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Sudan: Intensifying hostilities bring new displacement, more casualties

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Hostilities have been intensifying between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and two armed groups – the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia that has been battling the military government for control since April 2023 and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North.

Over the weekend, drone attacks targeted a UN base killing six peacekeepers from the UNIFSA mission, while another six people were killed in a hospital attack in South Kordofan State, according to initial information from the UN human rights office (OHCHR).

Meanwhile, OCHA said artillery shelling was reported on Monday, posing further threats to civilians.

“I urge all parties to the conflict and States with influence to ensure an immediate ceasefire and to prevent atrocities,” said UN human rights chief Volker Türk in a statement.

Mr. Türk also cautioned that medical facilities are protected under international humanitarian law.

New displacement

The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 1,700 people were displaced between Thursday and Saturday from multiple towns in South Kordofan.

Meanwhile, in North Darfur State, displacement continues to rise from the besieged El Fasher into Tawila, where the UN is delivering emergency aid.

More than 25,000 people in Twila have been registered since late October, after fleeing along insecure routes where they face extreme danger.

Despite severe access and logistical constraints, the World Food Programme (WFP) assisted about half a million people in Tawila in November and has consistently reached some 2 million people every month across the Darfur region.

Attacks against peacekeepers

Providing an update at Tuesday’s noon briefing in New York, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the wounded peacekeepers who underwent lifesaving surgery in Kadugli, Sudan, were evacuated to the UN mission headquarters in the disputed Abyei region on Tuesday morning.

Other injured personnel were also evacuated there, and four of them have since been sent to Nairobi, Kenya, for further medical treatment.

The remains of the six fallen soldiers have been transported to Entebbe, Uganda, and arrangements are underway for their repatriation to Bangladesh.

Mr. Haq underscored that “attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law and call for accountability.”

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World News in Brief: Pandemic Treaty Update, DR Congo Ebola Response, More Casualties in Ukraine

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Pandemic Treaty

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the world’s first pandemic trety “a generational accomplishment”, while speaking at the start of a meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, taking place in Geneva through Friday. It comes four months after countries adopted the pact.

Tedros said the next step “is to bring this historic achievement to fruition” by finalizing the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system. He urged countries to use this week to pave the way to developing the platform, with the ultimate goal of adoption next year.

“It is in every country’s interest that this process is not delayed any further. Because, as we are all aware, the next pandemic or major global health emergency is not a question of if, but when,” he said.

DR Congo: UN and partners support Ebola response in Kasai province

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is facing an Ebola outbreak in Kasai province, located in the southwest, with 35 confirmed cases including 27 deaths.

The UN and partners are supporting the Government in the response, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said on Monday in New York. Stéphane Dujarric told reporters that partners working in health have facilitated the delivery of over 350 doses of the Ebola vaccine to the Bulape health zone, the epicentre of the outbreak.

“We have also mobilized rapid response teams focusing on case detection and surveillance, clinical case management, infection and prevention control, and risk communication and community engagement,” he added.

Meanwhile, health partners are mobilizing to contain the outbreak. He warned, however, that gaps in medical supplies and logistical capacity are hindering the response, and urgent funding is needed.

Ukraine: Dozens of casualties reported in weekend hostilities

Hostilities continued over the weekend in Ukraine, with the Donetsk region particularly affected, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Monday.

Several civilians have been killed and 40 injured in the region since Friday, while local authorities also documented damage to nearly 190 civilian facilities, including homes, schools, a hospital and a pharmacy.

Other parts of Ukraine also experienced hostilities which damaged homes, farmland and other civilian infrastructure. Nearly 5,000 people remain without electricity in the Zaporizhzhia region.

OCHA said the continuing violence has forced more than 2,700 people, including roughly 340 children, to flee their homes between 12 and 14 September.

World News in Brief: Casualties in Ukraine, Burkina Faso aid helicopter blast, Uganda urged to release opposition leaders

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The monthly total also marked a three-year high, topping June’s figure, with HRMMU verifying civilian deaths and injuries in 18 of Ukraine’s 24 regions.  

“For the second month in a row, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine hits a new three-year high,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU.

“Only the first three months after the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine saw more killed and injured than in this past month,” she added.  

Rising toll 

Numbers for the first seven months of 2025 were 48 per cent higher than in the same period last year.

Long-range weapons, including missiles and suicide drones, accounted for nearly 40 per cent of casualties. On 31 July, Kyiv saw its deadliest attack since the start of the full-scale invasion, with 31 people killed, including five children, when a missile struck a residential building.

Short-range drones alone caused 24 per cent of casualties, reflecting a sharp rise since mid-2024, as documented in a bulletin published by HRMMU in June 2025.  

The steepest monthly increase came from aerial bombs, which killed 67 and injured 209 in July, compared with 114 casualties in June. Strikes hit a penal colony in Zaporizhzhia and an apartment building in Donetsk, killing at least 21 people in total.

“Whether you are in a hospital or a prison, at home or at work, close to or far away from the frontline, if you are in Ukraine today, you are at risk of getting killed or injured by the war,” Ms. Bell said. 

Burkina Faso: Blast hits near UN aid helicopter in Solle

A UN chartered helicopter delivering food aid to the town of Solle in northwest Burkina Faso was caught in an explosion shortly after landing on Tuesday, injuring two people.

The aircraft, chartered by the World Food Programme (WFP), had just unloaded humanitarian supplies when the blast occurred nearby. One crew member and a Government partner were hurt and are now receiving medical treatment.

The helicopter sustained only minor damage and was moved to safety, WFP said. Flights to Solle have been temporarily halted while authorities investigate the incident.

Critical operation

In conflict-affected areas of Burkina Faso, WFP’s humanitarian air operations are critical for delivering life-saving assistance to hard-to-reach communities most in need.  

WFP aims to assist 315,000 of the most vulnerable people during the lean season from June to August, when families have exhausted their food stocks.

In a statement, WFP reaffirmed the agency’s “unwavering commitment to support populations in need and to reach the most remote communities with humanitarian assistance.”

Rights office urges Uganda to release opposition leaders on bail

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Wednesday expressed serious concern at repeated denials of bail in Uganda for opposition leader Kizza Besigye and his associate Obeid Lutale.

Both individuals have been denied bail three times since they were abducted in neighbouring Kenya and returned to Uganda last November. 

In dismissing their latest request, the High Court found them ineligible for mandatory bail merely because they had been detained in civil prison for less than the 180 days required to qualify for release, a duration that did not account for their prior deprivation of liberty following their abduction and forced return.

“We urge the authorities to reconsider the decision and grant them bail, and to ensure that any legal proceedings against them are fully in line with international human rights law,” said OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell.

Human rights concerns  

The UN human rights office in Uganda closed its operations there in 2023 after the Government decided to end cooperation with OHCHR.  

At the time, High Commission Volker Türk expressed concern about the run-up to the 2026 elections, amid an increasingly hostile environment impacting human rights defenders, civil society actors and journalists.

Other UN human rights mechanisms also condemned laws criminalizing same sex relations and the call for the use of the death penalty for convicted offenders. 

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Mounting civilian casualties in Sudan as fighting intensifies

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It has now been 842 days since conflict between troops from the military government and their former allies-turned-rivals in the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted in Sudan, turning the country into the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.  

Heavy fighting continues in North Darfur State, with multiple civilian casualties reported in recent days – most notably during clashes in the state capital, El Fasher, on 1 and 2 August – following earlier violence between armed groups near the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people, which currently hosts 25,000 residents.  

Starvation threat

One year after famine was confirmed in Zamzam camp on the outskirts of El Fasher, the city remains under siege, with no food aid deliveries entering by road, leaving residents of the regional capital increasingly facing starvation.  

Prices of food items such as sorghum and wheat are more than four times higher than elsewhere in the country, while many families are unable to afford even the most basic items.  

“Limited cash assistance continues, but it is nowhere near enough to meet rising needs,” said Deputy UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq on Monday during the daily briefing in New York.  

Cholera menace continues

Meanwhile, cholera continues to spread across Darfur, with nearly 1,200 cases reported – around 300 of them children – in the locality of Tawila since late June.  

In South Darfur, health authorities have reported more than 1,100 suspected cases and 64 deaths since late May, as “shortages of medical supplies, clean water and sanitation services are severely hampering the humanitarian response,” said Mr. Haq.  

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that the lives of more than 640,000 under-fives are at heightened risk of violence, disease and hunger in the region.

Compounded crisis

In Blue Nile State, floods in Ed Damazine displaced more than 100 people and destroyed at least 200 tents at Al-Karama camp on 1 August, further compounding the challenges facing people who fled their homes due to conflict.  

Meanwhile, in Khartoum State, the presence of deadly landmines in multiple locations adds a dangerous new layer to the threats already faced daily by civilians.  

As OCHA’s Director of Operations, Edem Wosornu, visits Sudan this week to assess the humanitarian situation, the agency has called for sustained and expanded humanitarian access along with greater international support for the most vulnerable. 

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UN warns of record civilian casualties in Ukraine

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Russian forces launched an attack overnight focused on Kyiv, deploying 397 Shahed unmanned attack and decoy drones, along with 18 high-powered missiles, killing two and injuring at least 16, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric noted during his daily briefing in New York that four Kyiv districts were hit, damaging residential buildings, a clinic and a TV station, while an outpatient clinic was destroyed during the bombardment.

Mr. Dujarric also relayed reports from local authorities of recent attacks in other regions which left more than nine dead and at least ten civilians injured.

Grim June record

These attacks come after June saw the highest monthly civilian casualty count in Ukraine since the Russian invastion began in February 2022, with 232 people killed and 1,343 injured.

This data reflects a worsening trend: 6,754 civilians were killed or injured in the first half of 2025 – a sharp 54 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2024, when 4,381 civilian casualties were documented.

This breaks down to a 17 per cent increase in civilian deaths and a 64 per cent increase in injuries.

Russia’s increased use of long-range missiles and drones in urban areas – and their enhanced destructive power – were key drivers behind the spike in casualties.

The growing number of attacks also played a crucial role, as Russia launched ten times more missile and unmanned drone strikes in June 2025 than in June 2024.

“Civilians across Ukraine are facing levels of suffering we have not seen in over three years,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. “The surge in long-range missile and drone strikes across the country has brought even more death and destruction to civilians far from the frontline.”

Child suffering intensifies

Also on Thursday, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that an estimated 70 per cent of children in Ukraine (3.5 million) are experiencing “material deprivation” – up from 18 per cent in 2021.

Material deprivation refers to a lack of essential goods and services, including nutritious food, appropriate clothing, heating at home and access to education.

According to UNICEF’s report, one in three children in Ukraine lives in a home without a functioning water supply or sewage system, and nearly half lack access to a space to play.

This deprivation is driven by continued attacks on infrastructure – including water, sanitation, and energy systems – as well as on homes, schools, and healthcare facilities, along with rising poverty across the country.

Looking towards recovery

These warnings come as the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference opened in Rome on Thursday. It aims to build global awareness and maintain momentum for international support and investment in Ukraine’s recovery, rebuilding, reform, and modernisation.

The Director General of the UN migration agency (IOM), Amy Pope, is among those attending. The agency plays a major role in Ukraine, where nearly four million people remain internally displaced, and another five million refugees reside across Europe.

“Displacement on this scale imposes numerous challenges for Ukraine and its people,” she said.

“Recovery must begin with a focus on the people in need – connecting them to services and restoring their livelihoods, so it becomes more than just returning home, but about regaining their place in society.”

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Report reveals significant rise in civilian casualties and rights violations in Ukraine

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It covers the period from 1 December 2024 to 31 May 2025, during which 986 civilians were killed and 4,807 injured – a 37 per cent increase compared to the same period the previous year.

“The war in Ukraine – now in its fourth year – is becoming increasingly deadly for civilians,” said Danielle Bell, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).

“We continue to document patterns of violence that are inconsistent with obligations under international humanitarian law.”

Concern over use of short-range drones

Most casualties occurred in areas under Ukrainian Government control, primarily due to Russian attacks using long-range explosive weapons in populated areas and short-range drones near frontline locations.

Nearly half of all casualties were caused by missiles, loitering munitions and air-dropped bombs in densely populated areas. At least three attacks involved the use of missiles with fragmentation warheads which detonated above ground and scattered fragments across large open areas, killing and injuring many civilians at once.

The use of short-range drones is driving the rise in civilian casualties, the report said. OHCHR verified that 207 civilians were killed and 1,365 injured in these attacks.

Among the deadliest incidents was a Russian drone strike on a civilian bus transporting employees of a mining company to work in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Eight women and two men were killed, and 57 people were injured.

“The high number of civilian casualties from the use of short-range drones, which allow operators to see their targets in real time, raises grave concerns,” Ms. Bell said.

“Our findings strongly suggest a failure to distinguish between civilian and military targets, and to take all feasible precautions to verify the military nature of those targets – or worse, an intentional decision not to.”

During the same period, Russian forces struck at least five hospitals directly. Some of the attacks used multiple loitering munitions, suggesting potential deliberate targeting of the hospitals in violation of international humanitarian law.

Prisoners of war

Serious violations against prisoners of war (POWs) also remain a major concern, according to the report. OHCHR documented credible allegations that at least 35 Ukrainian POWs and one Russian POW were executed during the reporting period.

Staff interviewed 117 recently released Ukrainian POWs and two detained medical personnel, nearly all of whom described being tortured and ill-treated in captivity. This included severe beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, dog attacks, and deliberate humiliation, often carried out by personnel wearing balaclavas to conceal their identities.

Ms. Bell said the continued brutalization of Ukrainian prisoners of war is not only inhumane, but a serious violation of international law.

“These are not isolated incidents – they point to well-documented patterns of widespread and systematic torture that demand urgent and unambiguous accountability, and measures toward prevention,” she said.

Meanwhile, more than half of the Russian POWs and third-country nationals held by Ukraine also reported abuse – including torture, ill-treatment, threats, and internment in unofficial facilities – which mostly occurred in transit places before arrival at official places of internment.

Rights concerns in Russian-occupied areas

The report highlights ongoing human rights concerns with Ukrainian civilians unlawfully detained by Russian authorities, predominantly in occupied territory. People who have been released described torture, ill-treatment, and dire conditions of detention.

Ukrainians in occupied territory faced increased coercion to adopt Russian citizenship. OHCHR documented over 16,000 homes listed by Russian occupation authorities as potentially “abandoned” and therefore at risk of being confiscated.

Displaced residents faced severe legal and logistical obstacles, as well as security risks, to reclaim their property.

Ukrainian children recruited

Another issue covered in the report is the recruitment and use of Ukrainian children “for sabotage activities of increasing gravity against Ukrainian military objectives.”

The children reportedly were recruited by unidentified actors, likely affiliated with Russia, according to Ukrainian law enforcement authorities. Some of these youngsters were killed or injured, while others are facing prosecution after being enticed via social media to commit arson or plant explosives.

“Using children to commit acts of sabotage or violence exploits their vulnerability and endangers their lives,” Ms. Bell said. “It compounds their suffering by exposing them to violence, coercion, and harsh legal consequences.”

OHCHR also voiced concern over the situation of older people, mainly women, as well as persons with disabilities, who remain at disproportionate risk, particularly in frontline areas.

Many are unable to evacuate due to poverty and limited housing options, while those who can often face long stays in shelters that lack appropriate facilities, or they are placed in institutional settings due to the absence of suitable alternatives.

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