - British people need to stop non-essential contact and avoid clubs, pubs, theatres and all unnecessary travel as the coronavirus outbreak accelerates towards the fast growth phase, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday.

"Now is the time for everyone to stop non essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel," Johnson said at a news conference in Downing Street.

"We need people to start working from home where they possibly can," he said. "And you should avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues."

"It looks as though we are now approaching the fast growth part of the upward curve and without drastic action cases could double every 5 or 6 days," Johnson said.

16:10 – The World Health Organization called on all countries to ramp up their testing programmes as the best way to slow the advance of the coronavirus pandemic. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said even countries with good health capacity have struggled to cope and "deeply concerned" about spread to low income countries.

“There’s no doubt that we are missing cases," Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO infectious disease epidemiologist, said during a press briefing. 

"The reason why we are so aggressive in our statement of finding all cases and testing cases is because we need to know where this virus is," Van Kerkhove added. "It’s important that we don’t give up. … We need to be finding all of these cases so that we can effectively isolate them and reduce the risk of onward transmission." 

15:20 – The German government on Monday banned gatherings in churches, mosques and synagogues and ordered non-essential shops as well as playgrounds shut, as it battled to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Supermarkets, banks and post offices will stay open, but the sweeping restrictions aimed at “limiting social contact in public places” will leave most sites from museums to swimming pools to gyms shuttered.

15:05 – Qatar has announced 38 new cases in the country.

14:50 – Europe is looking to ban foreign nationals from coming into the Schengen open border zone, two sources said, as the continent scrambles to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The Schengen zone consists of 22 of the 27 European Union member states, as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein. Britain and Ireland are not part of it.

14:45 – Bahrain’s flag carrier Gulf Air said it will temporarily reduce its network and suspend flights to several destinations.

No more information was immediately available about the list of countries that would be affected.

 

14:30 – The number of cases in Jordan has risen to 18.

14:15 – Malaysia will shut its borders to travelers, restrict internal movement, close schools and universities and order most businesses to shut after its number of coronavirus cases climbed on Monday to the highest in Southeast Asia.

13:50 – A video on social media shows a reporte collapsing live on Lebanese news TV while covering the border shutdown due to the virus. Watch below...

13: 20 – Egypt will halt all air traffic from its airports starting Thursday until March 31 to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Monday.

12:43 – Turkey has suspended mass prayers in mosques due to coronavirus fears, the country’s religious affairs head said.

12:33 – Jordan has announced that it will impose mandatory quarantine on arrivals for 14 days. 

11:33 – Friday prayers were suspended in Oman as a precaution against coronavirus, according to the Sultanate’s Ministry of Religious Affairs.

11:10 – Spain has registered nearly 1,000 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of cases to 8,744, the health ministry said.

11:04 – Kuwait’s health ministry quarantines residents of a whole building after confirming some of them have been in contact with a coronavirus patient.

10:51 – Iran said on Monday that the novel coronavirus has killed 129 more people, a new record high for a single day in one of the world’s worst-hit countries.
“Our plea is that everyone take this virus seriously and in no way attempt to travel to any province,” health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in a televised news conference.
The latest deaths bring the overall toll to 853 fatalities since February 19, when the government announced Iran’s first two deaths from the disease.

10:44 – Qatar temporarily closes restaurants, cafes and gatherings in halls, except delivery services.

10:43 – Morocco will close eateries, cinemas, theatres, sports, public clubs, baths, and other entertainment venues starting from today over coronavirus fears, the Interior Ministry said.
Markets, and shops selling necessary goods as well as restaurants offering a delivery service are exempt, the ministry said in a statement. Morocco, which confirmed 29 coronavirus cases, including one death and one recovery, suspended all international flights, closed schools and banned gatherings of more than 50 people.

10:43 – Kuwait’s central bank cut its discount rate by 100 basis points to 1.5 percent from 2.5 percent, part of a series of precautionary measures “for the consequences of the outbreak of the coronavirus.”

 

09:56 – The number of coronavirus cases in Jordan has increased to 16, authorities said.

09:46 – Georgia closed its borders  to foreign nationals due to coronavirus concerns.

09:37 – Malaysia reported 125 new coronavirus cases on Monday, with most linked to a religious gathering attended by around 16,000 people. The new cases bring the total tally to 553 in the country, which remains the worst affected in Southeast Asia.

09:37 – A health official in Thailand said that 33 new coronavirus cases have been recorded, bringing the tally to 147.

08:20 – Dubai tourism authorities have ordered the closure of bars, pubs and lounges, including bars within restaurants until the end of the month.

08:14 – Bahrain recorded its first coronavirus death, a 65-year old female patient who returned from Iran last month.

08:01– The Dubai stock exchange closed its trading floor as precautionary measure against coronavirus, a day after the Abu Dhabi bourse issued a similar notice.

 

 

07:57 – Kuwait’s Ministry of Health confirmed 11 new cases of COVID-19 which were detected in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile 564 people were released from quarantine after testing negative for the coronavirus, the ministry added.

07:41 – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will impose “enhanced community quarantine” across the country”s entire main island of Luzon, his spokesman said on Monday, adding to existing measures aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus.

07:11 – US humanitarian group the Peace Corps, said it will temporarily suspend all global operations and evacuate its volunteers, amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
“As COVID-19 continues to spread and international travel becomes more and more challenging by the day, we are acting now to ... prevent a situation where volunteers are unable to leave their host countries,” Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen said in a letter to volunteers posted on its website.

07:05 – The Honduras was in a state of near lockdown on Monday after the government decided to send public and private sector workers home, temporarily call off flights, and suspend public transport to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
The violent, impoverished Central American nation rolled out the measures late on Sunday in a bid to snuff out the virus which has so far infected six people in the country.
The measures will be in effect for seven days, the government said, bolstering a drive by a number of Central American countries to stop coronavirus.
Exceptions to the public sector suspensions include people working in healthcare, emergency services, security and national defense, customs, migration, ports and airports.
In the private sector, banks, hospitals, pharmaceutical firms, gas stations, freight operators and a few other sectors will continue to operate, the government said.

06:58 – The coronavirus outbreak in France is “very worrying” and “deteriorating very fast,” the head of the country’s health service said Monday. “The number of cases double every three days,” Jerome Salomon said on France Inter, adding that the number of seriously ill patients and those needing intensive care “runs into hundreds.”

06:41 – Italy’s government is ready to intervene again if needed as measures approved so far are not enough to support businesses through the coronavirus crisis, Italy’s Prime Minister said on Monday.
“The approved measures are not sufficient. Damage (from the coronavirus) will be serious and widespread. A true ‘reconstruction plan’ will be needed,” Giuseppe Conte told daily Corriere della Sera in an interview.
The government has said planned economic support would total some $27.94 billion and new measures to support businesses and families are expected to be approved at a cabinet meeting later on Monday.
“We are responding with rules that will allow our economy to face the costs of the emergency. We are ready, if necessary, to intervene again to relaunch the country,” the premier added.

06:39 – Oman has suspended treatment services for non-urgent and routine medical cases, whose delay does not directly affect patients’ health, until further notice.

 

 

06:08 – The leader of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, Hashem Kalbakani of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus

06:01 – Israel said the number of coronavirus patients has increased to 248 people, with 48 of them were diagnosed during the past 24 hours.

05:01 –Turkey identified 12 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing its total to 18, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Monday, marking the highest daily rise since the country announced its first case last week. Koca said two of the new cases were related to the first case reported in the country, seven had travelled from Europe and three from the United States. Bars and nightclubs will be temporarily closed as of Monday, the country’s Interior Ministry said.




Turkish police officers secure the area as pilgrims arrive from the airport to be quarantined in university dormitories outside Ankara on Sunday, March 15, 2020. (AP)

 

03:01 – Bars, restaurants and nightclubs in Los Angeles were ordered to close from midnight on Sunday until March 31 as US cities take drastic action to halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
“To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, I’m taking executive action to temporarily close bars, nightclubs, restaurants (except takeout/delivery), entertainment venues, and other establishments in the city of Los Angeles,” wrote Mayor Eric Garcetti on his Facebook page.

It follows a similar dramatic shutdown in New York also announced on Sunday.

01:33 – South Korea reported 74 new coronavirus infections on Monday, slightly lower than a day ago, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new cases bring the country’s total to 8,236.
The KCDC also reported that 303 more patients had fully recovered and had been released from care. A total of 1,137 people have recovered and been released so far.
South Korea has been experiencing a downward trend in new cases and the latest numbers are significantly lower than the peak of 909 cases reported on Feb. 29 and slightly down from the 76 recorded on Sunday.

Sunday, March 15 (All times in GMT)

21:31 – Jordan’s health ministry reported that the coronavirus cases toll has risen to 12, 5 nationals, 6 French and an Iraqi lady.

Another Jordanian man has recovered from coronavirus and was discharged on Friday, the ministry added.

20:42 – Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population recorded 16 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 126.

The ministry reported only two deaths and 26 recoveries.

19:43 – Iraq’s health ministry reported 14 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 124. There have been 9 deaths and 26 recoveries so far, the ministry added.

19:34 – Oman has banned the entry of all non-Omanis via all land, sea and air ports and checkpoints, except citizens of GCC states. It also imposed quarantine on all passengers arriving in the country via all land, sea and air ports and checkpoints, including Omanis.

The sultanate’ COVID-19 Supreme Committee also decided to close all parks and public play areas and suspended Friday prayers and social gatherings including wedding parties and funeral ceremonies. The decisions take effect from Tuesday, March 17.

18:21 – Bahrain has announced a reduction in the number of incoming flights to the country as well as the suspension of visas on-arrival across all entry points, until further notice, effective 3:00a.m. on Wednesday, March 18.

17:05 – UAE’s ministry of health said of three patients recovered from coronavirus, state news agency WAM reported.

This brings the total toll of recoveries in the country to 26.

15: 43 – Oman’s Ministry of Health reported two new cases of coronavirus, involving a resident and a female citizen who had a history of travel to Italy.

Topics: Coronavirus Coronavirus (COVID-19) Coronavirus China

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Canadian veteran released in Afghanistan after Qatari mediation, official says

Updated 4 sec ago
Reuters
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Canadian veteran released in Afghanistan after Qatari mediation, official says

  • David Lavery is now in the Qatari capital, Doha, where he has undergone a medical assessment
Updated 4 sec ago
Reuters

DOHA: Canadian veteran David Lavery has been freed following his arrest in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Nov. 11 after mediation by Qatar, an official with knowledge of the release said on Sunday.
The circumstances surrounding Lavery’s arrest remain unclear. The Veterans Transition Network, where Lavery worked, said last year that he had frequently traveled to Afghanistan to carry out humanitarian work.
“Mr. Lavery’s release was secured following a request from the Canadian government to Qatar, asking for their support given their past experience as mediators in Afghanistan,” the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Lavery is now in the Qatari capital, Doha, where he has undergone a medical assessment, the official said.

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What to know about Israel’s ban on UN agency for Palestinians

Updated 14 min 43 sec ago
AFP
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What to know about Israel’s ban on UN agency for Palestinians

  • Replacing UNRWA, therefore, is seen as impossible, even though beneficiaries and NGOs have been searching for alternatives for weeks
Updated 14 min 43 sec ago
AFP

JERUSALEM: As a law banning the UN agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on Israeli territory is set to take effect, the future of the vital services it offers is shrouded in uncertainty.
Israeli politicians have accused UNRWA of being linked to Palestinian militants, and in October voted to ban it. The order will come into force at the end of January.
Lawmakers have celebrated the legislation as a political victory, but it has raised questions about what would replace the work of the crucial aid agency.
UNRWA operates across the Middle East, particularly in Palestinian refugee camps.
The areas that would likely be affected by the Israeli ban are the Palestinian territories — the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
UNRWA provides education, sanitation and health services, and has been the main agency coordinating aid during the Gaza war.
The legislation bans Israeli officials from working with UNRWA and outlaws its activities “on Israeli territory,” which under Israeli law would include east Jerusalem, occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967.
UNRWA has a large compound in east Jerusalem and works in the Shuafat refugee camp there.
According to Jonathan Fowler, a spokesman for the agency, 750 children attend UNRWA schools in east Jerusalem, while it conducts 8,000 medical consultations each year for patients who have no access to other options.
In the Gaza Strip, devastated by more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas, the agency employs 13,000 people and coordinates the humanitarian response for other organizations, which means it is regularly in contact with the Israeli authorities.
In the West Bank, UNRWA provides services for hundreds of thousands of people living in refugee camps.
To operate in the territory, the agency must coordinate with an Israeli defense ministry agency.
Under the Israeli law, UNRWA must cease its operations in east Jerusalem and vacate all its buildings by January 30, Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon wrote in a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday.
Apart from that letter, “no one knows what is going to happen,” said Fowler.
“We will continue everything we can while awaiting further details. We are not giving up.”
Emphasising the uncertainty that surrounds the agency, Fowler said it wasn’t clear whether UNRWA staff passing through Israeli checkpoints across the West Bank could “be considered contact with the Israeli authorities” and therefore banned.
He said that during Israeli military raids, UNRWA staff have maintained contact with Israeli officials to protect the people it serves, especially children in refugee camps.
“If we lose that contact, that would be a big problem,” he said. “It is very dangerous.”
In the Gaza Strip, UNRWA “provides logistical support” for other UN agencies and remains “the backbone of UN operations on the ground,” said Muhannad Hadi, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the Middle East, recently returned from Gaza.
Replacing UNRWA, therefore, is seen as impossible, even though beneficiaries and NGOs have been searching for alternatives for weeks.
Human rights group Adalah petitioned the Israeli supreme court on January 15, in the name of 10 Palestinian refugees, arguing that the legislation banning UNRWA “violates fundamental human rights and Israel’s obligations under international law.”
Fowler said that “under international law, it is incumbent on an occupying power to ensure the well-being... of an occupied population.”
The Palestinian Red Crescent on Thursday said it “absolutely” rejected the idea of replacing UNRWA “despite ongoing attempts by various parties” to convince it to take on the UN agency’s work or receive funds that currently go to the agency.
It said “the most recent of these attempts was by the Israeli health ministry which sought to hand over UNRWA’s Bab Al-Zawiya clinic in Jerusalem to the (Red Crescent) in exchange for financial support — a proposal that the Society categorically rejected.”
Some have suggested that UNRWA’s mission be taken over by foreign governments or other UN agencies.
Some UN staff, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that their organizations lacked both the human and material resources to replace UNRWA.
Other UN agencies “don’t have the capacity, on the ground, to do the distribution like we do,” said Fowler.
COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry agency overseeing civilian affairs in Palestinian territories, has repeatedly said that it works with other organizations, UN agencies and NGOs to organize the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip.

Topics: War on Gaza UNRWA

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How war’s toll on schools is creating a bleak future for millions of children

Updated 10 min 54 sec ago
ANAN TELLO
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How war’s toll on schools is creating a bleak future for millions of children

  • War has kept 18 million children in Sudan and 658,000 in Gaza out of school for nearly two years, with no immediate hope of returning
  • School closures in conflict zones, experts warn, put children at greater risk of exploitation, abuse, and mental health challenges
Updated 10 min 54 sec ago
ANAN TELLO

LONDON: In wartime, the destruction of a school is more than collateral damage — it represents the theft of a child’s future. The past year has been especially bad in this regard, with one in three children in conflict zones or fragile states deprived of schooling.

With wars taking place in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine, and elsewhere around the globe, the UN children’s fund, UNICEF, described 2024 as “one of the worst years” in its history for children in conflict.

“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in UNICEF’s history — both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,” said Catherine Russell, the agency’s executive director.

“A child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished, or forced from their home — too often repeatedly — compared to a child living in places of peace.

“This must not be the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage to the world’s unchecked wars.”

Nearly one in six children worldwide live in conflict zones, with more than 473 million enduring the highest levels of violence since the Second World War, according to the Peace Research Institute Oslo.

Infographic courtesy of Save the Children

In contexts like Gaza and Sudan, where many educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed by fighting and where teachers have been forced to flee, learning and play have been replaced by trauma and loss.

In Gaza, at least 658,000 school-aged children remain out of classrooms for the second consecutive academic year, with around 96 percent of school buildings damaged or destroyed since October 2023, despite their protected status under international humanitarian law.

The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which saw 1,200 killed and 250 taken hostage, triggered the devastating war in Gaza, which killed at least 47,000 Palestinians and displaced 90 percent of the population, according to Gazan officials.

Despite the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal reached earlier this month, a return to classrooms in Gaza remains a distant hope. UNICEF said in November that at least 87 percent of the enclave’s schools will require extensive reconstruction before they can reopen.

Palestinians inspect the debris after an Israeli strike near a UN-run school in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on October 21, 2023. (AFP)

Although Israel says it does not deliberately target civilian infrastructure, few educational institutions have been spared damage, including UN-run schools sheltering displaced civilians.

UN experts voiced concern last year over what they considered the systematic destruction of education in Gaza, not only through the crippling of schools and colleges but also the arrest and killing of teachers.

“It may be reasonable to ask if there is an intentional effort to comprehensively destroy the Palestinian education system, an action known as scholasticide,” the UN experts said in a joint statement.

“These attacks are not isolated incidents. They present a systematic pattern of violence aimed at dismantling the very foundation of Palestinian society,” the statement added, lamenting that “when schools are destroyed, so too are hopes and dreams.”

People inspect the damage following an Israeli strike on the UNWRA-run Al-Majda Wasila school housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on December 14, 2024. (AFP)

By September last year, at least 10,490 school and university students and more than 500 schoolteachers and university lecturers had been killed, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Education.

In October alone, the UN documented at least 64 Israeli attacks on schools in Gaza, averaging almost two attacks per day.

“Schools should never be on the front lines of war, and children should never be indiscriminately attacked while seeking shelter,” UNICEF’s Russell said in early November.

“The horrors we are seeing in Gaza are setting a dark precedent for humanity, one where children are hit with bombs at record numbers while looking for safety inside classrooms. Trauma and loss have become their daily norm.”

A man inspects the damage at the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the Musa bin Nusayr School in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City on December 22, 2024. (AFP)

The situation is equally dire in Sudan, where a brutal civil war has wrought havoc on civilians and critical infrastructure since April 2023, killing tens of thousands and displacing more than 11.4 million, according to UN figures.

Attacks on schools, which Save the Children reports have increased fourfold since the conflict began, have forced most institutions to close, leaving more than 18 million of the country’s 22 million children without a formal education for more than a year.

Such attacks, Save the Children says, include airstrikes on schools, the abduction, torture, and killing of teachers, and sexual violence against students inside education facilities.

Other violations include armed groups occupying schools, using them to store weapons, and fighting battles on school grounds.

Adil Al-Mahi, MedGlobal’s Sudan country director, believes that even if the violence ends, a full return to normal education is unlikely in the near future.

“Cities controlled by the Rapid Support Forces are badly damaged, including education facilities in those areas,” Al-Mahi told Arab News.

By early 2024, the paramilitary RSF had seized most of the capital, Khartoum, and much of Al-Jazirah state, Sudan’s agricultural heartland.

INNUMBERS

• 25 million Children in 22 conflict-affected countries who are out of

• 103 million Children in 34 conflict-affected countries denied schooling in 2024.

(Source: Save the Children)

However, in January, the Sudanese Armed Forces announced they had advanced into Omdurman, Sudan’s second-largest city, located in Khartoum state, reclaiming some areas previously held by the RSF.

Schools in these areas have been “used by the RSF as warehouses for military equipment,” and therefore many have been targeted by the air force, Al-Mahi said. “Around 70 percent of the facilities might not be safe for children’s education.”

Aid agencies warned in May that Sudan is on the brink of the world’s worst education crisis. Displacement has compounded the already dire situation, even in areas where schooling remains relatively accessible.

People fleeing violence in Sudan reside at the Hasahisa secondary school in Jazira state (AFP photo)

With no formal camps for internally displaced persons, many families have sought refuge on school grounds, disrupting the education of local children, said Al-Mahi.

In the eastern coastal city of Port Sudan, for example, “some schools have reopened,” but they face significant challenges as “the schools themselves were used as shelters for IDPs arriving from the conflict area.”

Al-Mahi said the situation has created tensions with local communities, who wanted to reclaim the spaces and reopen the schools.

A teacher invigilates middle school students during their end-of-year exams in the northern Sudanese village of Usli on November 24, 2024. (AFP)

A similar issue emerged in the River Nile state. However, according to Al-Mahi, “the problem was resolved to get the families out of the classrooms and have them in proper tents in the open areas within the school — the playgrounds — and then have the schools also operate.”

Nevertheless, facilities in these areas continue to struggle with overcrowding. “Most of the cities that received IDPs have seen their populations increase three or fourfold, making it very difficult to accommodate children, even if the school is no longer housing IDPs,” Al-Mahi said.

The disruption of formal learning in conflict zones has cast a shadow over children’s futures, leaving many with mental health issues and at an increased risk of child labor and child marriage.

“Education is lifesaving,” James Cox, Save the Children’s global education policy and advocacy lead, told Arab News.

“School protects children from things like child labor, early marriage and pregnancy, recruitment into armed forces, and helps build critical thinking, healthy social relationships, and mental wellbeing.

“Children being denied their right to education on any scale has significant implications for society as well as the individual children. Studies have shown that in low- and middle-income countries, the probability of conflict has almost tripled when the level of educational inequality doubled.”

It also impacts economic prosperity. UNESCO estimates that by 2030, the annual global social costs of children who leave school early will reach $6.3 trillion — or 11 percent of global gross domestic product.

Cox also warned that “when children are prevented from attending school for a long period, learning is significantly impacted — and can often regress.”

He said: “The longer children are out of school, the greater the risk that they never return — and, without the right support, of dropping out for those who try to return.”

For school-age children in conflict zones, the mental health impact can be immense. Jeeda Al-Hakim, a specialist counseling psychologist at City University of London, described being out of school as “an emotional wound that goes beyond missed lessons.

“School offers much-needed stability, a sense of normalcy, and a safe space to form friendships and express themselves,” she told Arab News. “Without it, children are left isolated and burdened by uncertainty, often grappling with feelings of fear, loss, and despair.”

Many of those children “are thrust into adult responsibilities — caring for siblings or finding ways to survive — while their own emotional needs are sidelined,” she said.

“Premature adultification can lead to profound feelings of loneliness and anxiety, as children miss out on the freedom to simply be children.”

Stressing that “the emotional cost of these experiences cannot be understated,” Al-Hakim said: “While informal learning or community support can provide glimmers of hope, nothing replaces the emotional security and opportunities that come from a stable environment.

“To truly support these children, we must prioritize ending the conflicts that strip them of both their childhoods and their futures.”
 

 

Topics: War on Gaza Editor’s Choice Israeli aggression UNICEF Save the Children

Israel releases Holocaust survivor figures ahead of memorial day

Updated 26 min 15 sec ago
AFP
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Israel releases Holocaust survivor figures ahead of memorial day

  • One-third of Holocaust survivors listed by Israel arrived in the country between its establishment in 1948 and 1951, according to the report
Updated 26 min 15 sec ago
AFP

JERUSALEM: Israel published information on Holocaust survivors in the country on Sunday, the eve of the International Holocaust Memorial Day which will mark 80 years since the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz.
An Israeli government agency dedicated to supporting survivors of the mass murder of Jews during World War II issued its yearly report, estimating that more than 123,000 Holocaust survivors currently live in Israel.
They include 41,751 people who survived Nazi persecution and 44,334 who fled the advance of Nazi forces particularly in the former Soviet Union.
A third group of 37,630 survivors were victims of anti-Semitism during the war but were outside of Europe — mainly Jews living under the French Vichy regime in Morocco and Algeria, as well as Iraqi Jews.
The report also mentions 133 Israelis who fought during World War II in the ranks of the Allied forces.
Sixteen thousand spouses of Holocaust survivors who had passed away are also listed, as they receive government support.
Government support for Holocaust survivors totalled 3.9 billion shekels (about $1.1 billion) in 2024, according to the report.
Most of the survivors included in the report, 61 percent, are women.
About 37 percent were born in the former Soviet Union, 17 percent in Morocco and 11 percent in Iraq.
One-third of Holocaust survivors listed by Israel arrived in the country between its establishment in 1948 and 1951, according to the report.
Nine percent have immigrated over the past 25 years, and 54 individuals in 2024.

Topics: Holocaust Israeli holocaust survivor Jews

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The United Nations’ special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg. (File/AFP)
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UN envoy meets Houthi official after workers detained

  • “They addressed the recent arbitrary detention of additional UN personnel adding to the numerous others already held by Ansar Allah,” the statement said
Updated 29 min 24 sec ago
AFP

MUSCAT: The United Nations’ special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, met on Sunday with a senior Houthi official in Oman and called for the release of UN staff held by the militia.
A statement from Grundberg’s office said he met in Muscat with “senior Omani officials” and Mohammed Abdul Salam, spokesman for the Iran-backed Houthis.
“They addressed the recent arbitrary detention of additional United Nations personnel adding to the numerous others already held by Ansar Allah,” the statement said, referring to the Houthis.
On Friday the UN announced that the Houthis had detained seven employees, adding to 13 UN personnel and some 50 NGO workers held since June.
The Houthis said at the time that the June arrests targeted “an American-Israeli spy network” operating under the cover of humanitarian organizations — allegations emphatically rejected by the UN.
The statement from Grundberg’s office on Sunday said he had “reiterated the firm stance” of UN secretary general Antonio Guterres “strongly condemning these detentions and calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained UN staff.”
The statement also called for the freeing of “personnel from international and national non-governmental organizations, civil society and diplomatic missions held since June 2024, as well as those held since 2021 and 2023.”
A decade of war has plunged Yemen into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations.
US President Donald Trump this week ordered the Houthis placed back on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Re-listing the Houthis will trigger a review of UN and other aid agencies working in Yemen that receive US funding, according to the order signed on Wednesday.

Topics: Houthis UN envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg

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