The strikes affected residential buildings, preschools and businesses. Aid workers are providing first aid, psychosocial support, repair materials and other emergency assistance.
The attacks come after U.N. peacebuilding and political affairs chief Rosemary Di Carlo told the Security Council on Monday that violence in Ukraine is “worse than ever.”
Concern about the nuclear power plant
The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine today lost connection to the 750 kv Dniprovska line, leaving it dependent on its only backup line for external power.
The ZNPP has been in Russian hands since March 4, 2022 and has continued to suffer damage from shelling since then.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said his team is monitoring the situation and has also started talks with both sides to establish a local ceasefire to repair the damaged power line.
Refugees return to DRC after border reopens
More than 33,000 Congolese refugees have returned from Burundi east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since the reopening of the border on February 23.
Most of the returnees are crossing near Uvira, in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after fleeing to Burundi in December 2025, when clashes between government forces and the M23 armed group forced thousands of people to flee the area.
“Many returned to find their homes destroyed and their belongings looted, leaving them in deep despair and unable to resume normal life without substantial support“ the head of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ali Mahamat, said on Tuesday.
Lack of funding while thousands remain in Burundi
About 30 percent of returnees had been living in the Busuma refugee site in Burundi, where funding shortages are causing overcrowding and shortages of water, sanitation, medicine and shelter, which is accelerating the return of refugees.
Almost 4,500 people remain in transit centers waiting to be relocated to Busuma. As of March 23, Burundi was still home to around 109,000 Congolese refugees, including some 67,000 in Busuma.
With UNHCR’s operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo only 34 percent funded and its response to Congolese refugees in Burundi only 20 percent funded, the agency is calling for urgent international support to ensure returns occur in conditions of safety, dignity and sustainability.
Thousands of Congolese refugees return home from Burundi.
Drought relief in Central America
The UN agency responsible for coordinating humanitarian aid, OCHA, has assigned 10.5 million dollars to help people facing a serious drought in the so-called ‘Dry Corridor’ along the coast of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Approximately 90 percent of the population of Central America lives in the “Dry Corridor” and, according to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), it is estimated that 2.7 million people There is an urgent need for food assistance starting in early 2026.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher allocated the amount from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support communities including many subsistence farmers facing failed harvests, growing food insecurity and increasing pressure on their livelihoods.
Thousands of people will receive cash aid
This new funding will allow OCHA and its humanitarian partners to act early to reduce humanitarian needs, protect jobs and help families anticipate any crisis.
Some 150,000 people in the three countries will receive cash to purchase food, drought-resistant seeds and livestock feed, as well as health support and water and sanitation services.