2023 News
Awareness: Conflict, Humanitarianism and Natural Disaster
Design by: Vernika Monk
UKRAINE​
Conflict: Since the war in 2014, Russia has continued their invasion of Ukraine that re-started in February of 2021. It has continued up until the present date. The Russian-led war has caused many attacks on Ukrainian soil from the Russians, which has damaged various facilities, buildings and homes. Ukraine has countered these attacks by damaging buildings, bases and other structures, in Russia.
Humanitarian: As the war progressed, humanitarians state that there have been over 3.6M Ukrainians that are internally displaced. It is stated that 18% of the Ukrainian refugees have fled intoo other countries, such as the US, Canada, and as far as South America. However, most have fled to countries that are near them, such as Poland, Hungary and Slovenia.
​
In June, the Kokhovka dam was struck by Russian forces causing flooding to displaced at least 17K Ukrainians in the Kherson regions causing damages to buildings.
​
Natural Disaster: A tremendous snow storm in Mykolaiv near Kyiv caused electrical damage causing ten fatalities.
​
In addition, in June, a man-made disaster from Russian strikes to a road caused damage to the Kokhovka Dam, in the Kherson regions, causing tremendous flooding in towns and villages. It also has damaged agricultural land.
SOMALIA
​
Conflict: There are numerous factions within Somalia that are vying for territory. The entities of conflct are Al-Shabab (southern and central), Islamic State (Puntland), Somaliland, Khatumo (Sanaa and Sool area), and the Somali governance.
In 2022, the Al-Shabab group invaded Ethophia gaining ground but was defeated by the Somali Army. Since then, in 2023, the Al-Shabab forces continue to vy for territory by striking military bases, and other infrastructure in Somalia and vis versa.
The Somalian government does not reconginze Somaliland, self-autonomy. As a result, as the Khatumo and Somaliland forces continue to war, the Somali governance recognizes the Khathumo (they protect the Somali border areas from Somaliland forces), as allies.
​
Humanitarian: The main cause of displacement is flooding. The heavy rain, in November near the Shabelle and Juba River has caused flood damage and the destruction of humanitarian camps and homes, which has been evasporated by the historic 2022 flooding. ​The ongoing conflict is placed as the second reason that Somalians migrate. The third is drought. Somalia is a country that is already drought-prone, but the country has not experienced such histortic drought conditions, since within the last 40 years. Overall, as of 2023 there are 2.9M Somalians thar are displaced.
While Somalians seek refuge in other countries, there are many refugees who flee to Somalia, such as the Egyptinas, Saudia Arabians, Syrians and the Yemenis.
​​
Natural Disaster: In the months of May and June, Somalia received heavy rain. These rains affected the Bakool, Banadir, Bari, Hiraan, Lower Juba, Middle Juba, Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, and Nagal regions.
There was more rain that arrived in the month of November, during the Deyr season. These rains caused the Shabelle River, near Hiraan to overflow into homes causing 14 fatalities in the Luuq and Jubaland districts of Somalia.
YEMEN
​
Conflict: The cease-fire that ended in October 2022 did not resume into the next year. There was sporadic fighting within Yemen and along the Saudia Arabia border. Although, few attacks occureed, in the month of September, in the North of Yemen a drone attack caused the fatality of four Bahrain Forces, who align with Saudia Arabia.
​
In conjunction with the Hamas-Israeli war, the Yemen Houthis retaliated by striking military and cargo ships along the Red Sea, which caused responses from the IC, such as US and UK. These Houthi strikes have effected the travel of all maritme and commerical vessels, along this corridor.
​
Humanitarian: Despite the decrease of conflict within Yemen, many continue to be displaced. There are over 20 million that are interanally displaced, along with thousands of casualties.
​
Yemen has a refugee camp called Kharaz, in the Lahij region. Those not at this camp are scattered throughout other regions. The country has over 71K refugees from other countries.
​
Between the months of May 2022 and June 2023 there have been thousands of migrants seeking refuge in Saudia Arabia via the Yemen border.
​
Natural Disaster: In January the regions of Abyan, Al Hudaydah, Amram, Dharmar, Hadramaut, Ma'rit, Sana'a, Shabwah, and Ta'izz experienced flooding.
Tropical Cyclone Tej displaced thousands in the month of April. Heavy rain caused flooding on the Socotra Island, and in the regions of Al Mahrah, and Hadramawt.
​
In November the regions of Abyan, Al Bayda, Al Hudaydah, Dhamar, Ma'rib, Shabwah, Ta'izz and Hadramawt were effected with heavy rain and flooding.
GAZA
Conflict: The Gaza strip, in Israel has an Palestinian extremist group called Hamas, who wants to control the entire Israel. Since the Israeli-Palestinian fight in 2021 and the 2022 Gaza-Israeli war, Hamas and Israel have fought sporadically with various strikes by each throughout the year of 2023.
​
However, on October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked Israel with over 2500 rockets, which caused over 1000 Israeli fatalities in one day and many taken captive. In retaliation, IDF have attacked various Hamas targets, which in turn damaged buildings and hospitals. This has indirectly affected the Palestinians causing them to flee to the southern parts of the Gaza strip.
​
Humanitarian: According to humanitarian agencies, 85% of the 2.3 Palestinians that reside in Gaza are displaced because of the Hamas-Israeli war. Many are in need of food, water and shelter.
​
The disruption of aide to the Palestinians continues in the corridor area of Gaza. Humanitarian agencies state that trucks of food were halted from entering because of Israelis targets toward Hamas-Palestinians, howeve, the aide was eventually delivered.
​
Natural Disaster: In the month of December, since the war of Hamas-Israel, there has been heavy rain that has filtrated the areas of Palestinians refugee camps.
PHILIPPINES
​
Conflict: There are many internal fighting factions of political and non-political influence in the Philippines that are vying for land in the Mindanao region. They are the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), the Abu Sayyaf Group, the New People's Army (CPP-NPA-NFD), including the governance of the Philippines.
​
As of 2023, other external clashes from ISIL, who are aligned with Abu Sayyaf Group have launched explosives in Mindanao.
​
Externally, there are contentions with China. China wants to claim certain areas of the South China Sea and the Philippine governance disagrees with these areas of conquest by the Chinese.
​
Humanitarian: Throughout the years, these territorical clashes have displaced many of the Filipinos that reside in Mindanao. At the end of 2022, there were over 100K displaced because of conflict and violence.
​​
The earthqauke of November, in Region XI and Region XII, in the Mindanao region of Philippines displaced thousands of Filipinos. In December, they also experienced a earthquake, in Region X and Region XI of the Mindanao Region, in which more than 401,0000 displaced.
​
A major flood caused the displacement of over 45,000 Filipinos on the 25th of December in the year of 2023. Of the 45,000 displaced 33,000 were from Region X, in the city of Gingoog.
​
Natural Disaster: There are many earthquakes each year throughout the country of the Philippines. There were two high ranked earthquakes. In November, of 2023 there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 in Region XI and Region XII (Mindanao region), resulting in 11 deaths. In addition, there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 in the Mindanao area within the month of December, which caused 3 deaths.
​
In November, there was also, flooding in the lower area of in the city of Davao, in the Mindanao region. Overall, most of the flooding in December occured in Region XIII, in Caraga. The Region X and Region XII, was also affected, as they overlapped into the Carga area.
Source:​
(1) "Helicopter Image." Stockcake. Image is a derivitive work. Design by Vernika Monk