Civilians and aid operations under fire as Sudan airstrikes intensify

Civilians and aid operations under fire as Sudan airstrikes intensify

Two children were reportedly killed and 13 others injured in a drone strike on a mosque in Al-Rahad, North Kordofan, where all the victims were students at the adjoining school. The attack came just hours after a primary school in Dilling, South Kordofan, was hit, with further injuries reported.  WFP warehouse hit  The warehouse of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in the […]

UN warns civilians remain at risk as airstrikes continue across Gaza

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the regular news briefing in New York that the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, had received additional reports of airstrikes, bombing, shelling – including from at sea – and shootings in residential areas. The violence, he said, “puts civilians in danger and adds to the immense hardship they […]

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

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 […]

World News in Brief: UN condemns attack on civilians in Nigeria, updates from Gaza and West Bank, relief flights to resume in Yemen

World News in Brief: UN condemns attack on civilians in Nigeria, updates from Gaza and West Bank, relief flights to resume in Yemen

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, António Guterres conveyed his “heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and Government of Nigeria,” and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. “The Secretary-General reiterates the solidarity of the United Nations with the Government and people of Nigeria in their efforts to […]

Ukraine: Civilians injured, miners killed, in separate Russian attacks

Ukraine: Civilians injured, miners killed, in separate Russian attacks

Matthias Schmale was “appalled” by the attacks in Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kyiv, noting that many more people in several regions – including Dnipro, Odesa and Vinnitsya – are facing power outages.  “Systematic attacks by the Russian Federation Armed Forces on critical infrastructure affect the daily lives of millions and cause life-threatening conditions for the most vulnerable, including older people and children,” he said in a […]

World News in Brief: UN chief condemns Russian attacks on Ukraine, Gaza crisis continues, protecting civilians in DR Congo

World News in Brief: UN chief condemns Russian attacks on Ukraine, Gaza crisis continues, protecting civilians in DR Congo

Secretary-General António Guterres said it marked a “further escalation” of the conflict. Authorities reported more than 80 civilian casualties, including a national non-governmental organization (NGO) worker and her two-month-old son in Kyiv. Other affected cities included Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih and Kherson. Energy infrastructure was also hit, causing temporary power and water […]

‘A war of atrocities’ – UN human rights investigators warn Sudanese civilians are paying the highest price

‘A war of atrocities’ – UN human rights investigators warn Sudanese civilians are paying the highest price

“They burned everything,” said one witness of a shelling attack in the Zamzam displacement camp in war-torn Darfur. “They claimed they only wanted to fight soldiers, but they punished the whole community.” The war crimes and human rights violations perpetrated by all parties to the conflict between the military government and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) […]

Gaza: Security Council meets on hostage crisis amid ‘unbearable’ conditions facing Palestinian civilians

Gaza: Security Council meets on hostage crisis amid ‘unbearable’ conditions facing Palestinian civilians

Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča briefed a Security Council meeting on Tuesday called by Israel to discuss the plight of hostages still being held in the war-ravaged enclave. It comes after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad released images and videos of two emaciated hostages, Evaytar David and Rom Braslavsky, sparking outrage and condemnation.  ‘An affront to […]

Russian attack on Ukrainian capital kills at least 11 civilians

Russian attack on Ukrainian capital kills at least 11 civilians

Among the confirmed dead is a six-year-old boy. At least 10 of the injured were children, the mission said, and news reports indicate that figure is rising. City-wide damage Russia reportedly launched 309 drones and eight cruise missiles during the night,  and despite air defences managing to destroy many of them, the damage across the […]

UN rights chief condemns the killing of scores of civilians in Sudan

UN rights chief condemns the killing of scores of civilians in Sudan

Since 10 July, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has verified that the Rapid Support Forces  (RSF) have killed at least 60 civilians in North Kordofan’s Bara locality, while civil society groups have reported that up to 300 were killed. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) also hit two villages in West Kordofan from 10 to […]

Ukraine: Civilians under fire in record numbers as attacks surge

Ukraine: Civilians under fire in record numbers as attacks surge

According to the UN human rights office, OHCHR, at least 139 civilians have been killed and 791 injured so far in July alone. “The devastating physical and psychological impact on civilians of repeated attacks in this and other conflicts cannot be captured by numbers alone,” said OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell on Tuesday. Escalating attacks On the […]

UN urges de-escalation, protection of civilians as conflict roils Syria

UN urges de-escalation, protection of civilians as conflict roils Syria

On Sunday, violence erupted between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in Sweida, two days after a Druze merchant was abducted on the highway to Damascus. The casualty figures are unclear according to local reports, but the death toll is at least 30, and hundreds have been injured.   As violent unrest continued Monday, […]

UN chief ‘appalled’ by worsening Gaza crisis as civilians face displacement, aid blockades

UN chief ‘appalled’ by worsening Gaza crisis as civilians face displacement, aid blockades

Multiple attacks in recent days have killed and injured scores of Palestinians at sites hosting displaced people and others attempting to access essential supplies, according to a statement from UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday. “The Secretary-General strongly condemns the loss of civilian life,” Mr. Dujarric said. On just one day this week, nearly 30,000 […]

Ukraine: Increasing hostilities displace civilians, limit humanitarian access

Ukraine: Increasing hostilities displace civilians, limit humanitarian access

Donetsk, Kherson and Sumy regions sustained the most damage, with several civilians reportedly killed, and many displaced, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a regular news briefing on Thursday. “Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that food insecurity remains a concern in front-line and border regions,” he added. According to a recent assessment by the […]

Gaza: Top UN envoy calls on Israel to end devastating strikes, starvation of civilians

Gaza: Top UN envoy calls on Israel to end devastating strikes, starvation of civilians

Sigrid Kaag, interim UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said that the man-made crisis unfolding in Gaza has plunged civilians into “an abyss.” “Since the collapse of the ceasefire in March, civilians have constantly come under fire, confined to ever-shrinking spaces, and deprived of lifesaving relief,” she said. “Israel must halt its […]

Civilians ‘trapped and terrorised’: UN sounds alarm over collapse of critical protections

Civilians ‘trapped and terrorised’: UN sounds alarm over collapse of critical protections

Speaking at a high-level open debate in the Security Council on protection of civilians in armed conflict on Thursday, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher described a grim picture of accelerating harm, disintegrating norms and growing impunity. “The scaffolding built last century to protect us from inhumanity is crumbling,” he said. “Those who will die […]