Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The Red Cross on Tuesday launched what it said was the first global network of social media influencers to battle misinformation about the new coronavirus and spread lifesaving content about the pandemic. Experts have been warning for months that the pandemic has been cloaked in a …
Read More »Floods kill 12 people in Bundibugyo
Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Twelve people have been swept to their deaths by floods in western Uganda, the Red Cross said on Saturday, as the East African country is battered by torrential rain. “We have recovered 12 bodies from the water and one person has been rushed to …
Read More »Disease fears mount for Africa cyclone survivors
Beira, Mozambique | AFP | Disease is threatening to aggravate the already dire conditions facing millions of survivors following the powerful tropical cyclone which ravaged southern Africa 10 days ago, officials warned on Sunday. Cyclone Idai smashed into Mozambique’s coast unleashing hurricane-force wind and rain that flooded swathes of the poor …
Read More »Cyclone death toll surges as UN steps up Mozambique aid call
Beira, Mozambique | AFP | The death toll in Mozambique on Saturday climbed to 417 after a cyclone pummelled swathes of the southern African country, flooding thousands of square kilometres, as the UN stepped up calls for more help for survivors. Cyclone Idai smashed into the coast of central Mozambique …
Read More »Kenya floods leave 112 dead in two months: Red Cross
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Flooding across Kenya triggered by weeks of torrential rain has left 112 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of others, the Red Cross said Friday. Kenya Red Cross Secretary General Abbas Gullet made an appeal for $5 million (four million euros) to help those …
Read More »Six Red Cross workers killed in Central African Republic
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Six Red Cross workers were killed last week amid violent clashes in southern Central African Republic, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Wednesday in an updated toll. The bloodshed occurred last Thursday at a health centre in Gambo, 70 kilometres (45 miles) …
Read More »Red Cross urges release of staff kidnapped in DRCongo
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The International Committee of the Red Cross on Thursday urged the release of two of its staff kidnapped after armed men attacked their convoy in the troubled eastern DR Congo. The ICRC said the workers were abducted on Wednesday morning while on a humanitarian …
Read More »Diarrhoea kills 28 in Somaliland in 10 days
An IRC hospital in Somaliland Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) warned Wednesday of a health crisis in Somaliland after 28 people died of acute diarrhoea in the past 10 days. More than 411 cases, believed to be caused by cholera, have …
Read More »Red Cross seeks sh1.8bn for emergency interventions
By Julius Odeke The Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) is seeking for shs1.8b to provide emergency assistance to people affected by floods in Kasese District. The appeal is targeting 18, 000 people (3, 000 households) in the flood affected areas. According to URCS Secretary General Michael Richard Nataka, “The funds …
Read More »Red Cross acquires new boat for emergency rescue on Ssesse Islands
By Julius Odeke As part of its disaster preparedness plans, Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) has acquired a new engine boat to strengthen its emergency rescue services on Ssesse Islands. The 40 horse power boat will serve all the 84 islands on Ssesse, 64 of which are occupied by people. …
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