Hurricane impact in Bahamas & other topics - Daily Briefing (4 September 2019)

Briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
- Bahamas
- UNIFIL
- Syria
- Mali
- Afghanistan
- Libya
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Central African Republic - Humanitarian
- Central African Republic
- UNICEF
- Counter-terrorism
THE BAHAMAS
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock should’ve just landed or is about to land in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, where the team there is updating him on the impact of the hurricane and the ongoing efforts to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs.
The UN pre-deployed teams to Nassau to support the Government-led assessment that is supported by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and the teams there are expected to deploy to Abaco and Grand Bahama later today.

UNIFIL
The UN Force Commander, Major-General Stefano Del Col, today met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Beirut, and after the meeting, he said he had shared his serious concern at the incident on Sunday when anti-tank missiles claimed by Hezbollah were fired from southern Lebanon across the Blue Line. He said that this was a serious breach of the cessation of hostilities and a gross violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701.
Maj. Gen. Del Col said that UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanism played a critical role in deconflicting the situation along the Blue Line. At this time, he added, UNIFIL remains closely engaged with the parties to contain tensions and incidents and enable a safe and secure environment in the area.
He added that it is of paramount importance that the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River is free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and UNIFIL. And he said that he and the Prime Minister agreed on the importance of strengthening the capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in the UNIFIL area of operations in order to enable it to take greater security responsibilities along the Blue Line.

SYRIA
The United Nations remains gravely concerned over the ongoing hostilities in the northwest part of the country. Since hostilities increased in late April, the UN human rights office reports that more than 1,000 civilians have been killed. Civilian infrastructure has also been significantly impacted, with entire towns having largely been destroyed.
However, a unilateral ceasefire announced on 30 August by the Government of Syria has resulted in a degree of respite for civilians who have suffered under the intense hostilities of recent months.
While artillery shelling reportedly continues to result in casualties, there have been no reported airstrikes since the announcement of the ceasefire. With some 15,000 aid workers on the ground, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to provide shelter, food assistance and health services to those impacted in the northwest, where security allows.
The UN continues to call on all parties to the conflict to do their utmost to ensure the safety and well-being of civilians and to follow their obligations under international law.
Full Highlights: