UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Ongoing conflict, displacement and funding shortages continue to deepen humanitarian needs across Sudan, UN humanitarians warned Monday.In North Kordofan state, insecurity around its capital city of El Obeid continues to endanger civilians, drive displacement and increase humanitarian needs, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).Despite the challenging security situation around the state capital, the United Nations and its partners continued to reach people in El Obeid with aid. Relief workers provided some 2 million liters of safe drinking water to about 133,000 people amid severe water shortages in the city, said OCHA.In West Darfur state, the International Organization for Migration reported that fighting in Sirba locality has displaced an estimated 18,000 people from more than 20 villages since last week. Most have reportedly fled across the border to Chad.In Central Darfur state, the recent closure of three health facilities due to funding gaps has left some 75,000 displaced people without adequate access to essential health services, said OCHA.The office called for additional funding from donors for this year's humanitarian appeal for Sudan, which is about 41 percent funded, with 1.2 billion U.S. dollars received against the required 2.9 billion dollars.OCHA called on all parties to protect civilians and facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access.Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said at a regular briefing that the UN chief's personal envoy to Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, has had meetings with both sides of the civil war, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, in an effort to work with them toward a cessation of hostilities and progress in negotiations between the parties.Haq added that Haavisto's meetings have included the world body's regional partners, such as the African Union, the League of Arab States and the Intergovernmenta...

ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's internationally recognized government said Monday it will respond to continued Houthi attacks, as an intensifying wave of missile and drone strikes across government-held areas raises the risk of large-scale fighting.Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), said government forces are better prepared to confront the latest escalation and will no longer allow the Houthis to dictate the timing and scope of military confrontations, according to the government-run Saba news agency.During a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh with ambassadors of countries supporting Yemen's political process, al-Alimi said the government had sought to preserve the relative calm that followed the 2022 UN-brokered truce but will not allow its commitment to peace to provide the Houthis with an opportunity to launch attacks without consequences.The state did not initiate this escalation, nor did it seek it, al-Alimi was quoted as saying by Saba.He said the recent attacks showed that the military and political situation has changed, stressing that strikes on Marib, Hadramout and the western coast will no longer go without cost.His remarks came after days of intensified Houthi attacks on government forces and infrastructure in the oil-rich provinces of Marib, Hadramout and Shabwa, as well as the western coastal city of Mocha.The Houthis have sharply intensified missile and drone attacks in recent weeks against government-held areas in Yemen and targets in neighboring Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the Yemeni government.The group announced a maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping in July and has since claimed attacks on Saudi-linked oil tankers in the Red Sea as well as energy facilities inside the kingdom.The Houthis have claimed that their attacks on government forces were in response to what they described as Saudi-backed military buildups and mobilization in Yemen, while portraying strikes on Saudi territory as r...

BOGOTA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday has risen to 111 nationwide, with 87 others injured, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said in Bogota.De la Espriella said the quake damaged 1,575 homes and infrastructure at six airports, where commercial flight operations have been suspended.The Colombian government earlier Monday declared a state of national disaster to respond to the impact of the earthquake.According to the Colombian Geological Service, the quake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time in western Colombia. Its epicenter was near San Jose del Palmar, in the department of Choco, at a depth of 96 km.