‘Like a scene out of a horror movie’: UN report warns of war crimes in Sudan’s El Fasher

“Persistent impunity fuels continued cycles of violence,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, calling for credible investigations and accountability for perpetrators.  Sudan’s national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia have been fighting each other for control of the country for almost three years. The new report details widespread atrocities committed […]

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Madagascar: ‘Overwhelming’ destruction, surging needs after back-to-back cyclones – WFP

Speaking to reporters from Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo, WFP Country Director Tania Goossens said some 400,000 people are facing acute humanitarian needs after the island was hit by back-to-back cyclones in the space of three weeks. Ms. Goossens recently returned from a mission to the port city Toamasina (also known as Tamatave), the country’s second largest […]

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New plan to counter drone threats

  The European Commission has presented a plan to counter the increasing security threats posed by drones across the EU.  In recent years, the EU has faced growing challenges relating to drones, such as hostile overflights, airspace violations, disruptions to airports, and risks to critical infrastructure, external borders and public spaces. The new plan represents […]

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West Bank: UN rights chief warns against deepening Israeli control over Palestinian land

 “This is yet another step by the Israeli authorities towards rendering a viable Palestinian State impossible, in violation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination,” he said.  He warned that if implemented, the decisions “will undoubtedly accelerate the dispossession of Palestinians and their forcible transfer, and lead to the creation of more illegal Israeli settlements.”  This in turn “will also further deprive […]

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Violence surges in South Sudan leaving civilians at risk and peacekeepers stretched thin

Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council on Tuesday, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said instability had risen sharply in recent weeks, driven by political deadlock among signatories to the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement and a dangerous escalation in armed confrontations. Fighting has intensified most dramatically in Jonglei state, where clashes between Government forces and opposition […]

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Ethiopia: Türk fears new crisis in Tigray amid renewed fighting

“The situation remains highly volatile and we fear it will further deteriorate, worsening the region’s already precarious human rights and humanitarian situation,” Mr. Türk said, following clashes in recent days between the Ethiopian army and regional forces. The development comes against a backdrop of deadly conflict in Tigray from 2020 to 2022 between Government troops and […]

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53 migrants die in latest shipwreck tragedy off Libya coast

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the boat overturned in the perishingly cold waters of the central Mediterranean Sea, north of the coastal town of Zuwara last Friday.  It is just the latest deadly incident involving vulnerable people on the move who are frequently mistreated and trafficked by smuggling gangs that have flourished […]

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UN chief warns of ‘grave moment’ as final US-Russia nuclear arms treaty expires

In a statement issued as the treaty expired at midnight GMT Thursday, he said the world was entering uncharted territory, with no remaining legally binding constraints on the nuclear arsenals of the United States and the Russia – the two countries that together hold the vast majority of the world’s nuclear weapons. “For the first […]

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AI ‘moving at the speed of light’ warns Guterres, unveiling recommendations for UN expert panel

“AI is moving at the speed of light,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, underscoring the urgency of regulating the breakthrough technology. “We need shared understandings to build effective guardrails, unlock innovation for the common good, and foster cooperation. The Panel will help the world separate fact from fakes, and science from slop.” The roots of […]

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‘We are dying’: Gaza’s cancer patients plead for a way out

“We are dying. Every day, between two and three patients die inside this hospital,” says Munther Abu Foul, a cancer patient lying on his bed in Gaza’s largest hospital. “I can’t get out of bed because of the pain. We want a solution – open the crossings.” His words capture the reality facing thousands of […]

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