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Guterres condemns escalating violence in South Sudan as aid operations come under fire

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In a statement issued by his Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq on Saturday, the UN chief said nearly 10 million people – “more than two thirds of the population” – now require life-saving humanitarian assistance and “continue to bear the brunt of the conflict”.

He expressed grave concern over fighting, attacks and looting affecting humanitarian and health facilities, as well as movement restrictions and insecurity along key supply routes. 

These conditions, the statement said, are “crippling humanitarian operations and shutting down essential services, placing civilians, including aid workers, at serious risk”.

Healthcare services attacked

Since late December, at least 11 healthcare facilities have been attacked in Jonglei State alone, disrupting critical services for communities already under severe strain. The assaults have also involved the seizure of 12 vehicles, including an ambulance.

“In the past week alone,” the statement noted, incidents have included “repeated attacks on a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy, an airstrike on a hospital run by the leading NGO Médecins Sans Frontières, and the burning of a Save the Children field office and destruction of its health centre”.

The Secretary-General said that “this clear disregard for medical and humanitarian operations is unacceptable and must stop”, stressing that such work “must be facilitated and respected”.

The violence has driven mass displacement, with more than 370,000 people reportedly forced from their homes so far this year, including over 280,000 in Jonglei State, amid a rapidly worsening cholera outbreak.

South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence from Khartoum in 2011 but soon descended into a brutal civil conflict marked by political rivalry, ethnic violence and repeated peace deal breakdowns. 

‘Immediate and decisive’ end to fighting needed

Despite a 2018 agreement, insecurity and localised fighting have continued to undermine stability and recovery.

The UN chief called on all parties to “immediately and decisively halt all military operations”, de-escalate tensions through dialogue, uphold international law, protect civilians and ensure safe, sustained humanitarian access, including the security of aid workers and UN peacekeepers.

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From deepfakes to grooming: UN warns of escalating AI threats to children

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Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) – one of the key agencies that drafted the statement, which includes guidelines and recommendations – catalogues a dizzying array of ways that children are targeted. 

This extends from grooming to deepfakes, the embedding of harmful features, cyberbullying and inappropriate content: “We saw that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many children, particularly girls and young women, were abused online and, in many cases, that translated to physical harm,” he says.

Organisations that advocate for children report that predators can use AI to analyse a child’s online behaviour, emotional state, and interests to tailor their grooming strategy. 

AI is also enabling offenders to generate explicit fake images of real children, driving a new form of sexual extortion.

The Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, an independent global institute established to gather the most reliable data available on child sexual exploitation and abuse, found in a 2025 report that technology‑facilitated child abuse cases in the US increased from 4,700 in 2023 to more than 67,000 in 2024.

Young adults check social media in North Macedonia.

Australia leads the way 

UN Member States are taking stronger measures, as they learn about the scale and severity of the problem.

At the end of 2025, Australia became the first nation in the world to ban social-media accounts for children under 16, on the basis that the risks from the content they share far outweighs the potential benefits.

The Government there cited a report it had commissioned, which showed that almost two-thirds of children aged between 10 and 15 had viewed hateful, violent or distressing content and more than half had been cyberbullied. Most of this content was seen on social media platforms.

Several other countries, including Malaysia, the UK, France and Canada, look set to follow Australia’s lead, preparing regulations and laws for similar bans or restrictions. 

AI-illiteracy

And, at the beginning of 2026, a wide variety of UN bodies with a stake in child safety put their names to a Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence and the Rights of the Child, published on 19 January, which pulls no punches in its description of the risks – and society’s collective inability to cope with them.

The statement identifies a lack of AI literacy among children, teachers, parents and caregivers, as well as a dearth of technical training for policymakers and governments on AI frameworks, data protection methods and child rights impact assessments.

Responsibility of the tech giants

Tech companies are also in the frame: the statement says that most of the AI-supported tools they make – along with their underlying models, techniques and systems – are currently not designed with children and their well-being in mind. 

“We are really concerned and we would like the private sector to be involved, to engage, to be part of the story that we are writing together with the other UN agencies and other players who believe that technology can be an enabler, but it can also destroy,” says Mr. Zavazava.

The senior UN official is confident however, that these businesses are committed to making their tools safer. 

“Initially, we got the feeling that they were concerned about stifling innovation, but our message is very clear: with responsible deployment of AI, you can still make a profit, you can still do business, you can still get market share. 

“The private sector is a partner, but we have to raise a red flag when we see something that is going to lead to unwanted outcomes. 

We have regular meetings where we talk about their responsibilities, and some of them already have statements on how they should protect populations and children. It is our duty together to be fighting the ills that come with the technology.”

A children’s rights issue

While the UN bodies named in the document (full list below) stress the need for these companies to make sure their products are designed to respect children’s rights, they are also calling on all parts of society to take responsibility for the way they are used.

This is far from the first time that concerns have been raised from a rights perspective: in 2021, new language was attached to the Convention on the Rights of the Child – a cornerstone of international child rights law and the most ratified human rights treaty in history – to reflect the dangers of the digital age.

However, the UN bodies feel more guidance is needed to help countries regulate more effectively and have produced a comprehensive list of recommendations.

“Children are getting online at a younger age, and they should be protected, says Mr. Zavazava. That’s why we set out these child online protection guidelines. The first part of the guidelines addresses parents, the second is for the teachers, the third part is for regulators, and the fourth is relevant to industry and private sector.”

Gaza City: Daily bombardment, more displacement amid escalating military offensive

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UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said people are once again on the move after Israel placed the entire city under displacement orders. Aid partners recorded more than 25,000 displacements between Sunday through Wednesday.

Some critical services have already been suspended while some humanitarian facilities have suffered severe damage, disrupting operations and the delivery of essential services.

Aid partners suspend activities

“Our partners working on health, report that some of them have had to suspend activities at primary healthcare centres, while partners working on nutrition say that 12 out of 49 outpatient therapeutic sites have halted services amid the ongoing airstrikes in Gaza City,” he said,

At least two community kitchens have also suspended operations, and three others have had to relocate within the city.

Furthermore, UN partners working on education are concerned that 95 temporary learning sites in northern Gaza serving about 25,000 children may be at imminent risk of closure due to displacement orders and ongoing insecurity.

Child malnutrition worsens

UN child rights agency UNICEF has also warned that child malnutrition in the Gaza Strip continues to worsen at an alarming rate. 

The percentage of children identified as acutely malnourished increased to 13.5 per cent in August, from 8.3 per cent in July – or 12,800 boys and girls.

Mr. Dujarric said UNICEF has been working to scale up the entry of essential nutrition supplies and distribute them, alongside nutrition partners, at about 140 sites across the Gaza Strip.

“While stocks of ready-to-use therapeutic food have recently increased, the current quantities of other critical nutrition supplies for infants and pregnant and breastfeeding women are wholly insufficient,” he said.

Meanwhile, almost half of all functioning hospitals are located in Gaza City, including half of all intensive care unit beds for the entire Gaza Strip, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

With the Israeli offensive already underway, the Gaza Strip cannot afford to lose any of these remaining facilities, the UN agency said.

Impediments to aid delivery continue

These developments are happening as delays and impediments to humanitarian movements inside Gaza continue.

Missions still take long hours to complete, even when they are approved in advance by the Israeli authorities, meaning that teams have no choice but to wait on roads that are often dangerous or congested.

Additionally, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recently observed an increase in denials of the participation of Palestinian staff in missions, including both drivers and personnel.

Mr. Dujarric noted that denials are often communicated at the last minute, resulting in operational delays as alternatives must be quickly identified.

“What we need is full facilitation of the work and movement of humanitarian actors into and throughout the Gaza Strip. This must include unimpeded access to the north and to the south alike,” he said, adding that “every delay can cost lives.” 

Amid escalating attacks in Gaza, UN rights chief calls on US to withdraw sanctions against Palestinian rights groups

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The measures announced on Thursday target Al-Haq group, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, in relation to their support of the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following other sanctions imposed by the US Government in June on renowned Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) Addameer.

“For decades now, these NGOs have been performing vital human rights work, particularly on accountability for human rights violations,” that is “all the more important when international humanitarian and human rights laws are being violated systematically in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem”.

Mr. Türk urged the US to immediately withdraw its sanctions “as well as the ones imposed earlier on the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, and on multiple Judges and Prosecutors of the ICC.”

He added that the sanctions will have a “chilling effect” not only on civil society in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, but potentially worldwide.

Attacks, famine spread across Gaza

The ongoing Israeli offensive to take full control of Gaza City further intensified on Friday, increasing civilian casualties and attacking facilities on which they depend to survive, the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during a press briefing at UN Headquarters.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli forces attacked a high-rise building that they say was used to launch attacks against them, damaging tents sheltering displaced people nearby, according to initial information collected by the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).

“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in the north, people are simply exhausted; they can’t afford to move south, not only because displacement sites are overcrowded, but also because transport can cost up to $1,000,” Mr. Dujarric said, announcing that nearly 41,000 people have been displaced from Gaza City since 14 August.

‘Catastrophe Israel could have prevented’: WHO chief

Reminding that the offensive is running alongside the spread of famine, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was “a catastrophe that Israel could have prevented and could stop at any time.”

Starvation ‘will not make Israel safer’

“Starvation of civilians as a method of war is a war crime that can never be tolerated. Doing so in one conflict risks legitimising its use in future conflicts.”

Since the conflict began in October 2023, at least 370 people have died from malnutrition in Gaza, including more than 300 just in the past two months, according to the UN health agency, which said the lack of food and clean water and cramped living conditions are leaving people with weakened immune systems.

It’s also exposing the population to more disease, with more than 100 cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, including 11 deaths, reported in the last month.

“The most intolerable part of this man-made disaster is that it could be stopped right now,” he said.

“People are starving to death while the food that could save them sits on trucks a short distance away. And for what? The starvation of the people of Gaza will not make Israel safer, nor will it facilitate the release of the hostages.”

While WHO is doing the best it can to alleviate suffering in Gaza, supporting medical evacuations of over 7,640 patients, more than 15,000 others need urgent specialised care, including 3,800 children.

More than 700 people have died while waiting for evacuations, Tedros said, calling for countries to “open their arms to these critically ill patients” and on Israel to allow people to be treated in the nearby West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“Above all, we call on the Government of Israel to end this inhumane war,” he said. “If it will not, I call on its allies to use their influence to stop it.”

UN warns of escalating human toll in Ukraine amid relentless aerial attacks, mounting aid shortfall

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“Nowhere is safe in Ukraine,” said Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe at the UN Department of Political Affairs (UNDPPA).

Citing figures from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, he said civilian casualties reached a three-year high in June, with 6,754 civilians killed or injured in the first half of 2025 alone.

Russian forces launched over 5,000 long-range munitions against Ukraine so far in July, including a record-breaking 728 drones in a single day. Major cities such as Kyiv and Odesa have been hit by swarms of missiles and drones.

Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya echoed those words, saying “there is no safe place left in Ukraine” as the use of explosive weapons in populated areas has left cities reeling.

A rehabilitation centre for persons with disabilities in Kharkiv, maternity wards, schools, and energy infrastructure have all come under fire in recent weeks.

Joyce Msuya, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefs the Security Council meeting on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

Spiralling humanitarian situation

The humanitarian impact is worsening sharply, she continued.

“Nearly 13 million people need assistance, but limited funding means we can reach only a fraction of them,” Ms. Msuya warned. As of now, only 34 per cent of the $2.6 billion required for this year’s humanitarian response has been received.

Ukraine’s displacement crisis also continues to grow. Over 3.7 million people remain displaced within the country, while nearly six million are refugees abroad. More than 26,000 people have newly registered at transit centres since April alone.

Strikes in Russia

The senior UN officials also expressed concern over reported civilian casualties from Ukrainian drone strikes inside Russia, including in Belgorod, Kursk and Moscow.

While the UN could not independently verify these incidents, Mr. Jenča reiterated: “International law clearly prohibits attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. We strongly condemn all such attacks – wherever they occur.”

Concerns over nuclear safety

Attacks near Ukraine’s nuclear facilities have further alarmed the UN.

Earlier this month, drone strikes hit Enerhodar, where Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant staff live, and drones have been detected near other operating plants.

“Any nuclear incident must be avoided at all costs,” Mr. Jenča said.

ASG Miroslav Jenča (on screen) briefs the Security Council meeting on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

Political momentum needed

While some diplomatic movement continues – including recent prisoner exchanges and talks in Istanbul – UN officials called for intensified political will toward a ceasefire.

“The heartbreaking and rising human toll of the past nearly three-and-a-half years of war underscores the urgency of a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” Mr. Jenča said, “as the first step towards a just and lasting peace.”

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Ukraine: UN and partners launch Winter Response Plan amid escalating hostilities

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Amidst escalating hostilities and continued strikes on critical infrastructure, Ukraine is once again bracing for another harsh winter.  

As the cold season brings heightened risks, especially for people near the frontline, displaced persons living in collective sites, and other vulnerable populations, the Winter Response Plan aims to deliver essential multisectoral humanitarian assistance to over 1.7 million people from October through March.  

Serving as a tool for advocacy, resource mobilisation and coordination with Government authorities, the plan caters to the most vulnerable groups, including older people, persons with disabilities, and children.  

Life-saving assistance

“As temperatures drop, millions across Ukraine will struggle to keep warm -especially in communities near the front line and among vulnerable displaced people,” said Mathias Schmale, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine.  

Humanitarian organizations will help insulate and repair damaged homes, provide heaters, fuel, blankets, and warm clothing, prepare shelters for extreme cold, deliver cash for heating and utilities, and coordinate services in high-risk areas.  

Additional strain

“Every winter puts additional strain on people already worn down by years of war,” Mr. Schmale said.  

Areas most affected by cold in the winter are predominantly concentrated in northern and eastern Ukraine along the frontline.  

People in these areas are exposed to harsh winter conditions, compounded by heightened vulnerability, and severely damaged infrastructure resulting from ongoing conflict and persistent airstrikes.

Displaced people residing in collective sites are also among the most vulnerable during winter, as recent monitoring of such sites indicates that nearly 60 per cent of these sites continue to face winter-related gaps.  

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Yemen: Security Council extends UN mission in crucial port city amid escalating Red Sea strife

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Adopted unanimously, the resolution extending the UN Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) until 28 January 2026, underscores the Mission’s critical role in maintaining fragile stability amid signs of renewed military escalation and deepening humanitarian need.

The resolution – 2786 (2025) – reaffirms the Council’s support for the 2018 Stockholm Agreement, including the ceasefire in the Houthi-controlled port city – and demilitarisation of its docks, where the majority of Yemen’s imports and vital aid shipments pass through.

The mission’s future

It also signals a growing debate over the mission’s future, requesting the Secretary-General to submit a review by November to enhance coordination and coherence of UN operations, “bearing in mind challenges” that have directly impeded UNMHA’s capacity to deliver.

“The Security Council…expresses its intention to review the full range of options for UNMHA’s mandate, including assessing the future viability and sunsetting of the Mission, and make any necessary adjustments to gain efficiencies and reduce costs or otherwise, as may be required to UN operations in Hudaydah by developments on the ground, including inter alia a durable nationwide ceasefire,” the resolution noted.

UNMHA was established in 2019 to support implementation of the Stockholm Agreement between the Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah (as the Houthis are formally known), which sought to prevent major conflict over the region.

The mission monitors the ceasefire, facilitates redeployments and supports de-escalation through liaison mechanisms between the parties.

Tensions mounting

While the military situation on the ground remains tenuously stable, tensions are mounting on multiple fronts.

According to a letter from the Secretary-General to the 15-member Council in June, a growing number of ceasefire violations – averaging over 100 per day between June 2024 and May 2025 – highlight the fragile state of the region.  

Government-aligned forces fortified positions in anticipation of a possible offensive on the city, while Houthi units increased infiltration attempts and public mobilisation, including military-style youth camps in areas they control.

Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 2786 (2025) extending until 28 January 2026 the mandate of the UN Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA).

Deadly Red Sea passage

Compounding this, Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea have intensified. On 8 July, the commercial vessel Eternity C was sunk, killing several crew members and leaving others missing. This followed the sinking of the Magic Seas vessel two days earlier.

In a statement, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg condemned the attacks, calling them violations of international maritime law and warning they risked serious environmental and geopolitical fallout.

He called on Ansar Allah to cease attacks that risk escalating tensions in and around Yemen.

“[He urges them] to build on the cessation of hostilities with the United States in the Red Sea and to provide durable guarantees to the region and the wider international community, ensuring the safety of all those using this critical waterway,” the statement noted.

Significant operational constraints

Within Hudaydah itself, UNMHA faces significant constraints.  

The June letter by the Secretary-General details restrictions by Houthi authorities on UN patrols to the critical Red Sea ports – Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Issa.

Damage from repeated airstrikes, including by the US and Israel in response to Houthi attacks, has left key port infrastructure partially inoperable, disrupting fuel, food and medical imports.

With Hudaydah responsible for 70 per cent of Yemen’s commercial imports and 80 per cent of humanitarian deliveries, the stakes are high.

© UNICEF/Mahmoud Alfilastini

A child receives a polio vaccination in Yemen.

Polio vaccination drive

Meanwhile, a new round of polio vaccinations is underway in Government-controlled areas of southern Yemen, amid mounting concerns over the continued spread of the virus.  

From 12 to 14 July, health workers deployed across 12 governorates, aimed at curbing the outbreak of variant type 2 poliovirus.

The campaign, led by Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health with support from UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO), came as 282 cases have been reported since 2021, with environmental surveillance confirming ongoing transmission.

“The campaign is essential to interrupt transmission and protect every child from the debilitating effects of polio,” said Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo, acting WHO Representative in Yemen.

UNICEF’s Peter Hawkins echoed the urgency, warning of the “imminent threat” to unvaccinated children if immunisation gaps persist.

“But, through vaccination, we can keep our children safe,” he said.

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Ukraine: Security Council hears of escalating attacks, diplomatic developments

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“As we are facing renewed escalation on the ground and crisis elsewhere, it is critical to maintain focused attention on the urgent need for peace in Ukraine,” said UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča – one of two senior officials briefing the ambassadors.

In the three weeks since the Council last met on Ukraine, Russia has carried out unrelenting large-scale attacks on cities and towns, resulting in a significant rise in civilian casualties.

Deadly Kyiv attack 

A combined drone and missile attack on the capital Kyiv overnight on 16-17 June was one of the deadliest there in a year. At least 28 civilians were killed and more than 130 injured. Many others are still reported missing under the rubble of the 35 apartments destroyed that night.

Attacks also reportedly occurred in Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv and Kyiv provinces that same night, with two civilians reportedly killed and scores injured in Odesa. 

“These levels of death and destruction risk dimming hope for an immediate ceasefire and threaten to undermine prospects for a lasting peace,” he said. 

‘Dramatic increase’ in casualties

Data from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, reveals that at least 13,438 civilians, including 713 children, have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Another 33,270 civilians have been injured, including over 2,000 children.

The number of civilian casualties in the first five months of this year alone totaled 5,144 – nearly 50 per cent higher than in the same period in 2024. Of this number, 859 were killed and 4,285 injured. 

“This dramatic increase is a result of intensified use of long-range weapons, both missiles and loitering munitions, against cities across Ukraine,” said Mr. Jenča. 

Ukrainian authorities report that between 1 and 17 June, Russian forces launched at least 3,340 long-range drones, including loitering munitions and decoy drones, and 135 missiles into the country. This compares to 544 long-range munitions launched during the whole of June 2024.

Attacks reported in Russia 

Escalating violence also continues to be reported in Russian regions that border Ukraine, though at a far lower level.  

In the Kursk region, a woman died in hospital a day after being injured in a Ukrainian drone attack while a man was killed, and five others injured, in a strike on a recreational centre. The UN was not able to verify these reports. 

“Let me once again unequivocally state – attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law, wherever they occur,” said Mr. Jenča, reiterating the UN’s condemnation.

Diplomatic developments welcomed 

Meanwhile, “important diplomatic developments have taken place on the challenging path towards a lasting peace in Ukraine.”  

Ukrainian and Russian delegations held their second face-to-face meeting in Istanbul on 2 June.  They reportedly exchanged written memoranda outlining their respective visions for a ceasefire and parameters for a future peace settlement. 

The sides also reached agreement for the large-scale exchange of prisoners of war, mortal remains and civilian detainees. Swaps have been carried out since then, with the latest round taking place earlier on Friday. The mortal remains of 6,057 Ukrainian and 78 Russian servicepersons also have been returned as of 16 June.

“We welcome the continuation of all meaningful diplomatic efforts, including the recent talks in Istanbul. We urge the sides to make tangible progress towards a ceasefire and a lasting settlement through continued talks,” said Mr. Jenča.

In the face of escalation, he called for redoubling efforts “to ensure that the fragile diplomatic process is not only sustained but becomes irreversible.”

Civilians bear the brunt

In the meantime, civilians continue to bear the severe consequences of the war, said Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“As the war continues, millions of lives are impacted every day. Essential  services are disrupted, and vulnerabilities are deepening for nearly 13 million people in need of assistance,” she said.

Roughly 3.7 million people are displaced inside Ukraine, including 60,000 newly displaced from frontline regions since January alone. Almost six million citizens are now refugees, mainly in Europe.

Amid the intensifying hostilities, the Government continues to order the mandatory evacuation of families with children from front-line villages, she said.  However, for some people in these locations “attacks are so frequent  that evacuations themselves become a risky prospect.”

Humanitarians at risk

Ms. Wosornu noted that humanitarians also face growing threats. This year, two aid workers have been killed and 24 injured while delivering assistance, and some 68 incidents of violence impacting relief personnel, assets and facilities have been recorded. 

She said that “despite an operating environment beset by multiple risks and challenges,” humanitarians remain committed and engaged, and their operations continue. Between January and May, they reached some 3.4 million people with life-saving aid, including food, water, medicines, health services and livelihood support.

Humanitarians are seeking $2.6 billion for Ukraine this year, and $816 million, has been secured, she said, stressing the importance importance of “timely financial support”.

End the war

Ms. Wosornu concluded her remarks by renewing earlier calls for the Council to take urgent, collective action in three areas, including protecting civilians and ensuring safe humanitarian access to all in need.  

Ambassadors were also urged to ensure sustained financial support as “declining funding trends” threaten aid efforts.

Her final request was an appeal to “end this war, and until then, ensure that humanitarian concerns are a central part of discussions on a pause in fighting or longer-term agreement.” 

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Escalating violence drives food crisis across eastern DR Congo, warns WFP

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Conflict has plagued the DRC for decades, particularly in the east. Armed clashes escalated sharply this year as M23 rebels wrested control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in January, followed by Bukavu in South Kivu a month later.

The security and humanitarian situation further deteriorated with recent outbreaks of anthrax and mpox in April and May, fuelled by overcrowded conditions and poor sanitation.

Deepening food insecurity

WFP’s latest report estimates that 7.9 million people are food insecure in the conflict-affected eastern provinces, with 28 million in need across the country.

Food production in Grand Nord, an important agricultural hub in eastern DRC, has been slashed due to recent conflict and displacement. In addition, the closure of Goma’s airport – critical for aid delivery – continues to disrupt operations.

Despite these challenges, WFP reached 1.1 million people in the east between January and March, providing school meals and take-home rations for 100,000 children, nutrition supplements for 340,000 children and pregnant or breastfeeding women – along with logistics and supply chain assistance.

Regional turbulence

The 140,000 Congolese who have fled to neighbouring countries since January – mainly Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania – have turned a national emergency into a regional crisis.

Refugee camps in these countries, already under strain from refugees from other countries, are struggling to absorb the new arrivals.

WFP warned that the surge in need is outpacing available resources. Budget constraints have forced the agency to make sharp cuts: food rations have been halved in Burundi, while cash support has also been halved in Rwanda.

In Uganda, the number of refugees receiving assistance has dropped from 1.6 million to 630,000. In Tanzania, food rations have been reduced from 82 to 65 per cent.

To sustain its emergency operations, WFP is appealing for $433 million to support its work inside the DRC through October.

Additional funding needs include $16.6 million to provide full food assistance in Burundi through 2025, $12 million to maintain full rations for refugees in Rwanda through 2025, $26 million to sustain operations in Uganda through 2025, and $18 million to provide just 75 per cent of full rations in Tanzania through April 2026.

Displaced families in the Bulengo camp on the outskirts of Goma face a dire and uncertain future as M23 authorities instruct them to dismantle their makeshift shelters.

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Syria: UN envoy warns of escalating violence in Syria

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He described the latest clashes as “unacceptable” and warned of the risk of further escalation in what he called an “extremely fragile situation”.

Fighting erupted earlier this week in Ashrafiah Sahnaya, a town southwest of the capital, when unknown gunmen attacked a security checkpoint.

The following day, another deadly clash took place in the nearby suburb of Jaramana. In total, at least 16 civilians and security personnel were reported killed.

‘Immediate steps’ needed to protect civilians

“The reports of civilian casualties, and casualties among security personnel, are deeply alarming,” said Mr Pedersen in a statement. “Immediate steps must be taken to protect civilians, de-escalate tensions, and prevent any further incitement of communal conflict.”

The violence comes as tensions reportedly remain high between Syria’s interim Government and Druze communities near the capital.

The Druze, a religious minority in Syria, have been engaged in talks about their inclusion in the new Syrian State, following the overthrow of the Assad regime last December.

Many in the community are reportedly calling for some level of autonomy, concerned over the Islamist background of some of Syria’s current leadership.

Amid the domestic unrest, Israel has also carried out military strikes in Syria, reportedly targeting what the Prime Minister described as an “extremist group” allegedly preparing to attack the Druze population south of Damascus.

A second strike reportedly killed a Syrian security officer outside the capital.

Syrian sovereignty ‘must be fully respected’

Mr. Pedersen condemned the Israeli attacks, saying they must stop. “Syria’s sovereignty must be fully respected.”

He stressed the importance of accountability for those responsible for killing civilians and fuelling tensions.

“There can be no progress without genuine inclusion, trust-building, and meaningful dialogue,” he said.

The Special Envoy welcomed efforts already underway to calm the situation and urged all sides to work together to prevent further bloodshed.

Dialogue, not destruction

With tensions still simmering following last month’s sectarian violence in Latakia, which claimed over 1,000 lives, the UN is calling for restraint and unity at a critical juncture for Syria’s future.

“The people of Syria have suffered too much for too long,” Mr Pedersen said.

“They deserve peace, dignity, and a future built on dialogue, not destruction.”

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