Ukraine: Mariupol evacuation is ready, there is no Plan B, say humanitarians

Efforts to help thousands of desperate residents flee the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol continued on Friday, as humanitarians warned that there is “no Plan B”, after weeks of constant shelling since the Russian invasion on 24 February.

The development follows an initial attempt to evacuate civilians from the southern port city at the beginning of March, when a resumption in hostilities ultimately dashed hopes of safe passage for those wanting to leave.

“We remain hopeful, we are in action, moving towards Mariupol, that is obviously a good thing; but it is not yet clear that this will happen today,” said Ewan Watson, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “If and when it does happen, the ICRC’s role as a mutual intermediary will be to lead the convoy out from Mariupol to another city in Ukraine. We are unable to confirm which city at the moment as this is something the parties must agree to.”

More than 50 buses are expected to roll out of Mariupol, accompanied by other civilian and ICRC vehicles, providing a “humanitarian marker on this movement of people…giving the convoy additional protection”, the ICRC spokesperson told journalists in Geneva.

“There is no plan B here, we have been working for weeks and telling the media about our efforts to get into Mariupol with aid and to allow the safe passage of civilians out of the city. Time is running out for the people of Mariupol.”

Across Ukraine, humanitarian needs continue to worsen and spread “by the hour”, the UN World  Food Programme (WFP) warned.

The agency has delivered life-saving food assistance, including ready-to-eat food, bread and cash assistance, to one million people affected by the war. “People are stressed and they are running out of options,” said WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri. “Our plan … is to support more and more people, we want to reach at least three million people in the coming weeks and months”, he added, along with, as well as 300,000 refugees and asylum seekers who have fled to neighbouring countries.

The UN agency has already prepositioned close to 40,000 tonnes of food, wheat flour and food rations in Ukraine and neighbouring countries for distribution.

And despite the continuing violence which has included shelling and street fighting, “WFP has delivered food to vulnerable families in the encircled cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, through two interagency humanitarian convoys that have reached the conflict-hit areas”, Mr. Phiri said. 

“One of the biggest challenges we face here is that there are not that many humanitarian partners who are able to work in besieged places.”

In Kharkiv, WPF has also distributed 330,000 loaves of freshly baked bread and it is expanding this bakery initiative to other cities, with the aim of delivering another 990,000 loaves in the coming weeks. 

WFP has also delivered stocks of rapid-response food packages in Dnipro and Kirovohrad in central Ukraine, and in Vinnytsia in the centre-western region, for inter-agency crossline convoys and for use by WFP partners. 

In areas indirectly affected by the war and where food is available and retail shops are operating normally, WFP has started providing cash or vouchers as a means of support, Mr Phiri explained.

ends

STORY: Ukraine Update – WFP, ICRC

TRT: 1 mins 47s

SOURCE: UNTV CH

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 1 April 2022 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST

1. Exterior wide shot, flag alley, UN Geneva.
2. Medium shot, UN Geneva Press room, podium speaker and large-screen TV showing speakers in room and remotely.
3. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Ewan Watson – International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): “We remain hopeful, we are in action, moving towards Mariupol, that is obviously a good thing; but it is not yet clear that this will happen today.”
4. Medium-wide shot, podium speaker and large-screen TV showing speakers in room and remotely.
5. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Ewan Watson – International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): “If and when it does happen, the ICRC’s role as a mutual intermediary will be to lead the convoy out from Mariupol to another city in Ukraine. We are unable to confirm which city at the moment as this is something the parties must agree to.”
6. Medium shot, journalists seated in front of laptops in foreground, large-screen TV showing speakers in room and remotely.
7. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Ewan Watson – International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): “There is no plan B here, we have been working for weeks and telling the media about our efforts to get into Mariupol with aid and to allow the safe passage of civilians out of the city. Time is running out for the people of Mariupol.”
8. Medium shot, podium speaker and large-screen TV showing speakers in room and remotely.
9. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Tomson Phiri, World Food Programme (WFP): “People are stressed and they are running out of options; with each day it is taking the toll on them. Our plan as the World Food Programme is to support more and more people; we want to reach at least three million people in the coming weeks and months.”
10. Medium shot, participants and journalists, seated and masked; TV camera and light panel also in shot.
11. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Tomson Phiri, World Food Programme (WFP): “One of the biggest challenges we face here is that there are not that many humanitarian partners who are able to work in besieged places.”
12. Medium shot, TV camera, participants and journalists, seated and masked.
13. Medium shot, participants and journalists seated and masked, one is beneath a mounted light panel.
14. Medium shot, participant seated and masked, typing on laptop.