World News in Brief: Deadly strikes in Sudan, Guterres calls for unity ahead of Ramadan

World News in Brief: Deadly strikes in Sudan, Guterres calls for unity ahead of Ramadan

Fresh waves of violence in Sudan and neighbouring South Sudan are pushing fragile communities into deeper crisis, with attacks on towns, health facilities and aid infrastructure forcing thousands to flee and leaving humanitarian agencies scrambling to respond. Over the past week, conflict has intensified in Sudan’s North Kordofan state, where more than a dozen attacks […]

Deadly storms sweep South and Southeast Asia, leaving over 1,600 dead

Since mid-November, overlapping tropical storms and intensified monsoon systems have triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Viet Nam. UN teams across the region are supporting government-led emergency operations with food, health, water and sanitation aid, medical deployments and early recovery assessments, as heavy rains continue and fears grow that […]

Deadly Attacks, Trembling Services Push Sudan Closer to Catastrophe

Deadly Attacks, Trembling Services Push Sudan Closer to Catastrophe

According to local reports, heavy shelling and assaults late last week in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, killed at least six civilians and injured scores more, triggering fresh displacement from the already besieged city. Sudan has been roiled in a brutal civil war between rival militaries – the Sudanese Armed Forces and […]

UN Condemns ‘Deadly Escalation’ of Fight in Gaza City

UN Condemns ‘Deadly Escalation’ of Fight in Gaza City

The situation “is having an appalling impact on civilians enduring suffering and starvation,” he told journalists in New York. “The United Nations condemns the deadly escalation of the Israeli military offensive which took place over the weekend across Gaza City, with scores of people reportedly killed or injured,” he said. “We reiterate our call for […]

‘Deadly floods’ displace over 100,000 in South Sudan

‘Deadly floods’ displace over 100,000 in South Sudan

In recent weeks, widespread flooding has engulfed large parts of Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity states in the north of the country. The agency’s representative in South Sudan, Marie-Helene Verney, said that “if the flooding continues, up to 400,000 people are likely to be displaced by the end of the year, exceeding flood displacement levels seen […]

Nepal PM resigns after deadly crackdown on youth protests; UN urges calm

Nepal PM resigns after deadly crackdown on youth protests; UN urges calm

The unrest, which began Monday as a self-styled “Gen Z protest” against rampant corruption, nepotism and curbs on social media, quickly escalated after security forces responded with force. Most of the dead and wounded were young demonstrators shot by police. Many remain hospitalised in a critical condition. By Tuesday, demonstrations had spread across the country, […]

UN ready to assist Nepal following deadly protests over social media ban

UN ready to assist Nepal following deadly protests over social media ban

Police used tear gas and opened fire on protesters attempting to storm the parliament complex in the capital, Kathmandu, according to media reports.  Curfews have been imposed in parts of the city and in Rupandehi, with restrictions on movement effective in Pokhara. ‘So unlike Nepal’ UN Resident Coordinator Hanaa Fikry Ahmed Singer described the situation […]

Downpours stymy aid teams following deadly landslide in war-torn Sudan

Downpours stymy aid teams following deadly landslide in war-torn Sudan

The death toll has not yet been verified as ongoing downpours and rugged terrain are making it extremely difficult to reach the impacted communities, according to the UN migration agency, IOM. To date, an estimated 150 people were displaced from Tarseen and neighbouring villages, with families now sheltering in nearby communities. The UN humanitarian agency, […]

Gaza: UN calls for probe following deadly strikes on Nasser Hospital

Gaza: UN calls for probe following deadly strikes on Nasser Hospital

At least 20 people were killed, including four health workers and five journalists, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus said in a tweet. Fifty other people were injured, including critically ill patients who were already receiving care. Healthcare under attack “While people in Gaza are being starved, their already limited access to healthcare is being further […]

DR Congo: UN deplores deadly attacks in the east of the country

DR Congo: UN deplores deadly attacks in the east of the country

The attacks, which took place between 9 and 16 August in the localities of Beni and Lubero territories, claimed the lives of at least 52 civilians, including eight women and two children, but peacekeepers on the ground say the death toll may very well rise.   “These attacks targeting civilians, which add to the atrocities […]

World News in Brief: Gaza aid crisis latest, deadly floods in India and Pakistan, funding cuts exacerbate Somalia drought

World News in Brief: Gaza aid crisis latest, deadly floods in India and Pakistan, funding cuts exacerbate Somalia drought

In an alert from the World Food Programme (WFP), the agency said that half a million people “are on the brink of famine”, a claim backed up by multiple humanitarian agencies. The latest worrying data is showing widespread acute malnutrition. A ceasefire is the only way to scale up aid deliveries, the UN agency insisted. It explained […]

Security Council voices deep concern over deadly escalation in Syria’s Sweida region

Security Council voices deep concern over deadly escalation in Syria’s Sweida region

Unrest began on 12 July when mutual kidnappings escalated into armed conflict between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes, drawing in Syrian security forces. The violence spiralled, with reports of extrajudicial executions, desecration of corpses and looting. Footage circulated widely on social media fanned sectarian tensions and disinformation. Nearly 200,000 displaced In a presidential statement adopted […]

UN official decries deadly Ukraine strikes, urges return to diplomacy

UN official decries deadly Ukraine strikes, urges return to diplomacy

Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), renewed the call for an immediate ceasefire and a return to diplomacy to end the devastation. “Ukrainian people have endured nearly three-and-a-half years of unimaginable horrors, death, devastation and destruction. They urgently need relief […]

Sudan gripped by deadly crisis as hunger, disease and heat intensify

Sudan gripped by deadly crisis as hunger, disease and heat intensify

In El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur that has been under siege for 15 months, the catastrophic humanitarian situation is worsening. Food shortages and soaring prices have forced community-run kitchens to shut down. Widespread hunger and malnutrition have reportedly caused several deaths and driven some residents to eat animal feed. In the Tawila locality […]

World News in Brief: Remembering Dr. David Nabarro, deadly shipwreck off Libya, verdict in peacekeeper’s killing

World News in Brief: Remembering Dr. David Nabarro, deadly shipwreck off Libya, verdict in peacekeeper’s killing

The British physician and champion for global public health died this past weekend at the age of 75.  He was the World Health Organization’s (WHO) special envoy dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. Legacy of service “The Secretary-General pays tribute to Dr. Nabarro’s extraordinary legacy of service and reaffirms his commitment to advancing the principles he […]

UN condemns deadly attack on worshippers in DR Congo

UN condemns deadly attack on worshippers in DR Congo

Elements of the ADF, an Islamic State-affiliated insurgent group that originated in neighbouring Uganda, carried out the attack in Komanda town, Irumu territory, Ituri province. At least 49 civilians were killed, including nine children. Several other people were injured and abducted, and shops and homes were set on fire.  Most of the victims were reportedly […]

Syria: Deadly sectarian violence displaces thousands in Sweida; healthcare attacked

Syria: Deadly sectarian violence displaces thousands in Sweida; healthcare attacked

Since 13 July, around 176,000 people have been displaced from Sweida,  according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Mostly migrating to neighbouring Dar’a and Rural Damascus governorates, civilians are fleeing violent clashes between Bedouin tribal fighters, Syrian caretaker government forces and Druze militias. Meanwhile in the north of the country, […]

Deadly floods show need for faster, wider warnings, UN agency says

Deadly floods show need for faster, wider warnings, UN agency says

The UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday that more intense downpours and glacier outburst floods are becoming increasingly frequent, with deadly consequences for communities caught off guard. “Flash floods are not new, but their frequency and intensity are increasing in many regions due to rapid urbanization, land-use change and a changing climate,” said […]

World News in Brief: Houthi-Israel tensions, Sudan cholera cases rise, deadly attacks in Ukraine

World News in Brief: Houthi-Israel tensions, Sudan cholera cases rise, deadly attacks in Ukraine

These strikes occurred while the UN Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement – established in 2018 to support the ceasefire between the Government of Yemen and the Houthis – was patrolling at locations to the northern parts of the Port.  The Secretary-General also expressed deep concern about the continuing missile and drone strikes conducted by […]

UN rights office urges restraint in Kenya as fresh protests turn deadly

UN rights office urges restraint in Kenya as fresh protests turn deadly

Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani cited Kenyan police reports of at least 11 deaths, 52 injured police officers, and 567 arrests. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported slightly different figures: at least 10 fatalities, 29 injuries, 37 arrests, and two abductions. Protests erupted in 16 counties, with police reportedly using live ammunition, rubber bullets, […]