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World News in Brief: Deadly strikes in Sudan, health systems in South Sudan near the brink, Guterres calls for unity ahead of Ramadan.

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Over the past week, North Kordofan state recorded more than a dozen attacks in and around the towns of El Obeid, Bara, Rahad and Um Rawaba.  

In South Kordofan, suspected drone strikes hit health facilities in the state capital, Kadugli, and in Kuweik town, reportedly killing four medical workers, injuring more than 20 people. 

Concerns over the conflict continue to deepen after a report today from the UN Human Rights Office revealed the “sustained” and “systematic attacks” to civilians in the neighbouring Darfur region in late 2025 that may “amount to crimes against humanity”. 

Growing humanitarian concerns 

“The violence is triggering a new wave of displacement, with reports of many fleeing homes, in need food, health care and protection,” warned the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric on Friday. 

While the humanitarian situation in Dilling and Kadugli continues to deteriorate, he emphasised that “rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access is essential for us to scale up our response.” 

Commercial vehicles, telecommunications infrastructure and key transport routes have been affected the drone strikes, disrupting humanitarian movements and supply chains. 

Mr. Dujarric called for “the protection of humanitarian infrastructure, in line with international humanitarian law” and urged for more funding through UN aid coordination office OCHA to support displaced families across Sudan. 

Violence pushes South Sudan’s health system to the brink 

Since late December 2025, a devasting escalation of violence has swept across northern and central parts of South Sudan, the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) said on Friday. 

In Jonglei state alone, at least 280,000 people have been displaced – the majority being women and children.

“They fled with nothing. They are sleeping in displacement camps left over from the not-so-distant civil war – camps where there are barely any services. Others are out in the open, in remote locations, with nothing at all,” said UNICEF’s representative in South Sudan, Obia Acheng. 

Children were believed to make up 53 percent of those displaced.

“These children face killing and maiming. Recruitment into armed groups. Separation from their families. Gender-based violence. And profound psychological distress that will mark them for years,” Mr. Acheng emphasised.

Delivering for children

South Sudan’s health system is on the verge of collapse, with 11 health facilities attacked or looted since fighting intensified and many nutrition centres forced to close, UNICEF said.

Cholera cases have surged to 479 nationwide, with treatment centres overwhelmed and resources running low.

Around 825,000 children across Jonglei, Unity, and Eastern Equatoria states are now at risk of acute malnutrition — conditions that make children 12 times more likely to die without treatment.

Pregnant and nursing mothers are increasingly cut off from care, and humanitarian infrastructure is under assault.

Despite these grim numbers, UNICEF continues to run primary healthcare, nutrition, water and sanitation, and child protection programmes across the country. 

The UN Security Council also issued a statement expressing grave concern about the escalating violence in Jonglei, Eastern Equatoria, and throughout South Sudan. 

Members strongly called on all parties to de-escalate and immediately cease renewed hostilities and to resolve issues through peaceful dialogue.  

Children in Gaza hold lanterns to celebrate the advent of Ramadan. (file)

UN chief calls for unity and compassion ahead of Ramadan 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged people worldwide to embrace the spirit of peace, compassion and solidarity as Muslims prepare to observe the holy month of Ramadan.  

“For Muslims around the world, the holy month of Ramadan is a sacred period of reflection and prayer. Ramadan also represents a noble vision of hope and peace.” Mr. Guterres said in a message ahead of the start on Tuesday.  

He noted, however, that for many — from Afghanistan to Yemen, Gaza, and Sudan — this vision of hope and unity remained distant amid conflict, hunger, and displacement. 

The UN chief called on the global community to bridge divides, deliver aid to those in need, and uphold human rights and dignity for all. 

“May this Holy Month inspire us to work as one to build a more peaceful, generous and just world for all people,” he said. 

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On brink of famine, Gazans forced to scour dirt for food

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Without fuel, many basic facilities cannot function, from water treatment plants to medical infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Gazans now on the brink of famine have been reduced to taking desperate measures in their search for food, scouring the roads taken by aid convoys, UN aid worker Olga Cherevko told UN News.

“While we were driving, I saw an elderly man on the side of the road completely alone, kneeling down, and he was picking up handfuls of lentils that had spilled on the ground from one of the previous convoys that had been passing,” she said.

“He was picking them up with his hands and just putting them into his t-shirt as this is obviously the only option he has right now to find food because this is how desperate the situation has become.”

Desperate actions

The latest reports from Gaza indicate that mothers who are unable to breastfeed because they are not eating enough now feed their babies ground chickpeas, bread and rice, which are not suitable for infants.

In a social media post, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stressed that “this is a condition that we can prevent,” calling for increased humanitarian access. 

Separately, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) emphasised that “the health needs in Gaza are immense. A continuous flow of medical supplies is critical.”

Meanwhile, health workers on Wednesday reported that at least 50 Gazans were killed and 400 others injured while waiting for food near Zikim crossing in the north.

Ms. Cherevko, who works with the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, explained that her mission to Kerem Shalom on Thursday morning had been delayed at a “holding point” for two hours before being allowed to proceed to the crossing point separating Gaza from Israel.

‘Tactical pauses’ are not enough

Although the fuel supplies are welcome, they are far from enough, she insisted.

“We need hundreds of thousands of litres of fuel to be entering every day so that we can power even the most basic of our facilities to power, water, sanitation, healthcare, emergency telecommunications and other critical facilities effectively,” she said.

The announcement of daytime military pauses by Israel last weekend appears to have slightly reduced the amount of time aid convoys now wait for permission to proceed, the OCHA worker noted.

There has also been a “slight reduction” in security incidents involving Gazans taking food from UN trucks, she said.

In its latest update on the emergency, OCHA said that four days since the start of tactical pauses declared by Israel, “we are still seeing casualties among those seeking aid and more deaths due to hunger and malnutrition…Unilateral tactical pauses alone do not allow for the continuous flow of supplies required to meet immense needs levels in Gaza.”  

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Urgent action needed to ‘pull Yemen back from the brink of catastrophe’

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Tom Fletcher said that with “time and treatment” Noor was able to recover fully.

But what happens to a child such as Noor when treatments are limited and time runs out?

A group of 116 aid organizations, including 10 UN agencies, called on Tuesday for “urgent, collective action” to prevent Yemen from descending into a humanitarian catastrophe.

They warned that without such action, specifically increased funding, their ability to provide life-saving assistance will be severely curtailed.

“Without immediate action, the vital gains achieved through years of dedicated assistance could be lost,” they said.

Non-stop crises

For more than a decade, Yemen has endured a series of crises – armed conflicts, climate disasters and economic decay. As a result, close to 20 million depend on humanitarian aid to survive and five million are internally displaced.

Half of all Yemeni children – some 2.3 million – are malnourished. Over 600,000 are severely malnourished, like Noor. Malnutrition also impacts over 1.4 million pregnant women, creating an intergenerational cycle.

The healthcare system is also in disrepair, with Yemen accounting for more than one-third of cholera cases worldwide and 18 per cent of related deaths. 20 per cent of children under the age of one are fully unvaccinated.

Providing humanitarian aid in Yemen has also come with extreme difficulties for aid workers, with some being arbitrarily detained, including UN staffers.

Strikes against the Hodeida port and Sana’a Airport have also damaged vital humanitarian pathways for food and medicine.

Time and treatment running out

The aid community’s call for urgent action comes amidst extensive funding shortages. The Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is less than 10 per cent funded.

“We urgently appeal to donors to scale up flexible, timely, and predictable funding for the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan,” the aid organizations said.

Already, the UN and aid partners are working to minimize operational costs while maximizing aid provision and there is no doubt suffering will increase due to the reduction in aid.

In the first quarter of 2025, over five million people in Yemen received emergency food assistance, 1.2 million received clean water and sanitation services and 154,000 children were able to resume their education.

But without immediate funding, Emergency Relief Coordinator Fletcher estimates that there will be gaps in this aid as early as June or July.

Nearly 400 health facilities will be forced to stop operating, including 64 hospitals, which will impact over 7 million individuals. Funding for more than 700 midwives is also quickly drying up.

Call to the international community

While the humanitarian crisis in Yemen has been overshadowed by other vast humanitarian crises in Gaza and Sudan among other places, the 116 aid organizations emphasized that “donor support saves lives.”

The 7th Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting will be held Wednesday and should be a moment to work to avoid catastrophe in Yemen, the aid organizations urged.

“Now more than ever, swift and resolute support is crucial to prevent Yemen from sliding deeper into crisis and move towards a lasting peace,” they said.

Time and treatment are running out for children like Noor.

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‘Step back from the brink’, Guterres urges India and Pakistan

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Addressing journalists outside the Security Council at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Guterres expressed deep concern over deteriorating relations between the two South Asian neighbours, saying they had reached “their highest in years.”

He reiterated his condemnation of the 22 April terror attack in the Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir, which killed at least 26 civilians and injured many more.

“Targeting civilians is unacceptable – and those responsible must be brought to justice through credible and lawful means,” Mr. Guterres said.

“It is also essential – especially at this critical hour – to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control.”

The Security Council is due to meet behind closed doors later on Monday to discuss the rising tensions between the two nations.

UN ready to help de-escalate

He offered his good offices to both governments to help defuse tensions and promote diplomacy, stressing that “a military solution is no solution.”

“Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink,” he said.

Mr. Guterres also praised both countries for their long-standing contributions to UN peacekeeping operations and expressed hope that their shared history of cooperation could form the basis for renewed dialogue.

“The United Nations stands ready to support any initiative that promotes de-escalation, diplomacy, and a renewed commitment to peace,” he said.

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Gaza: Aid ban pushes civilians to the brink

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UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a news briefing at UN Headquarters on Thursday that the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate rapidly.

“Children are going hungry, patients remain untreated, and people are dying,” he said.

“It is time to lift those restrictions immediately.”

According to latest reports, the disruption in the flow of goods has led to dramatic price hikes – up to 1,400 per cent above pre-ceasefire levels – with  basic items such as dairy, eggs, fruits and meat now absent from local markets.

In April alone, prices have risen by 50 per cent compared to March, according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. Shortages of cash and plummeting purchasing power have forced many families deeper into hunger.

Conditions on the ground

On Wednesday, UN’s acting Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Suzanna Tkalec, visited Deir al Balah and Khan Younis to assess conditions on the ground.

In Khan Younis, the team inspected the main desalination plant for southern Gaza, which has been operating at only 15 per cent capacity since early March due to electricity cuts imposed by Israel. As a result, access to clean water remains extremely limited.

They also visited two overcrowded displacement sites to evaluate living conditions.

In Deir al Balah, the UN team observed operations at a community kitchen run by the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, which offers meals and training for youth, women and people with disabilities.

Severe shortages

Meanwhile, humanitarian partners are reporting severe shortages of tents, tarpaulins and other critical materials, Mr. Dujarric said.

“Warehouses are almost depleted, which is limiting shelter assistance to just a fraction of what is needed to survive.”

UN agencies continue to provide relief as best they can. UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, this week supplied 10 reproductive health kits – enough to support over 6,900 people – to six health partners, and emergency supplies to key hospitals.

More than 900 women and girls were reached with dignity kits and agency workers held around 240 sessions addressing gender-based violence, with 200 new case files opened.

Call for accountability over killing of UN staffer

Responding to a question on the deadly 19 March strike that killed a UN staff member and severely injured at least five others in Gaza, Mr. Dujarric said that Israeli authorities had reported the outcome of their internal investigation to the UN.

“There has been more cooperation and transparency on their side that we have had in these types of incidents, since the beginning of this conflict,” he said, underscoring the need to ensure accountability and transparency – for this case as well as all others.

“We have seen UN colleagues killed in Gaza or UN infrastructure attacked. And again, we call on all parties to fully comply with international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians but also the protection of UN and humanitarian staff.”