This week, China and Pakistan vow to cooperate Afghanistan. World Health Organization (WHO) urges ceasefire amidst Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s Ebola outbreak. Myanmar’s hunger crisis.
China and Pakistan Vow to Cooperate on Afghanistan
On May 26, China and Pakistan released a joint statement stressing the need to prevent militant groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and others from using Afghan territory for terrorist activities.
The statement followed a visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China, in which he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The two countries welcomed the idea of forming a continuing dialogue between Pakistan and the Taliban authorities. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said that China and Pakistan agreed to continue to coordinate on Afghanistan-related issues.
The heavy death toll of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s conflict is coming to light. On May 12, the UN reported that at least 372 Afghan civilians, including an NGO worker, were killed in conflict between government forces and Pakistan in the first three months of the year. Pakistan wrote a response to the report saying that 130 Pakistani civilians and security personnel were killed since the beginning of this year.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban in Afghanistan of harboring militants who attack Pakistan. Meanwhile, Afghan officials claim that that Pakistan harbours hostile groups and does not respect its sovereignty, RTL Today reports. The UN’s office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs in Afghanistan posted on X on April 7 that the conflict had displaced 94,000 people.
WHO Urges Ceasefire Amid DRC’s Ebola Outbreak
Two weeks after the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is urging an immediate ceasefire in the country’s conflict-devastated eastern region.
Tedros said on X, “Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access. Yet ongoing clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing exposed contacts into overcrowded camps and severing critical containment corridors.”
Tedros added that attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts “nearly impossible.” WHO reports that as of May 24, there are 900 suspected cases and 223 suspected Ebola deaths in the DRC and seven confirmed cases and one death in Uganda.
Despite being under government control, insecurity is worsening in eastern DRC’s Ituri province, with the UN humanitarian office reporting nearly 1 million displaced in the province.
Myanmar’s Hunger Crisis
Five years after Myanmar’s coup of February 2021, an estimated 16.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance this year, according to the UN humanitarian office’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2026 for Myanmar, published on May 27.
Last week, the United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) for Western Europe reported that the Middle East crisis was putting pressure on people across Myanmar to meet their basic needs. The UNRIC noted that fuel prices have tripled in Myanmar, and, “On average, staple food prices are up 18 percent nationwide, with Magway Region recording the highest increase at 38 percent, followed by Kayin and Rakhine states at 32 and 31 percent respectively.”
Keywords: China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Taliban, DRC, Congo, DR Congo, Ebola, Myanmar, hunger, peace, conflict, conflict resolution
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
